Sleep is elusive to many. Without a good night’s sleep, your body cannot recover and restore itself. Sleep deprivation can be a serious problem that affects your ability to function. To learn how to sleep better, read on.

Staying up late is enjoyable for some. Erratic sleep schedules often lead to insomnia. Set your alarm clock and rise every day at a set time. After just weeks, this will be a habit, and you’ll easily fall into a helpful routine.

To mitigate your insomnia, purchase a firmer mattress. You may not get enough support from a soft mattress. This can cause your body stress and worsen your insomnia. It is worthwhile investing in a good quality mattress.

Work out more often. Office workers are more affected by insomnia than manual laborers. You need a tired body to be able to rest. One thing you can try is going for a walk before you go to bed.

If you work on your computer or play video games before bed, it may keep you awake. It will keep your from getting a good night’s sleep.

Orienting your body north to south may be helpful. Put your feet towards the south and your head to the north. Your body will then be aligned with the Earth, making rest easier. It sounds kind of weird, but people say it works.

Arthritis suffers often suffer from insomnia, too. The pain of this condition can keep you awake the entire night. If you have this problem, try some relaxation exercises, a hot bath or ibuprofen just before bed to ease your pain and make it easier to sleep.

Keep your bedroom both dark and quiet. Even the smallest light can make it tough for someone suffering from insomnia to get a good rest. Reduce any noise that is in your house as soon as possible. If there are noises out of your control, consider earplugs or playing ambient noise tapes.

Magnesium is a mineral which can assist people in falling asleep. Magnesium helps to stimulate sleep through the effect it has on the brain’s neurotransmitters. Magnesium rich foods include greens, pumpkin seeds and certain kinds of fish. Magnesium can also assist with the treatment of muscle cramps.

Leave tablets and laptops in another room. It’s tempting to bring your gadgets to bed, but they can easily keep you awake. So if you tend to suffer insomnia, the best thing that you can do is turn off those gadgets at least an hour before bed time. Your body needs an opportunity to relax.

Just sleep and dress in your bedroom — nothing else! If you do anything else, from television to Internet to fighting someone you love, your brain is stimulated in that room in the future. If that’s a place where you only sleep, your brain will learn that quickly.

When you are having issues, keep a diary of your sleeping habits to narrow down where the issue lies. Write down what you’ve eaten that day, if you exercised, and how your mood is. Then look at the amount of rest you are getting. You will be able to make some changes to your life once you understand what changes need to be made.

Sleeping can be very difficult, sometimes. It’s not something that you can concentrate on doing or achieve through hard work. When you understand how to better get to sleep, you can sleep better. Making the effort to follow the steps shared here will help you get a better night of rest.