Maintain good health and physical fitness

What you eat can greatly affect how you sleep, even during the early half of the day. Eat breakfast first thing in the morning to sleep better at night. After eating well throughout the day, avoid eating spicy or junk foods at night, and instead choose something that will help you drift off. Heavy eating or drinking before bed increases your chances of indigestion or frequent trips to the bathroom. A light dinner about two hours before bedtime can help you sleep more soundly.

Sleep and recovery go hand in hand since sleep is when your muscles repair and recover. However, just like sleeping helps your athletic performance, exercising helps your sleep performance by increasing the amount of time you’re in deep sleep. Aim to get the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week for better quality sleep.  A day of physical exertion (such as taking a run or a swim) or better yet, regular exercise, can make for deeper and more restful sleep. Don’t exercise right before bed to help you get to sleep; while it tires out your muscles, it also boosts your heart rate and makes you even wider awake. Give your body time to cool down, and for you to re-hydrate  so consider about 2 hours before bedtime as a cutoff for exercise.