12 Simple Ways To Get A Better Sleep Tonight

We're talking eight hours and beyond. Come at us, sweet dreams.

1. Lose the lights

The fact humans prefer to sleep in total darkness is generally a given, but before you head to bed, take note of how dark your bedroom actually is. Street lights, flickering laptops and any glow sneaking in under your door can keep you awake longer than you need to be.

2. Wear pajamas

Sure your boyfriend's hoodie and oldest pair of track pants might seem comfier than your standard pair of PJs, but by changing into clothes our minds associate only with bedtime, we're helping ourselves get in the right state of mind for sleeping - and nothing else.

3. Meditate

Even five minutes of meditation before bed is enough to calm the mind and prepare it for sleep. If you're not practiced in the art, sit yourself comfortably against a wall or in a chair, close your eyes and try to focus only on breathing in and out.

4. Drink chamomile tea

For centuries this herbal brew has been associated with curing insomnia. So, boil that kettle and settle in with a cup before you get between the sheets.

5. Day dream

If you're constantly finding yourself in bed, unable to sleep, with your mind wandering to stressful areas of your life, such as work, school or that text-that-never-got-a-reply, prepare your brain for actual dreams, by creating your own day dream. Doing this takes your focus away from reality, allowing you to fall easily into snooze-ville.

6. Inhale through your left nostril

An ancient yoga technique used to calm the brain and lower body temperature, breathing in this way before bed will help you forget the stress of the day.

7. Skip the screens

At least half an hour before bed, switch off anything with a backlit display. TV, computers, phones - the light from these gadgets is said to supress the body's sleep chemicals.

If you literally can't live without your screen, take the brightness down to a much, much lower level.

8. Picture blackness

If meditating or day dreaming isn't your thing, rather than trying to count sheep, close your eyes and imagine darkness. Focusing your attention on nothing will allow your mind to slip into a state of sleep.

9. Set yourself a bed time

Just like you (eventually) get into the routine of waking up at the same time each morning - usually thanks to your alarm - going to bed at the same time every night can help you get the right amount of zzz's regularly.

10. Adjust your temperature

Like we can't sleep with the wrong amount of light or somewhere noisy, it's hard for us to sleep when we're too hot or too cold. Rather than toss-and-turn trying to get that leg-to-blanket ratio perfect, change PJs, swap doonas or flick on your fan. The 30 seconds out of bed will be worth it, trust us.

11. Jump in the tub

Everyone knows that there's little more relaxing than a good bath. Add some lavendar oil to the mix and you've got yourself one pretty perfect pre-snooze hangout.

12. Get out of bed

If you've tried everything and you're still laying awake - get up. Leaving your bed and bedroom to do something like read a book, take another bath or have a tea, take your mind of the fact you just-can't-sleep. Take 15 minutes, then get back into bed and try again.