About 45 percent of Americans don’t get enough sleep, according to a recent survey. However, the benefits of getting enough sleep far outweigh the thrill of watching TV for one more hour or surfing the web. Getting a better night’s sleep will help you lose or keep your weight more effectively. Try these simple steps to improve your quality of sleep.

Take time to relax

So many of us go-go-go until it’s time for bed, but it’s important to take time to slow down and relax before sleeping. Do relaxing things, such as listening to soothing (抚慰的) music or deep breathing. Avoid stimulating (刺激的) activities such as writing e-mails, talking on the phone and watching TV. Some guidelines (指导方针): no e-mail after 8 p.m. and no TV or phone calls after 9 p.m..

Darker is better

Your body regulates your sleep cycle in response to the presence and absence of light, so dim the lights as evening approaches. Try getting ready for bed by candlelight. When you’re ready to sleep, make sure your room is as dark as possible.

Put your thoughts to bed

We all need time to process our day, but bed is not the place to do it if you want to sleep well. Take 10 to 15 minutes to record your thoughts in a journal. This effective technique will capture what’s in your mind so you don’t lie awake. Tell yourself you’re putting your thoughts to bed so that you can go to bed.

No sugar or alcohol before bed

These may wake you up. If you need a snack before bed, make it protein.

Try to get more sleep

Get an extra hour or two of sleep every night for a week and see how you feel. You’ll notice the difference!

小题1:The purpose of writing this text is to ________________________.

A．share some ways to slow down and relax before sleeping

B．guide readers to improve their quality of sleep

C．tell readers the importance of getting a good night’s sleep

D．publish the results of a recent survey on quality of sleep小题2:According to the text, we know that __________________________.

A．we should keep our bedrooms in strong light before going to bed

B．writing a diary may excite us and influence our sleep

C．we should never get up later on weekends than we do on weekdays

D．candlelight is a good choice for our bedrooms when we’re getting ready to sleep小题3: We should take time to slow down because it can _________________________.

A．inform us of the importance of sleeping

B．signal to our body it’s time to sleep

C．tell us to stop watching TV for making phone calls

D．tell us not to do stimulating activities