Sleep is vital for good health, but getting enough can be a challenge—even for a sleep expert. “With so many demands on my time, I have to remember to give myself enough time for sleep,” admits Professor Leon Lack, director of the sleep research laboratory at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. “But I always find that the extra energy and alertness I have the next day is worth the investment of spending an additional hour in bed.”

It’s important to use your bed just for sleeping and relaxing, advises Lack, not for working on your laptop or arguing with your partner, as stress and anxiety can contribute to sleepless nights. “It’s also easy to get upset if you awaken during the night or very early. Even I have to practise what I preach to my insomnia clients about trying to remain relaxed if I waken unexpectedly—and doing that means I eventually drift back to sleep.”

So you know Lack speaks from both personal and professional experience when he shares his six top sleeping strategies.