Sleeping well directly affects your mental and physical health. Falling short can take a serious toll on your daytime energy, productivity, emotional balance, and even your weight. Yet many of us regularly toss and turn at night, struggling to get the sleep we need.

Getting a good night’s sleep may seem like an impossible goal when you’re wide awake at 3 a.m., but you have much more control over the quality of your sleep than you probably realize. Just as the way you feel during your waking hours often hinges on how well you sleep at night, so the cure for sleep difficulties can often be found in your daily routine.

To help you sleep better, you must keep in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. That means try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day, avoid sleeping in—even on weekends, limit naps to 15 to 20 minutes in the early afternoon, and if you get sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. Exercise during the day can also improve your quality of sleep. The more vigorously you exercise, the more powerful the sleep benefits. But even light exercise—such as walking for just 10 minutes a day—improves sleep quality. Lastly, be smart about what you eat and drink. This means, avoid big meals at night, avoid alcohol before bed, avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening, and cut back on sugary foods and refined carbs.

#sleepbetternow