Many of us don’t consider sleep as being something very important. We know that we should aim for at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night but if we don’t achieve this number, we aren’t too worried.

However, sleep is extremely important for your health. Failing to get adequate amounts of sleep in the long term can increase your risk of disease and accelerate the aging process.

If you are somebody who struggles to get to sleep or you wake up regularly in the middle of the night, don’t worry. There are plenty of things that you can do to get a more restful sleep each night. We’ve rounded up some top tips that should help you when it comes to establishing a great sleep routine.

Prioritize Sleep

Achieving 7 to 8 hours of good quality sleep every night should be your top priority, no matter what else is going on in your life. Even just a small deficit in your sleep quantity or quality can produce lots of information in the body, which leads to a range of health complications in the long term.

Establish a Regular Night Routine

When life gets busy, it’s easy to let your sleep fall by the wayside. However, you must make sure you set aside some time every night to wind down and get yourself ready for sleep.

Each night, try to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time. This will make it easier for your body to recognize when it is time to go to sleep. Ideally, you should aim to get to bed before 11 pm, as your melatonin (sleep hormone) is highest between 11 pm and 2 am.

Exercise Regularly

We all know that exercise is essential for your physical and mental well-being but not many of us realize how important it is for sleep.

Exercise can give you a boost of energy for the day ahead while also tiring your body out enough that you can easily get to sleep in the night time.

Make Sure You Exercise in the Mornings Only

It’s important to know that you should not exercise towards the end of the day. Exercise can increase your body temperature and make it more difficult for you to drift off into a deep sleep.

Instead, try and stick to morning or early afternoon workouts only. This gives your body temperature time to drop before you go to sleep.