WE often hear that adults need to get at least seven hours nightly to protect against poor health. But is seven hours really the magic number? William Christopher Winter, medical director at Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center, says not exactly.

    While recommendations may provide a baseline, every person is different. Not to mention, your quality of sleep can make or break how you feel the next day. Here are some tips that may help you get the best quality sleep.

    Bedroom control No. 1:

    light

    “Go into your bedroom, climb into bed, turn off all the lights, close your blinds,” says Winter. If you can easily find the door, that’s a major sign that the room is too bright for sleeping.

    While that may sound extreme, even five minutes of white light from a screen suppresses melatonin levels by more than 50 percent, according to The Bulletproof Diet. What’s that matter? Melatonin, otherwise known as the sleep hormone, levels in the blood rise sharply and you begin to feel less alert in the evening, and sleep becomes more inviting.

    Bedroom control No. 2:

    temperature

    There are two things you can control for here: The temperature of the room and then the temperature of the beds. A lot of people sleep better in a cooler environment, so if you can cool your room, or cool your bed, or cool your half of the bed or whatever the case may be, it can be very helpful, says Winter.

    Bedroom control No. 3:

    noise

    “Try to create a situation where your bedroom is as quite as possible,” suggests Winter. “People who sleep with televisions or noise machines all night long are indirectly damaging their sleep quality.” The exception? When you’re drowning out worse noise from loud neighbors or perhaps the street. In that case, a low fan can do wonders for keeping the noise levels constant around your sleep situation.

    Bedroom control No. 4:

    comfort

    We’ve already touched on temperature, but your mattress can also play a major part in how well you’re sleeping. In a 2011 poll, the National Sleep Foundation found that 92 percent of Americans say a comfortable mattress is important for a good night’s sleep.

    (SD-Agencies)