Be SMART, feel SEXY and become SLIMMER with a better night's SLEEP

To some people, the need for sleep is viewed as a sign of weakness. It's a new macho - and women, especially, are buying into it. But while you're asleep, every system in your body is being fine-tuned, reset, cleaned up and restored to its optimal operating mode by an army of molecular troubleshooters. When you sleep well, you're in peak operating condition. When you're don't, you feel groggy and none of your systems are firing on all cylinders. Here some surefire strategies from top specialists for a truly good night's sleep. Hope it's helping you! =)

The Daily Schedule

Wake up at the same time every day A good night actually starts in the morning. The second your eyes flutter open, light shoots down the optic nerve and into the brain's biological clock. That stimulates production of hormones that regulate everything from how you think to how you feel. Wake up at a different time every day and the clock is out of sync. You feel groggy and hungover for hours.
Give yourself an hour - the one right before bed. You need it to wind down and make the transition from the person-who-can-do-everything to the person-who-can-sleep. Unfortunately, most women are not giving themselves one single second.
Put yourself first If the dog's snoring wakes you up, put him in another room. If your partner's snoring wakes you up, help him get treatment.

Work and Life

Dump the 24/7 stuff Even if we manage to drop into bed for the six hours researchers claim most of us spend there, our minds are full of what-if's, why-did-we's and what's-on-tomorrow's. Draw up your to-do list, then take a big breath and start crossing things off, she says. It's a bit humbling to realise, but you really don't have to do it all.
Don't work so late The prevailing thought is that you have to stay late to get the job done. But working right up until bedtime is bound to affect your sleep. Go home at a reasonable hour. The truth is that it's better to go get some sleep, then come back and do more work in the morning.
Manage the electronics You don't have to do without your gadgets to cut stress - just control them. Turn off your mobile in the evening, ditch the night-light and rotate the clock-radio display. Total darkness tells your brain it's time to sleep.

Food and Drink

Stick to water, juice, decaffeinated diet soda - anything but coffee, hot chocolate or tea within six to ten hours of bed. Caffeine blocks the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical that makes you sleepy. In fact, the caffeine in just one cup will rev your circuits enough to reduce both the length and restorative depths of sleep.

Think rice for dinner Although a well-balanced diet throughout the day is necessary to produce the neurochemicals your brain needs to function efficiently, researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia have discovered that eating a high-carb meal four hours before bed - jasmine rice, in this case - halve the time it takes to fall asleep.
Put cookies and milk on your nightstand The tryptophan in milk, will help you need some carbs to get it where you want it to go in your brain, says Dr Mary Susan Esther, president of the America can Academy of Sleep Medicine.

The Bedroom

Buy a new mattress The mattress to choose is the one that you can try in home for 30 days. Find a store that offers that option, pick out the mattress you and your partner think the most comfortable, make sure it has a guarantee, and flash your plastic.
Cool it Turn down the thermostat a few degrees before you climb into bed. Lower temperatures signal your body that it's time to sleep. Studies show that pulling a socks works too - maybe because warming your feet and legs allows your internal temperature to drop.