There’s a lot of advice out there about getting good sleep — it’s VERY important. We quickly adjust to being sleep-deprived, and don’t notice that we aren’t functioning at a normal level, but lack of sleep really affects us. If you’re feeling blue or listless, try going to sleep thirty minutes earlier for a week. It can really help.

Here are tips that have helped me get good sleep:

Good habits for good sleep:

1. Exercise most days, even if it’s just to take a walk.

2. No caffeine after 7:00 p.m.

3. An hour before bedtime, avoid doing any kind of work that takes alert thinking. Addressing envelopes–okay. Analyzing an article–nope.

4. Adjust your bedroom temperature to be slightly chilly.

5. Keep your bedroom dark. Studies show that even the tiny light from a digital alarm clock can disrupt a sleep cycle. We have about six devices in our room that glow bright green; it’s like sleeping in a mad . The Big Man has a new pet, a Roomba (yes, he loves his robot vacuum) that gives out so much light that I have to cover it with a pillow before bed.

6. Keep the bedroom as tidy as possible. It’s not restful to fight through chaos into bed.

If sleep won’t come:

7. Breathe deeply and slowly until you can’t stand it anymore.

8. If your mind is racing (you’re planning a trip, a move; you’re worried about a medical diagnosis), write down what’s on your mind. This technique really works for me.

9. Slather yourself with body lotion. This feels good and also, if you’re having trouble sleeping because you’re hot, it cools you down.

10. If your feet are cold, put on socks.

11. Stretch your whole body.

12. Have a warm drink. Supposedly warm milk contains melatonin and trytophan and so helps induce sleep, but in fact, a glass of milk doesn’t contain enough to have any effect. But it’s still a soothing drink. My nighttime favorite: 1/3 mug of milk, add boiling water, one packet of Equal, and a dash of vanilla. A real nursery treat.

13. Yawn.

14. Stretch your toes up and down several times.

15. Tell yourself, “I have to get up now.” Imagine that you just hit the snooze alarm and in a minute, you’re going to be marching through the morning routine. Often this is an exhausting enough prospect to make me fall asleep.

16. If you still can’t sleep, re-frame: re-frame your sleeplessness as a welcome opportunity to snatch some extra time out of your day. I get up and tackle mundane chores, like paying bills, organizing books, or tidying up. Then I start the day with a wonderful feeling of having accomplished something even before 6:45 am.

What am I missing? Are there some more great sleep-inducing strategies out there?

良好的睡眠，对人类非常重要，为此已出现许许多多的良言。但我们总是快速适应睡眠时间被剥夺的情况，而忽视我们的身体正在不良运转。缺乏睡眠实实在在影响着我们。如果你感觉精神抑郁或是无精打采，尝试每天早睡三十分钟，坚持一个星期。此法肯定有用。

下面是一些帮助我获得好睡眠的心得体会。

1，尽可能每天都锻炼，即使仅仅是散步也好。

2，晚上七点后不要喝咖啡。

3，睡觉前一个小时，避免做任何要求强度脑力的工作。如为信封填写地址，而不是分析某篇文章。

4，调节卧室温度到微寒。

5，保证你房间的黑暗状态。研究显示即使是电子钟传出的微弱的光线也能破坏睡眠习惯。我们房间里有大约六种装置发明亮的绿光;在这样的房间里睡觉就像谁在一个让人发疯的科学家实验室。我的丈夫有一个新宠物，罗姆芭（他的确喜欢这遥控吸尘器），但它发出如此多的光以致我不得不用枕头盖住它。

6，尽可能保持卧室整洁。床上乱糟糟的不可能睡好觉。

7，缓慢深呼吸直到你不能忍受为止。

8，如果你心里有事（如计划一次旅行，或活动，或你担忧某次医生的诊断），把你心里所想的写出来。这方法对我挺管用。

9，在身体上涂上沐浴露。这样，皮肤摸起来就会很舒服，并且使你心情平静，如果是因为天气热导致你不能入睡。

10，如果感觉脚冷，就穿上袜子。

11，舒展你的整个身体。

12，喝点热饮料。热饮料被认为含有甲氧基色胺和trytophan，但正是如此它才能诱发睡意，而且一杯热牛奶不足以产生任何影响。我晚上最喜欢的是1/3马克杯的牛奶，外加一杯开水，一包加了少量的香草的Equal。款待自己恰如喂养幼儿。

13，打呵欠。

14，向上向下舒展几次你的脚趾头。

15，告诉你自己，“我必须现在起床。”想象你刚响声

地呼噜不到一分钟，就得开始一早上的例行事务。而我，常常是困乏实在撑不住的希望是我突然入睡的。

16，如果你仍然不能入睡，重新设想：设想你的无眠是一次在白天中获得额外时间的机会。我起床后，做日常家务，如支付账单，整理书籍、房间等。接着我开始一天的工作，怀着奇特的希望，希望我能在早上6：45之前完成某些事情。

我在想要什么呢？有更多的诱导入眠的策略问世了吗？