Like many people, you may be tempted to reach for quick fixes such as prescription drugs or over-the-counter sleep aids when you suffer from insomnia. While medications have their place, they're not ideal long-term solutions for sleeplessness.

Changing the environment in which you sleep can make an enormous difference in your sleep quality. Giving your bedroom a makeover and minimizing sensory input can have you waking up more refreshed almost immediately.

Make your bedroom an oasis

One of the top recommendations for insomnia is to make over your bedroom with restorative sleep in mind.

These steps don't have to cost a lot of money. If you're on a tight budget, create a plan for the next few months and address one change at a time. Work with items you already own to make restful improvements.

Stop using your bedroom as a multipurpose room

If you have trouble sleeping, you should reserve your bed for sleeping and sex. Associating your bed with any other activity is setting yourself up for a rough night.

If you have space, add a comfortable chair and a low-wattage lamp to your room. When you can't sleep, get out of bed and move to the chair so you can read a light book or write in a journal. Only move back to your bed when you start feeling sleepy.

Once you're out of bed for the day, limit bedroom activities to dressing and grooming.

Clear out sleep-robbing clutter

Laundry, papers, and other items that don't belong in your bedroom create visual and mental clutter that interferes with relaxation. Do your best to move items not related to sleep, sex, and dressing to more appropriate areas of your home.

Never put your home office in your bedroom. This makes it virtually impossible to separate business from rest. The same goes for a TV.

If your space is limited and you can't move your office space or entertainment center, invest in a folding screen to visually block off your desk and electronics when it's time to rest. Be sure to unplug electronics or turn off power strips at night to minimize electromagnetic radiation.

Choose restful colors for bedroom décor

Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow tend to energize, as do bright colors and loud patterns.

Cool colors like green, blue, and purple tend to soothe. Pastels, muted tones, and neutrals like gray, beige, and white are conducive to good sleep too.

Sleep is a vital, often neglected, component of every person's overall health and well-being. Sleep is important because it enables the body to repair and be fit and ready for another day.