Have Your Nightcap Early (and Pair it with Orange Juice)

iVillage.com: 10 Surprising Ways to Get a Better Night’s Sleep

There’s no question a drink before bed can help you drift off a little faster -- study after study shows that alcohol is a powerful nervous system relaxant. But there’s a catch, and it’s a biggie: The body breaks down alcohol into waste products that are caffeine-like stimulants, which can trigger a surge in your heart rate and brain wave activity. “That means a nightcap may put you to sleep, but two hours later you’ll be jolted awake and you’ll have no idea why,” says Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., research associate professor at the New York University School of Medicine. Fortunately, you don’t need to give up alcohol entirely, just sip your evening drink several hours before lights-out and pair it with a little orange juice. Tufts researchers say OJ’s fructose will get rid of those caffeine-like stimulants 20 percent faster.

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Use a New Pillow...

Seventy-five percent of people sleep more soundly when they curl up in fresh-smelling, just-laundered sheets, according to a National Sleep Foundation study. And you can get the same effect (with a lot less effort and expense) just by changing your pillowcase as often as you can, then spritzing your sheets with a little lavender. To do: Mix 25 drops of lavender essential oil with two cups of water in a spray bottle, then give your sheets two quick pumps before you climb in for the night. The feel of a fresh new pillowcase combined with the faint aroma of lavender boosts the production of sleep-inducing alpha brain waves, making people feel relaxed and groggy within minutes, says neurologist Alan Hirsch, M.D., director of Chicago’s Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. If you don't have the ingredients to make your own lavender spritz, look for products similar to this Lavender Aromatherapy Mist.

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Keep Two Lists

First, make a habit of writing down your day’s goals each morning -- then cross them off as you accomplish them. Being aware of how much you actually get done each day eases nighttime anxiety, and that helps at least one in five women sleep more soundly, say Yale researchers. Next, keep a notepad and pen beside your bed so on nights when you’re bug-eyed, spend 10 minutes quickly scribbling down all of your worries and troubles. It sounds like a real sleep-stealer, yet this brief bout of bedtime venting helps women fall asleep 30 percent faster, say UCLA researchers. Turns out getting what’s troubling you down on paper kick-starts production of dopamine, a calming hormone that dials down feelings of stress, edginess and restlessness.

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Wear Sunglasses ...

If it’s sunny and you’re heading out to do errands after 4 p.m., wearing your sunglasses could increase your bedtime sleepiness by 20 percent or more, according to research at the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health. Reducing your light exposure as the day wanes prods your brain to fire up its production of melatonin, the hormone that’s essential for deep, restorative sleep, the study authors say. Equally important: Keep your shades off if you’re heading outside early in the a.m. “A brief morning blast of sunlight resets your brain’s biological clock, making you feel more energetic during the day, and more sleepy at night,” says Michael Smolensky, Ph.D., author of "The Body Clock Guide to Better Health."

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Time Your Minera...

Taking 400 to 500 milligrams of calcium (and the same amount of magnesium) half an hour before lights-out helps 76 percent of women fall asleep more easily and wake up more refreshed, say Stanford University researchers. “These essential minerals lower your heart rate and blood pressure, relax tight muscles, soothe jangled nerves and increase the amount of time you spend in the most restorative, slow-wave stage of sleep,” explains James F. Balch, M.D., co-author of Prescription for Natural Cures.

Bonus: This mineral duo also curbs the nighttime leg cramps that may wake you up from time to time.

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Train Your Bladd...

Up to 50 percent of women are jarred awake at night by partially-full bladders, making them stumble to the bathroom two, three (or more) times every night. To the rescue: Try spacing out your daytime bathroom breaks, by waiting at least 20 minutes after you feel those first twinges. Your bladder will fill up a little more -- but not too much -- so the nerves surrounding your bladder get desensitized and are less likely to trigger sleep-sabotaging muscle spasms at night, says Richard S. Bercik, M.D., a urogynecologist at Yale University. “All-told, just training your bladder to stay relaxed as it fills could cut your nightly awakenings in half within two months.”

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Brew Passionflow...

Sipping 12 ounces of passionflower tea each evening can double your ability to drift off without a struggle, say European researchers. “This herb is a natural muscle relaxant and sedative, plus it increases your brain’s production of serotonin -- a hormone that calms a racing mind and relieves insomnia-triggering anxiety,” says Hyla Cass, M.D., author of "8 Weeks to Vibrant Health." Look for passionflower tea bags in health food stores under brand names like Alvita, Tadin and Celebration Herbals, and sweeten to taste with sugar or honey.

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Slow Down at Din...

People with heartburn were 50 percent more likely to wake up repeatedly during the night, according to a British study. Since their nighttime reflux was so mild that it wasn’t causing a strong burning sensation, they had no idea stomach acid was the culprit for insomnia. According to UCLA research, you can cut your risk of sleep-sabotaging heartburn by at least 32 percent if you spend a half hour enjoying your dinner, instead of polishing it off in less than 10 minutes. “Slow, leisurely eating really is better for your digestion, and it’s better for your sleep, too!” says Patricia Raymond, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

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Have Your Nightc...

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Hide Your Alarm ...

It’s hard to believe that something so simple could have a big impact on sleep, yet turning the alarm clock away from the bed helped one in three women stay asleep through the night within 48 hours! “It’s completely normal to wake up slightly, but then quickly drift off several times every night. It’s part of a healthy sleep cycle and something that you don’t normally even realize is happening,” says J. Brevard Haynes, M.D., a pulmonologist at the Center for Sleep in Nashville, Tenn. “But reading the time on a clock sends a jarring wake-up call to your brain, leaving you wide awake and wondering how you’ll get back to sleep.”

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Switch to Red Li...

Computers, TVs, fluorescent lights and even iPads give off a bluish wavelength of light that energizes your brain, squashing its production of sleep-inducing melatonin, according to UCLA researchers. “Turn off these troublemakers 30 minutes before bedtime and you could cut your risk of restless sleep in half within one week,” says Walsleben. And if you often get up at night to adjust the temperature, use the bathroom or check on kids, use a nightlight with a red Christmas tree bulb. According to New York University researchers, red is the color of light least likely to dampen melatonin production and sabotage your nightly slumber.

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