The results are in: chances are you need more sleep. Going to sleep too late, getting up too early and not getting the right number hours of rest each night can really add up. It can affect your ability to learn and retain information. It can negatively impact your weight control and lead to your getting sick more often.

Want to start down the road towards better sleep patterns and better health? Here are some ideas to help get you started.

• Go to sleep at the same time each night.
• Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake.
• Increase physical activity in your daily life style.
• Steer clear of naps.
• Stop eating 2+ more hours before retiring.
• Stop using your smartphone an hour or more before sleep.

Once you get into the habit of 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night, you should notice improvements in your mood, a better attention span, less stress and more. It’s one of the easiest ways of improving your overall health.

So go ahead and spend more time with your pillow. It’ll do you a world of good.