Getting To Sleep And Staying Asleep: Tips For Making Sure You Have A Restful Night's Sleep

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - We all love sleep but as people age, sleep patterns can change, and that can deprive your body of important rest.

There are simple steps that you can take to make sure once you fall asleep, you stay asleep.

The obvious is to not consume coffee or caffeine a few hours before bed and make sure that you put down your phone and other mobile devices.

24/7 Temp consulted with several sleep specialists on developing a list of about two dozen tips to improve your sleep.

One of those recommendations is to keep the bedroom cool. More specifically, keeping your bedroom between 60 and 67 degrees at night.

They also suggest being mindful of what you eat and drink.

Processed foods and sugar can change our blood sugar levels, causing us to wake up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Now, there is one tip that might not be that popular: don't sleep with your pets.

Their research found that about half of dogs and around 62% of cats sleep in bed with us but their experts advise against this, saying pets get up and down throughout the night and that can wake us up.

They also suggest something called "progressive muscle relaxation" better known as deep breathing and meditation.

Now, if all else fails - keep your feet warm!

Some research indicates that if our hands and feet are warm, it lets our brains know that it's time for bed.