Like eating well and being physically active, getting a good night's sleep is vital to your well-being. Here are some tips to help you:

Stick to a sleep schedule

Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on the weekends. The erratic clock for work and rest will touch your sleep quality. For example, if you always get up at 7:00am and go to work, then you feel tired at 11:00pm and go to bed at night. This kind of sleep and rest schedule will ensure your sleep time of 8 hours. But if you get up at 9:00am at weekend, you will not sleep until one o'clock at night. Well, in that case you will get up at 10:00am the next day. At this rate you will not be able to sleep at 11:00 as usual. In other words, your body is repeating the circle of "get up - go to bed" and the erratic sleep will disturb the normal circle, i.e. the biological clock in your body. Always get up at the same time no matter what time you go to bed. 

Exercise is great but not too late in the day

Avoid exercising closer than 5 or 6 hours before bedtime.

Avoid caffeine and nicotine

The stimulating effects of caffeine in coffee, colas, teas, and chocolate can take as long as 8 hours to wear off fully. Nicotine is also a stimulant.

Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed

A "nightcap" might help you get to sleep, but alcohol keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep. You also tend to wake up in the middle of the night when the sedating effects have worn off.

Avoid large meals and beverages late at night

A large meal can cause indigestion that interferes with sleep. Drinking too many fluids at night can cause you to awaken frequently to urinate.

Hot low-fat milk contains chemicals that help.

Milk has an amino acid in it called Tryptophan which slows down brain activity. Stick with low fat milk because high fat milk can put a greater burden on our digestive system and liver, which stimulates digestive activity, keeping us awake at night.

Avoid medicines that delay or disrupt your sleep, if possible

Some commonly prescribed heart, blood pressure, or asthma medications, as well as some over-the-counter and herbal remedies for coughs, colds, or allergies, can disrupt sleep patterns.

Don't take naps after 3 pm

Naps can boost your brain power, but late afternoon naps can make it harder to fall asleep at night. Also keep naps to under an hour.

Relax before bed

Take time to unwind. A relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to music, should be part of your bedtime ritual.

Take a hot bath before bed

The drop in body temperature after the bath may help you feel sleepy, and the bath can help relax you.

Have a good sleeping environment

Get rid of anything that might distract you from sleep, such as noises, bright lights, an uncomfortable bed, or a TV or computer in the bedroom. Also keeping the temperature in your bedroom on the cool side can help you sleep better.

Have the right sunlight exposure

Daylight is key to regulating daily sleep patterns. Try to get outside in natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes each day. Lightbox therapy can also help when natural sunlight is not available.

Avoid TV and computers for a couple of hours before bed

Similar to the reasoning in the section above: the flickering of a screen stimulates the brain with light at a time when the body is expecting darkness. Read a book or write a letter instead.  

Don't lie in bed awake

If you find yourself still awake after staying in bed for more than 20 minutes, get up and do some relaxing activity until you feel sleepy. The anxiety of not being able to sleep can make it harder to fall asleep.

See a doctor if you continue to have trouble sleeping

If you consistently find yourself feeling tired or not well rested during the day despite spending enough time in bed at night, you may have a sleep disorder. You family doctor or a sleep specialist should be able to help you. 

Natural "valium" can help

Valerian root is a muscle relaxant which can be found in health food stores and can help for those times when you can't sleep - obviously, this is not to be overused or it will stop being efficacious.  You can buy it as a supplement or as the raw root but, be warned, the root stinks to high heaven when you are making tea with it.