And the next night, and every night after that, with these four easy steps.

If you want to boost your immune system, feel sharper at work, and keep off unwanted pounds, the only thing you need to do is to go to bed. Really? Yes! Getting a good night’s sleep can improve your physical and mental health. Most people don’t get nearly enough sleep. Sleep and medical experts say we should aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Are you sleep-deprived? These four tips will help you to get the rest you need.

Less caffeine
A steaming cup of coffee might give you a quick boost in the morning, but it generally takes 10 hours to leave your body. And trying to sleep when the caffeine is still doing its work… is not so easy. So, count back 10 hours from your anticipated bedtime and drink your last cup of coffee for that day. Keep in mind that coffee isn’t the only culprit. Caffeinated soda, energy drinks, tea, and even chocolate can also keep some people awake.

Early dinner
When you eat late at night, your digestion can keep you awake. It takes the body about four hours to digest a meal, and if your stomach is churning when you lie down, it will be harder to fall asleep. If possible, try to move up suppertime to give yourself time to digest completely. If an early dinner isn’t practical, aim to have a lighter evening meal.

Hit the off button
Everybody does it: Checking work e-mails and catching up on Facebook in bed. But staring at your tablet or smartphone is quite disruptive to sound sleep. Instead of calming the mind, you’re feeding it with new information and (probably) more things to worry about. Read a book or listen to music instead. Or daydream about relaxing things, like golfing or lying on the beach.

Cool down
The last and easiest sleep habit is to lower the thermometer. The ideal room temperature for falling asleep is about 18 degrees Celsius. This helps decrease core body temperature and prompts drowsiness. When it’s not possible to turn on the air conditioner or lower the heat, try this trick: Wrap a frozen gel pack in a towel and slip it inside your pillowcase before bed. You don’t need to place your head directly on top, but researchers say that cooling the head promotes falling asleep just as well as cooling the entire body.