1. Get an adequate amount of sleep each night. Most adults need about 8 hours.

2. Establish a regular sleep schedule. Going to bed and getting up at the same time every night is important to setting and stabilizing your internal clock. People with regular sleep schedules are more likely to avoid low levels of alertness and mood swings.

3. Make up for lost sleep. Losing one hour of sleep per night for a week produces the same effect as staying awake for 24 hours and puts you in "sleep debt." Sleep debt is cumulative, and needs to be "paid back." Add a couple of hours of sleep each day until you have made up for lost sleep and try to do it by going to bed earlier rather than later so you're still able to wake up at the same time. If you're paying back your sleep debt by napping, take a nap every day and don't nap too long.

4. Get continuous sleep. To wake up feeling refreshed, you need to get a continuous, uninterrupted night of sleep. Disruptive sleep won't leave you feeling restored because your body won't go through all the stages of sleep it needs, particularly delta wave or REM sleep. Six hours of continuous sleep is actually better than 8 hours of fragmented sleep. Make sure your mattress set is comfortable and providing proper support for you and your partner in order to limit tossing and turning and reduce sleep interruptions.




If you need a new mattress set, visit a Mattress Discounters Sleep Center near you.