Since it can raise your body temperature too high, avoid strenuous exercise close to bedtime to ensure restful sleep. Instead, moderate exercise a few hours before bedtime or gently stretching in the places you feel tight – such as the neck, shoulders and back – can help relax your body and improve the quality of your sleep.

Experts agree that pillows should be replaced every 1½ to 2 years, since keeping your head and neck in proper alignment with your spine can contribute to peaceful sleep. Pillows that are too soft often result in an uncomfortable night’s sleep.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the position you sleep in can contribute to lines and wrinkles being etched into your skin. While at first, the lines disappear shortly after awakening, eventually they will become more permanent. Instead of sleeping on your front or side, try sleeping on your back, with a pillow under your knees to support the lower back. In this way, you can avoid your face being pressed into the pillow and potentially contributing to “sleep wrinkles” forming.

If you need to get up in the middle of the night, don’t flip on the light switch, since a sudden burst of brightness can temporarily suppress your body’s production of melatonin, a naturally occurring compound in the body that helps control your sleep and wake cycles. Instead, keep a small flashlight by the side of the bed, or better yet, plug in a few nightlights to help you navigate safely.

Dim the lights an hour before bedtime and avoid watching TV – especially on a large screen – or working on the computer until you want to fall asleep, since the light emitted also can suppress the body’s melatonin levels.

Avoid eating a large meal too close to bedtime, since this can stimulate the digestive system and disrupt your sleep. Also avoid caffeine, nicotine or other stimulants within four hours of bedtime or your body will wind up instead of winding down, although some people are more sensitive than others.

Studies have found that, in general, the optimal temperature for sleep is quite cool, around 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. For some people, temperatures that fall too far below or above this range can lead to restlessness.

If once you go to bed your “to-do” list keeps you awake, keep a notepad by the side of your bed, jot down what’s on your mind and then let it go until the next day.

Taking a warm bath before bedtime – not a shower, since this can be stimulating instead of relaxing – and taking a few minutes to massage in a facial night treatment can help enhance falling asleep. There are several Mary Kay® products that can work wonders at night, including TimeWise® Night Restore & Recover Complex™ and TimeWise® Moisture Renewing Gel Mask to name just two.

1. Forehead: With the index, middle and ring fingers, start at the center of the forehead, and using both hands, work up the forehead and outward to the temples with circular motions while applying slight pressure.
2. Eye/Nose Area: Next, starting between the eyebrows, massage TimeWise® Night Restore & Recover Complex™ using an upward circular motion while moving down the bridge of the nose and then sweeping fingers under eye areas using a U-shaped motion. Finish by pressing both temples and massage with three clockwise rotations and three counterclockwise rotations.
3. Around the Mouth/Cheeks: Placing the middle and ring fingers at the corners of the mouth, begin massaging upward and outward in circular motions that trace the apples of the cheeks, up to temples, and down along the jawline and back to the corners of the mouth. Repeat several times.
4. Throat: Depending on each individual’s application behavior, one additional pump of TimeWise® Night Restore & Recover Complex™ might be needed to apply to the throat area. With the index, middle and ring fingers, apply TimeWise® Night Restore & Recover Complex™ using upward and outward strokes from the collarbone to the base of the chin. Move fingers to the center of chin, and with slight pressure, massage the product outward along the jawline to earlobes. Below the earlobes, increase pressure slightly, and massage with three clockwise rotations and three counterclockwise rotations to release tension.