Most people do not realize their sleep problems are a catalyst for other problems they are experiencing in life.

Watching TV before bed may seem relaxing and mundane but parts of your brain are being set off like fireworks; you are actually putting a stressor on your brain and body at a time when you should be winding down for sleep.

Breaking the habit of using electronic devices before bed can be demanding but is worth mastering; replace devices with an equally enjoyable activity like reading, music, or good company.

Sleep can make you lose weight faster, prevent cancer, decrease pain, perform at a high level, and provide more energy throughout the day.

Poor sleep increases likelihood of obesity, cancer, and depression.

When you go to sleep, make sure there isn't any light in the room; you shouldn't even be able to see your hand in front of you, that's how dark it has to be.

Upgrading sleep quality should be high on your priority list because of its cascading effects on health, relationships, and productivity.

A study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that women who worked the overnight shift had 30 percent higher incidence of breast cancer.

Poor sleep causes you to be grumpy and not fun to be around, relationships suffer, work productivity declines, you experience higher stress, eat more, and store belly fat.

Even though the room temperature should ideally be cool to induce sleep, this can trigger sleeplessness in some people; the solution is to wear warm socks to bed and test what works best for you individually.

Researchers at Harvard found that meditation alters the structure of your brain, thickening the regions associated with attention and sensory processing.

Humans are creatures of habit and habitat; the human brain is always looking for patterns so that it can automate behavior, and after a while you don't have to think about what you have to do when you go to a different room in your home.

Tip 7: Calm your inner chatter; when people hop into bed, they proceed to think about the when, where, who, why, what, and how of their life when they should be sleeping, a problem called inner-chatter that results from stress and untamed busyness of the day.

Sunlight exposure triggers your body to produce optimal levels of daytime hormones that regulate your biological clock.

Getting direct sunlight outdoors for at least half an hour has been shown to produce the most benefit for circadian rhythm regulation.

Too little light during the day and too much artificial light in the evening will negatively impact your sleep at night.

Tip 2: Avoid screens before bedtime; cutting out screen time at night is likely the number one thing you can do to improve sleep quality immediately.

Computers, iPads, TVs, and smartphones emit blue light that can cause major sleep problems by disorienting your body's natural preparation for sleep.

If you must use a computer late at night, use a blue-light blocker program like f.lux that turns your computer screen more orange, or use blue-light blocking glasses.

Even if you block all blue light, your brain is firing in all directions instead of shutting down for sleep; blue-light blocking is a partial solution that does not fully address the problem of screen stimulation before bed.