Sleep is something none of us can do without, but we tend to almost overlook the importance of a good nights sleep as there is always something better or more important to be doing. Working late, going out for dinner, or maybe a night out with friends that doesn't end until the next day. These are all reasons we commonly use as excuses for lack of sleep. However, for those of us that realise it's importance, sleep is almost a ritual, bringing the day to a close. This feeling of ritual leads to us all having very different ways to fall asleep.

Having a nice cup of hot milk in bed is a common people use when other ways to fall asleep don't seem to work, as is having a "bedtime nightcap" normally in the form of whiskey or brandy, and while drinking alcohol to sleepisn't the best thing to do, it is an age old way of getting off to sleep. Listening to a relaxation CD is another popular way to drift off, and a recent twist on this is DVD's that have amazing relaxing visual sequences combined with music. Slipping into bed with sheets that have just been washed and dried outside is another great way to fall asleep, the smell of crisp fresh air seems to just wash away the days worries.

There is nothing like falling asleep to the sound of the ocean, and this can be emulated, again with a CD - there are plenty of lovely "sea sound" CD's some with whale song that can be incredibly relaxing. Curling up in bed with a good book and a hot water bottle on a cold winters night are lovely ways to fall asleep, or if you are so lucky as to have an open fire, you can't beat putting the guard up and drifting off in front of it.Yoga offers an alternative way to sleeping aids of getting off to sleep, with amazing stretches and poses that give a complete feeling of deep relaxation and peace guaranteed to get you off to a good, deep nights sleep.

Some people find it impossible to get off to sleep without performing a certain bedtime routine, which in effect is just a way of winding down and signalling to your body that it is time to go to sleep. Whatever it is that you do before you bed down for the night, you can be sure that all around the country other people are also in the middle of finding great ways to fall asleep.