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We’ve all experienced the anxiety-inducing feeling of awakening in the night and not being able to fall back to sleep. With each passing minute, our minds race as we pose the inevitable question, “Why can’t I get to sleep and stay asleep?” But if you’re one of the many who spend your nights tossing and turning, rest assured you are not alone. “Sleep issues are a common problem,” explains Kate Rhéaume-Bleue, doctor of naturopathic medicine and a leading health expert who lectures across the country on natural health topics, including insomnia. “During my talks, people who aren’t sleeping well come out in droves. Poor sleep affects the quality of your life.”

And those effects can be huge. According to research studying insomnia treatment at various Canadian sleep centres, people who suffer from chronic insomnia are more forgetful, poor work performance, more work-related accidents, increased absenteeism and receive fewer promotions than those without sleeping problems. The problem of sleeplessness can also lead to increased weight gain, explains Rhéaume-Bleue. “A lack of sleep will cause you to compensate by eating extra calories and eating more starchy foods.” Why? If you are chronically sleep deprived, your cortisol levels (stress hormones) become elevated and can cause you to consume more calories to make up for your lack of energy, which leads to weight gain.

But if you aren’t getting enough shut-eye, there is hope. Poor sleep hygiene – the steps you take to ready yourself for sleep—may be the culprit robbing you of those all too important zzz’s. The good news? A few simple changes to your bedtime routine can make a world of difference. One of the overarching ways people sabotage their sleep is by not properly preparing their environment for deep sleep. “People take certain common sense approaches for granted,” explains Rhéaume-Bleue. “For example, one of the first instances of sleep hygiene is to ensure you sleep in a dark room. People will often say, “My room’s dark enough,” but the room needs to be completely dark. This will increase your levels of melatonin (the hormone that maintains your body’s circadian rhythm or internal clock, which plays a role in when we fall asleep and wake up) and help you sleep deeply. If you can’t sleep in a room that’s dark or cover the windows, try using a sleep mask.

One of the major sleep saboteurs is using the bedroom as an entertainment centre or office. Rhéaume-Bleue stresses the importance of designating the bedroom for sleep and sleep-related activities only. “This means no TV and no computers. The reason is that you should feel relaxed as soon as you walk in the room and associate the bedroom with sleep and bedroom-related activities. For some people who enjoy watching TV or working on the computer, the type of blue light emitted from the screen can be very stimulating to the brain – and keep you awake when you should really be sleeping,” she says. It’s also important to avoid caffeine after 3 p.m. and go to sleep when you feel tired. Many people will say, “I’m tired but it’s too early to go to sleep so I’m going to stay up another hour and watch some more TV.” The problem is that people tend to get a second wind and that can throw your sleep schedule off.”

What other common sense approaches can you adopt to promote a deeper, more rejuvenating night’s sleep? Create a bedtime ritual that you can follow every night. This will trigger your body and brain to know that it’s time to go to sleep. “Having a routine is not only about going to bed and waking up at the same time,” explains Rhéaume-Bleue. “If you like to have a cup of tea or a bath or do some reading or stretching, doing that creates an association in the brain that it’s time to unwind. Do something besides watching TV or trolling the Internet.” If you need a little extra help drifting off but don’t want to take a prescription or synthetically derived sleep aid, there are plenty of options on the market, including a compound called L-theanine which promotes deep relaxation naturally. “These sorts of natural supplements can help you get a good night’s sleep without waking up feeling groggy or hungover, which is a common complaint people have about some traditional sleep medications,” says Rhéaume-Bleue.

Diet is also key to achieving the best sleep you can, especially for those sleep sufferers who tend to wake in the middle of the night and then experience difficulty falling back to sleep. Ensure you eat a balanced diet and never skip breakfast. “Waking up is associated with a drop in the blood sugar during sleep. During the day when blood sugar levels are low, it promotes cravings or you may feel shaky but when it happens during sleep, it will wake you up. Making changes in your diet can help. What you choose at breakfast will set the tone for the day – avoid sugary cereal, juice, and white processed products like bagels and pancakes which spike insulin levels and sets your blood sugar skyrocketing. That will interfere with sleep. Instead, opt for something like a vegetable omelette which contains protein, complex carbohydrates and a bit of fat – that will keep your blood sugar stable,” advises Rhéaume-Bleue.

Getting the sleep you need doesn’t have to be the stuff of dreams. Make tonight the night you sleep like a baby by creating a sleep routine that will lull your mind and body into a deep sleep and prepare to wake up feeling rested and revitalized.