It should be the easiest thing in the world, sleep. So easy, in fact, that you can do it with your eyes closed. Yet for so many people, nodding off is a nightly ritual of tossing, turning and Googling 'how to fall asleep' before giving up and staying awake until work. But if you don't snooze, you lose. Besides looking like a reanimated corpse, regularly cutting your shut-eye short has been linked to a range of health issues, from an increased risk in mental health problems to a decreased chance of reaching your summer body goals. If you want to know how to sleep better, read on for five tips that will help you flip the switch.

How To Sleep Better

Supplement Your Sleep

There's a reason why sleep deprivation is on the CIA's list of enhanced interrogation techniques. Without a full 40 winks, the body is unable to enter the crucial 'repair' phase, leading to a weekend immune system and a lack of essential minerals. To boost your vitamin 'Z' levels, consider making Innermost's Relax Capsules a part of your bedtime routine; they use research-backed nootropics to encourage you to drift off naturally. And seeing as too many late nights also affect your ability to build muscle and shed fat, you might want to look at the wellness brand's workout-boosters while you're at it.

Experiment With Essential Oils

No longer the domain of new-age spas and hippie retreats, essential oils – AKA plant extracts like rosehip, eucalyptus and tea tree – have become big news for treating everything from acne to insomnia. It isn't just a case of giving your pillow a quick spritz with any old plant juice, though. Before jumping under the sheets, apply a few grooming products loaded with lavender, renowned for a host of sleep-promoting effects including reducing heart rate and relaxing muscles. Baxter of California's exfoliating Facial Scrub is a good place to start or slather on Heath's non-greasy Hand Salve for a slow-release all night.

Create A Routine

A bedtime routine may sound like something you had as a kid, but it's an essential for grown-ups, too. Your circadian rhythm (otherwise known as your body clock) is affected by several factors including genetics, but the one thing experts agree on is that consistency is key. Turning in and rising at the same time every day teaches your body to make the most of the midnight hours by knowing when it should be asleep and when it should be awake. You can take this a step further by having a pre-bed grooming routine – we highly recommend the Allies Of Skin 1A Retinal And Peptides Overnight Mask – which it will associate with the winding down process.

Practice Sleep Hygiene

Most people tuck themselves in after a few hours of staring at a big screen to reward themselves for a long day of staring at a medium screen while taking breaks to scroll through a small screen. It's a ritual as exhausting on the body as it is on the eyes because these devices all emit blue light, which blocks the hormone our body produces when it's time for sleep. To avoid going to bed tired but wired, swap your screens for a soak. The increase and then decrease in body temperature has the opposite effect on melatonin, while a product like Eurosport's No Hands Muscle Release relieves tension for a deep slumber.

Seize The Day

Whether it's an overflowing inbox or that awkward thing we said, we've all experienced waking up worrying about the day we had. So it makes sense then that, as well as using relaxation techniques at night, we take pre-emptive steps to avoid taking stress to bed. Exercise, journaling and breathing routines are all useful methods for restoring your centre when things pile up. If you still need a hand finding your zen, Apothem's simply formulated Day Drops pull on the power of CBD to clear your mind and allow you to reframe the thoughts likely to keep you from counting sheep.