Sleep is very important, especially for teenagers, but fitting in the time for extra hours can seem impossible. Ironically, teens that don’t get enough sleep usually cause this problem themselves without even knowing. There are many ways to ensure more hours of sleep, so read on to find out what you might be doing wrong.
1. Avoid sugar and caffeine a few hours before you plan on going to bed. The latest I’ll drink caffeine or eat sugary foods is at 3 p.m. This way the effect will have worn off by the time I’m ready to go to bed. Sugar and caffeine can result in excessive energy that prevents sleep so steer clear of that later in the day.
2. Avoid screens before sleep. It is proven that the bright light from a TV, laptop, tablet or phone stimulates your brain and makes you awake, so it’s important to shut down screens and do something that makes you sleepy.
3. Focus on breathing. Breathe deeply and count your breaths. This will calm your brain and eliminate distractions, helping make you sleepy and peaceful.
4. Relax your body. Clear any tension and feel your limbs go limp when you relax them.
5. Don’t think too much about it. Stressing about not getting sleep will cause even less sleep. The more you worry about when you’ll fall asleep, the less likely it is to happen.
6. Go over your morning plan in your head. You’ll know what you need to do in the morning knocking out stress, and thinking about your plans in detail will bore you making you tired.
7. Listen to something relaxing. This helps with the relaxation and peaceful factor that is necessary for sleep.
8. Read with low lights. Reading is a sure way to sleepiness as long as you use dim lighting.
9. Stretch. This goes along with the relaxation of your body, it helps calm your mind and it loosens your muscles.
10. Have a nightly regimen to follow. Having a routine helps relaxation and it ensures that you get everything done that you need to.

Getting more sleep is possible, sometimes we just have to put in a little more effort. If you follow these tips, you’ll be hitting the sheets and feeling more refreshed in the morning in no time. Sweet dreams.