Many Approaches: Achieve Golden Slumber!
Using the techniques described in these links may help you improve your sleep. Take a look and try to these many tools and options.
What happens when you sleep? A review of our human systems and the benefits we need from sleep
The Ayurvedic view of sleep and sleep cycles: Three Doshas around the clock When is the best time to sleep?
Sleep hygiene: Typical and widely observed ‘things to do’ to invite and encourage sleep
A handout from Centre For Clinical Interventions
Another one from University of Maryland
Five Tips from Yahoo
Comprehensive Common Sleep Tips National Sleep Foundation
KEEP IT COOL More research into temperature and the metabolism of sleep (Newly posted 1/2015)
Use HONEY to help you sleep well?
Research into Blue light and e-readers and sleep: ** IMPORTANT READ **
if you go to bed with your TV on or reading your laptop or kindle
Sleep Foundation Tips & Tools 
Two Sleeps There is a recent body of research that indicates our “natural” pattern of sleep has been two distinct episodes of sleep with a significant period of being awake in the middle.
Article on this phenomenon called Polyphasic sleep.
BBC Article on the research by Roger Ekirch that documents polyphasic sleep throughout history — Includes an outline of the sleep cycle/stages of phases of sleep.
Baroreflex A slightly lower blood pressure is a natural part of falling asleep, and there are mechanisms we can use to influence this process.
Simple definition
American Journal of Physiology – more technical and in depth
Vagal Tone: Self regulating the Central Nervous System
Calming the autonomic nervous system and increasing Vagal tone is key to good sleep! Yoga does it!
Sleep Cycles Video: 59 seconds on: How to Wake up feeling great – 90 minute segments for your sleep planning
Another View on sleep Cycles:
Every 60-100 minutes we go through a cycle of four stages of sleep
Stage 1 is a drowsy, relaxed state between being awake and sleeping – breathing slows, muscles relax, heart rate drops
Stage 2 is slightly deeper sleep – you may feel awake and this means that, on many nights, you may be asleep and not know it
Stage 3 and Stage 4, or Deep Sleep – it is very hard to wake up from Deep Sleep because this is when there is the lowest amount of activity in your body
After Deep Sleep, we go back to Stage 2 for a few minutes, and then enter Dream Sleep – also called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep – which, as its name suggests, is when you dream
In a full sleep cycle, a person goes through all the stages of sleep from one to four, then back down through stages three and two, before entering dream sleep
Source: Gregg Jacobs/ CBT for Insomnia
Acupressure points: Research has been done using valerian oil on three acupressure points to help induce longer and deeper sleep: Journal of Nursing Studies
Methods
The measurement included observation, and actigraphy measures during 10 pm–6 am, and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) measures on the next morning. Experimental groups received valerian acupressure on the Shenmen, Neiguan, and Yongquan acupoints between 7 pm and 10 pm of the second day while control groups received regular treatment. Heart rate was measured for 5 min before and after valerian acupressure present for HR variability analysis to measure relaxation response.
Results
The results indicated that after receiving valerian acupressure, patients’ sleeping hours increased, wake frequency reduced and SSS grades declined. The HR variability data indicated relaxation response immediately after valerian acupressure.
Video with Sleep Inducing Pressure Points
Acupressure points for falling asleep from LiveStrong
HERBS
Valerian, Chamomile, Lavender, Hops
These are all herbs that can be used in various ways: Teas and tinctures, aromatherapy, essential oils.
This recipe is an Ayurvedic combination of spices to make a nightime milk to help you sleep
Cooler Bedroom for Better Sleep
Link for article
Body Temperature
Soak your feet to help cool core body temperature: Study
Positioning, Alignment, and Support for your best sleep
Diet may help: If you think you are sugar sensitive, this may help
Eating potatoes before bed may help stimulate serotonin
Protein before bedtime may help keep blood sugar stable throughout the night .
Sleep influences blood sugar
Blood Sugar influences sleep
This is mainly written for people with diabetes, but it has helpful ideas for all of us.
Keeping your blood sugars stable all night may help you stay sleepy instead of waking up at 2:00 or 3:00 am
Some of these links require you to surf through the adverts.
Tucks.com has a comprehensive discussion of their suggestions. They are”an online community devoted to improving sleep health and wellness worldwide through the dissemination of free, in-depth web-based resources.”
For fun: A sleep quiz