tricks for INSTANT restful sleep

When it comes to natural sleep aids, most of us are familiar with the old, common sense advice. Take a bath, avoid heavy meals and try not to look at screens.

But experts say there are many more changes to your evening routine that you may be less familiar with.

Many of these changes involve avoiding certain behaviors that you have had for most of your life.

For example, cutting out that spicy food at dinner can make the difference between fragmented and restful sleep, she told DailyMail Dr. Ankit Parekh, assistant professor of sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Below, the sleep expert reveals the most important dos and don’ts for getting a good night’s rest without any medical intervention.

Do NOT eat chocolate and spicy foods and do cardio exercises

First, choose your dinner wisely.

You may know that eating late – after 8pm – is associated with weight gain and a higher risk of obesity.

But what you eat later in the night can also affect your sleep. Specifically, eating spicy or fatty foods a few hours before bed can lead to indigestion, commonly known as heartburn.

The symptoms – which include a sensation of acid rising from your stomach and reaching your throat – can wake you up, ruining your quality of sleep.

Then, consider keeping your coffee consumption to the morning hours only. Some research has shown that the stimulating effect of caffeine can remain for about six hours after consuming it.

This means your body can feel hyper-alert as you prepare for bed, making it difficult to relax. Dr. Parekh suggests giving up coffee before 3 p.m.

And while you might think two beers will put you to sleep, don’t be fooled—drinking is known to reduce sleep quality.