Researchers have found new evidence that disruption of our body's natural biorhythms can lead to depression and cause bipolar disorder and other mental health problems.
The authors of the study, published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry, say that society today does not pay attention to biorhythms, which determine when we want to sleep and affect many other processes in the body.
What can we do to rest during a night's sleep?
Less light in the evening
Don't part with your cell phone or laptop in the evenings? Scouring social media and watching a few episodes of your favorite show before bedtime?
If so, you're probably reducing your chances of getting a good night's sleep.
The intense blue light that gadgets and laptops emit prevents you from falling asleep by blocking the production of the hormone melatonin, which our body produces in preparation for sleep.
So an hour and a half before bedtime, it's a good idea to turn off your laptop and put your phone aside, says University of Surrey chronobiology professor Malcolm von Schantz.
While blue light in the evenings is awful for falling asleep, the same applies to other artificial light sources.
After sundown, it's best to limit electric light - turn on nightlights instead of general lighting and use thick curtains to ensure complete darkness in the bedroom.
Adhere to the regime
Friday or Saturday evenings are often a time to go to bed late, but ideally, we should go to bed at more or less the same time every day.
This helps combat "social jetlag," the mismatch between sleep during the workweek and on weekends.
The more significant this discrepancy, the more unhealthy it is. Significant "social jetlag" can increase the likelihood of heart attack and metabolic problems.
Laptops and phones have no place in the bedroom, scientists say
But should you deny yourself the pleasure of lying in bed longer at the weekend?
Professor von Schantz says that it is not necessary: if you want to sleep more on weekend mornings, it means that the body gives signals about the lack of sleep and the need to make up for the hours of rest missed during the week.
In the bedroom, sleep.
Portable computers and smartphones have turned our bedrooms from resting places into entertainment rooms.
If you want to get enough sleep, your bedroom needs to become a place to sleep again, experts say.
To achieve this, phones, laptops, and other gadgets should not be brought into the bedroom at all, experts say. To avoid the need to keep your phone next to the bed, you can buy a regular alarm clock.
It is also essential to keep the bedroom cool - in cooler temperatures. It is easier for our bodies to fall asleep.
Some researches show that most people sleep on the back. Learn how to sleep on your back at this guideline.
Meet the dawns
Our natural biorhythms should coincide with sunrise and sunset, but many of us get too little light in the morning and too much in the evening.
If you try to get as much morning sun as possible - like running in the morning or opening the curtains wide to let the light in - you'll sleep easier in the evening.
If you can't get sun in the morning, for example, because of the climate or winter, you can use unique therapeutic lamps or lightboxes. They are often resorted to by those who suffer from seasonal depressive disorders.
Establish a bedtime routine
Establish a set of activities you do before bed every day to help signal your body that you're getting ready for bed, says Dr. Ben Carter of King's College London.
These can be various activities - reading a book, taking a bath, or listening to a podcast. These will help you relax your mind and get ready for bed.
Meeting the sunrise helps you sleep better in the evening.
"Parents often do these things with their child to get the child to sleep," Dr. Carter says. - "They make a routine: first they feed the kids, then they wash them, then they put them to bed and read them a story.
"If you don't have a similar routine, it will be harder to fall asleep," cautions Dr. Carter.
You can also improve your chances of getting a good night's sleep if you consistently eat dinner simultaneously -- preferably a few hours before bedtime.
Avoid caffeine.
Most of us realize that an evening cup of coffee is unlikely to help us fall asleep.
However, many people don't know that drinks containing caffeine - such as tea or Coca-Cola - can make it difficult to fall asleep at night, even if you drink them in the early evening.
Caffeine stays in the body for five to nine hours.
How to get a good night's sleep: six useful tips
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