Make a pledge to implement at least one tip for better sleep today, and you’ll be taking even more advantage of both your body and mind. If you’re not sleeping properly you are simply not making the most of whatever IQ you have.

The good news is: you don’t need to sleep longer to get a better night’s sleep. You can actually sleep less and have more energy. I’ll get to how you can do that later in this article.

So what does intelligence and sleep have to do with one another? Questions still abound to just what happens when we sleep and how much it affects brain activity. Some theories suggest that we absorb all our daytime learning while we sleep. But we don’t have the research to know for sure.

One thing is for sure, however: if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you are not going to be very productive the next day.

I’m sure you know this already don’t you? So you probably don’t need too much convincing that getting a good night’s sleep is going to benefit your intelligence in great ways.

So here are 10 tips for better sleep.

1st tip for better sleep

Make sure you’ll comfortable in bed.

Invest in a good mattress. We’re asleep for about a third of our lives, so if you are going to spend some money, it makes sense to spend it here.

Make sure you are also at a comfortable, cool temperature, that the room is dark, and that it is quiet.

2nd tip for better sleep

Get more light during the day. Cut out as much light as possible when you sleep

3rd tip for better sleep

Get rid of the caffeine (tea, coffee, soft drinks); it actually makes you more tired in the long term. Nicotine leads to poor sleep as well, so stop smoking. And alcohol also leads to poor sleep. Cut the destructive things out of your body and you will improve your sleep.

4th tip for better sleep

When you’ve cut the bad things out of your body, put something good back in. If you’re not already, make yourself healthy – eat better and get more exercise. This will give you countless benefits, but one of them will be a better quality of sleep and much more energy during the day.

5th tip for better sleep

Move yourself. Even if you exercise regularly, sitting down to read a book, watch TV, or use your computer for an extended period of time will make you feel sleepy. When you start to feel tired, get up and get moving. You’ll start to feel more awake.

6th tip for better sleep

Don’t snooze. If you have to snooze, then one of two things is happening. Either you didn’t get enough sleep, or you have just conditioned yourself to sleep really lightly after the first alarm call. Place your alarm clock at the other side of the room if you have to, but make sure you get up straight away.

As you get your sleeping patterns sorted out, you will eventually be able to wake up without the alarm clock.

7th tip for better sleep

If you have trouble getting to sleep it may be because you are using your bed for too many things. If you associate reading, TV watching, et cetera with being in your bed, you will make it more difficult to sleep. Only use your bed (preferably your bedroom) for sex and sleeping – nothing else. You will start to associate the bedroom with sleep, and drifting off will become much easier.

If it is possible, remove computers, televisions, work materials, etc. from the bedroom completely.

8th tip for better sleep

Unwind before bed. If your mind is racing from the activities of the day, you will have trouble drifting off to sleep. Do something that isn’t taxing on your brain, and doesn’t require you to think too hard.

If you’re a workaholic, still try to do something calming before bed. If you don’t, you’ll have to lie in bed while you are trying to unwind instead. This is a frustrating and time wasting experience.

Try reading a book, watching a little television, listening to some relaxing music, or having a bath before you go to sleep. If you have a regular routine like this, you will begin to associate these activities with bedtime and begin to feel tiredness setting in. Also, try dimming the lights prior to going to bed.

Try a breathing mediation to calm and relax yourself. Get yourself into a comfortable position with a good posture (on your back is usually best, but do what’s comfortable). Then just concentrate on your breath. Breathe in and out slowly and deeply.

Make sure you are not hungry before going to bed, or you will have trouble sleeping. If you find that you are hungry, have a light snack. But make sure that you don’t eat heavily or you’ll have a disturbed sleep.

9th tip for better sleep

Go to bed at the same time every night. Get up at the same time every morning. If you keep changing your sleeping times, you will confuse your body clock and you won’t sleep nearly as well. And keep in the routine during the weekend.

If you continue to stay active past the point where you feel sleepy, you will likely get a second wind, and want to stay up for a lot longer. So make sure you are ready to sleep when it is time. This may take some discipline; especially if you are doing something interesting.

10th tip for better sleep

You should be able to sleep within 15 minutes of getting into bed. If you’re not asleep by then, get up. Don’t leave it for 2 hours. Again you want to associate your bed with sleeping. Staying in bed while you can’t sleep will associate your bed with insomnia. Not good.

When you get up, don’t do anything interesting. Do something mundane like the ironing or washing up. If you surf the net, read a book, or watch TV when you should be sleeping you’re just make things worse. Don’t reward yourself for not sleeping.

If that doesn’t work, then increase the time you stay up before going back to bed. If you leave it long enough you’re going to sleep no matter how bad your insomnia is. If you really tire yourself out make sure you’re doing something that will keep you awake. Set an alarm (and make sure you have to get up to turn it off) so that you don’t sleep through the day.