Medical advice often informs us that we should be getting between 6 - 8 hours sleep every night for the average person, but even if we feel shattered and in desperate need of sleep, we cannot always seem to achieve this target for one reason or another. A bad or restless night's sleep can ruin the day ahead, leaving you feeling tired, grumpy and lacking any energy to perform to your potential.

Below, we take a look at some of the reasons you might not be sleeping that you might not have considered.

Bedding
Although many people often look at their mattress when they cannot sleep and wonder if this could be a cause, very few people examine their duvets or their pillows to try and determine if they could be a problem. Try using wool duvets and pillows because wool is a unique structure that can help to control your body temperature and regulate it, meaning that if you are struggling to sleep due to heat, this type of duvet can help to control this.

Exercise
A good exercise routine can help you sleep, and this has been backed up by medical research over the years. Exercise helps your body not only to stay fit and healthy but will also help you to relax. This will lead to a better night's sleep, because your body goes into "wind down" mode and it also helps clear your mind of any worries or thoughts that could be keeping you up at night.

Reading
Instead of watching TV or listening to music before you try to sleep, try reading a good book that will allow your body and mind to enter the relaxation period needed to get a good night's sleep. Only read books that are non-work related, as the objective is to allow your mind to relax so reading work papers or guides will not achieve this.

TV / Distractions
If you are sleeping with a TV or radio on or using one of these things to get to sleep when your mind is still going to be far too active to get a sound rest. You need to make sure that you do not watch TV in your bed or your bedroom if you are looking to sleep and try to wind your body and mind down with a bath or reading a good book as we mention above.

Diet / Drink
If you have an unhealthy diet or are drinking a lot of coffee or alcohol, this will be one reason why you are not sleeping or getting a full night rest. Caffeine obviously is a stimulant and will keep you awake, and an unhealthy diet will often stop the body from relaxing because it is still digesting heavy meals.

Light
Another reason that people have trouble sleeping is that the bedroom is not dark. This may seem obvious, but many people are trying to sleep in a bedroom that has too much light. Often there will be light coming in from the street outside, nearby properties or even within the room itself. If you have a digital clock, it could be that the small amount of light from the clock is also keeping you awake. If you can see the clock, then you will be able to check the time, making you more anxious about not being able to sleep. It is best to move the clock so that you are not able to see it from the bed and the light is not shining towards the bed. As mentioned previously, thicker curtains can also help with keeping the room dark.

It is also important to realize that medical issues cause some sleep conditions, so if you have tried all of the above and are still not sleeping, you might want to see a doctor for further advice.