New York Post

Experts share quick tips to help set you up to catch some primo z’s.

- —Lauren Steussy

Chill out

A cold room — between 60 and 67 degrees — is best for sleep, says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatri­st and sleep doctor based in California. When your body temperatur­e drops, he says, it signals that it’s time to slow down. Use blankets, rather than heat, to get warm once you’re in bed.

Time your supplement­s

Melatonin can be a helpful sleep aid, but it depends on how you use it, Dimitriu says. If you have a hard time falling asleep, try taking it about three hours before your bedtime. If you have trouble staying asleep, take it right before you go to bed. One to two milligrams is usually all you need, he says. “Five milligrams is obscene. Nobody needs to be on that.”

Block blue light

Blue light, which emanates from your phone, computer and other devices, promotes wakefulnes­s, says sleep coach Soda Kuczkowski, owner of wellness center Start With Sleep in Buffalo, NY. You should steer clear of using such devices — or watching TV — for at least 30 minutes before bed. If you are exposed to blue light at night, she recommends wearing blue-light-blocking glasses ($20 on StartWithS­leep.com).

Tune Fido out

If you have pets, take their collars off and hide their toys at night. The sound of a jingling collar or rattling toy could be enough to mess with your peaceful sleep, says the founder of the Associatio­n of Profession­al Sleep Consultant­s, Mar De Carlo.

Quiet the mind

“Insomniacs think about sleep 10 times more a day than non-insomniacs,” Dimitriu says. “I tell my patients it’s like a Chinese finger trap — the more you stress in bed, the less you’re going to sleep.” He says meditating during the day is a good way to practice calming your mind. Start by downloadin­g a free mindfulnes­s app, such as Headspace.

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