A new year calls for change and new beginnings, and one of the best ways to improve your life is to resolve to get a good night’s sleep. Getting enough sleep is incredibly important; in addition to health benefits, better sleeping habits can help us throughout the day with increased creativity, better focus and an overall better mood.

Ready to reap the rewards of better sleep? Here are the surprisingly simple ways you can commit to a better night’s sleep.

Resolve to Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Your first challenge is to shape your behaviour to better improve sleep. This means consistently going to bed and waking up at a certain time—including weekends. Say goodbye to sleeping in this year. Doing so helps your body stick to a natural rhythm, which in turn makes it easier to go to bed at night and get up in the morning.

Use Light to Your Advantage

Limit light at the end of the day when you prepare for bed. Blue light from screens (phones, the TV, tablets and even your alarm clock) can be detrimental to falling asleep. As bedtime approaches, dim your bedroom lights and put all other light sources away. For example, you might stash your phone in a nightstand drawer and keep your TV hidden inside a closed armoire cabinet. Rather than watch stimulating TV or stare at a computer, try a more relaxing activity like reading instead.

In the morning, begin your day with lots of natural sunlight. While blackout curtains can be great to help you fall asleep, open them up to let in the light each morning. When eating breakfast or enjoying a morning cup of coffee, sit outside or by a window. Embracing morning sunlight helps with our earlier tip of waking up at a consistent time, and can simply make starting each day more pleasant.

Make a More Sleep-Friendly Environment

Most people have an easier time falling asleep in a cool room. Keep your room a bit cool; if it’s initially too cold, you can layer under linens as needed. If the room itself is too warm, you may have trouble sleeping. Also consider introducing soothing accent colours into the space. Consider how different wall colours may affect you psychologically; for a simpler solution than painting the walls, try blue, green and pastel blankets or accent pillows. Finally, plants have also been shown to naturally improve sleep. Check out some of our favourite sleep-inducing plants, then shop for cute vases and containers to keep them in:

Keep a Bedtime Ritual

The most enjoyable way to get a better night’s sleep is to commit to a relaxing bedtime ritual. This can be something as simple as taking time to read, enjoying a spa-like bath or engaging in a hobby. If you’d like to relax with a night time bath, try accessories like:

Care For & Upgrade Your Linens

Finally, resolve to keep your linens regularly washed and cared for. We have a guide on everything you need to know about properly caring for your linens and ensuring they remain comfortable for as long as possible. If you’re looking to switch up your bedroom’s look for the new year, consider buying an entirely new bedding set. Embracing a fun, new style with a soothing palette and comforting texture is essential to improving one’s sleep. You can browse our collection of full bedding sets here.