It’s been one of those days that left you exhausted, yet when you crawl into bed, you just can’t fall asleep. Your mind is still racing, you’re occupied with the things you didn’t get done, and of course, all the things that are still needed tomorrow. Whether it’s work, personal, family or friend, stress can creep up and prevent you from the all so important activity of sleep. Continue on to learn five proven tips for a restful night.

Take a hot bath.

In this day and age, it seems that baths are only for children. Such a shame, because it has both psychological and physical benefits. Mentally, it serves to break your routine and focus on doing nothing at all. Physically, the hot water relaxes your muscles and raises your core body temperature, which is a natural signal to your brain that it’s time to fall asleep.

Meditation, Prayer, Spirituality

It doesn’t matter you’re religious, spiritual, or nothing at all, everyone can benefit from stepping outside their normal thoughts. Mediation, evening prayer, or a few minutes of thoughtfulness and self-reflection can work wonders to quiet your mind. And that’s a fact.

Have a Cup of (Caffeine-Free) Tea

Specifically, passionflower and chamomile tea have been found to be very relaxing, according to Ronald Stram, M.D., founder of the Center for Integrated Health and Healing in New York. Hold the cup in both hands, sip it slowly, and feel the warmth circulate throughout your body.

Deep breathing.

Perhaps there is nothing more cliché — and yet still so effective — than taking a few minutes to simply breathe. Just ten minutes sitting still and breathing consciously has immense benefits — and there’s no easier exercise available. Focus only on the sound and feeling of your breath — that’s it. If you find your mind wandering, just bring yourself back to observing your breathing.

Eliminate anything stimulating

For 30-45 minutes before you intend to go to bed, just say no to stimulating television, texting or anything on the computer. For a contrarian point of view, some sleep specialists say a little television is okay as long as it’s light — no evening news, action movies or intense content, though. Doing this consistently will help train your body that the wind-down process for sleep has started, which makes everything after that easier.