Here's my approach to sleep hygeine:
1. Allow enough time for sleep. Most people need 7–9 hours of sleep each day.
2. Avoid heavy meals for at least 3 hrs before sleep, since they can cause a middle-of-the-night blood sugar drop, followed by an adrenaline surge, which can wake you up. If you’re hungry, snacks high in fat will have the least chance of disrupting your sleep.
3. No caffeine after lunch. This includes hidden caffeine, such as chocolate.
4. Avoid excitotoxins at all times, such as MSG and Aspartame.
5. Arrange a sleep environment that is very dark (seal off all sources of light from windows, cracks under doors, face clocks away from the bed, etc.), comfortable, quiet, and cool to facilitate falling asleep quickly and staying asleep. The rule of thumb is that if you can read a newspaper headline, then it's not dark enough.
6. No TV in the bedroom. If you need some type of noise or distraction to fall asleep, try radio instead as it is a less engaging medium. White noise, such as from a fan, is even better.
7. Exercise for twenty to thirty minutes or so five to six hours before sleep, but not immediately before sleep.
8. Taking a Melatonin supplement about 30 minutes before you want to sleep can help make you sleepy. The feeling doesn't last long, though, so it's best not to fight it when it comes on. You may have to experiment with the dose. 1 mg or less is enough for some people, others might need up to 20 mg.
9. Block the blue spectrum of the light for two to three hours before bed; blue light destroys Melatonin. You might try the f.lux application on your PC, which reduces blue light from your screen in the evening. Blu-blocker type sunglasses (amber lenses) worn indoors can also be effective.
10. Avoid sleeping pills, except in truly urgent scenarios! They can make things worse in the long run.
11. Magnesium helps relax muscles and can reduce anxiety. Supplementing it can help with sleep. You may have to experiment with dose; too much, and it acts as a laxative. Mag citrate ("Natural Calm" brand), Mag glycinate and Mag orotate are good forms. Avoid Mag oxide.
12. Use a flashlight or other dim light to see if you have to go the bathroom in the middle of the night, so that you don’t expose yourself to excess light, especially white light (some people use red lights in their bathrooms).
13. Light reading or a bath before bed is a good way to prepare for sleep, but avoid reading in bed — use a different room.
14. Avoid stressful or stimulating activities for at least 3 hrs before bed, since they can cause your body to secrete cortisol, associated with alertness. Eating also increases cortisol.
15. Alcohol is a double-edged sword. It can help you feel relaxed, but it can also play havoc with your sleep. Red wine before bed can be particularly bad, since it contains Resveratrol, which can lower your blood sugar and thereby cause an adrenalin spike in the middle of the night.
16. Have a careful, thorough look at the side-effects of all prescription medications and supplements you may be taking. There are quite a few of both that can interfere with sleep.
17. If you're in bed and can’t fall sleep, go do something else (ideally something relaxing, and not stimulating) until you feel you can, and then go back to bed.
18. Do you have sleep apnea? If so, it can interfere terribly with sleep quality. If you snore, it's more likely you do. Often waking up with a start in the middle of the night is another symptom. Consider having a sleep study to be sure.