Tired during the day? Spacey? Tips to sleep better.

Do you go to bed too late? Do you hit snooze a million times in the morning and struggle to wake up? Then, later that night, you stay up late again and repeat the cycle? Do you have trouble focusing on work or the task at hand in the first half of the day? If so, then you need to adjust your sleep pattern. Your circadian rhythms may be out of whack. Below is a simple plan that will help you wake up and also sleep better.

• Determine what time you need to wake up every morning in order to get to work or school or start your day.  Choose this time wisely because you need to commit to it 7 days a week.
• Subtract 8 hours from that time to identify when you need to go to sleep.  This is your target sleep time 7 days a week.
• Set your alarm for your "wake up" time and have your alarm repeat 7 days a week.
• Starting tomorrow, you absolutely must wake up with your alarm and immediately get out of bed.  Do not hit snooze; do not hang out in bed.  Get up when the alarm goes off.
• Repeat every morning at the same time every morning.
• Each night begin relaxing a little before your bed time.  At your bed time, turn the lights and tv off and go to bed.

• Don't drink more than 2 cups of coffee a day
• Don't drink caffeine after 2pm
• Consider taking melatonin an hour before bed
• Exercise vigorously at least 4 times a week
• Turn off the TV before you fall asleep
• Try reading before sleeping
• Keep a sleep journal where you record when you went to bed, when you fell asleep, when you woke up, when you got out of bed, how many times you woke up during the night and for how long; add up your total sleeping time

The hardest thing will be getting out of bed each morning, including weekends, at the exact same time every day. But, once you get into the habit (after a couple weeks), everything will become much easier. You'll find that you are more alert during the day and ready for bed each night. You will be able to focus better when working or studying each day.