Strategic napping canaid recovery from sleep deprivationJean Gaumy/Magnum PhotosSleep researchers dedicate their careers to understanding how and why we sleep so what do they do to get a better nights rest?It might be reassuring to know that even the experts arent always able to practise what they preach. I think youll find a lot of sleep researchers are not very good at sleeping, says Malcolm von Schantz at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.This article is part of special series investigating key questions about sleep. Read more here.But one thing many of them agree on is that consistency is crucial. Heres what else they had to say:MAKE A PLANIt is about prioritisation and planning. So I try not to have meetings before 10 oclock, for example, because I am more of an evening type: I quite like to go to bed late and wake up late. So Im thinking ahead in terms of whats best for me with my sleep timing, my circadian timing, how can I try and arrange my schedule to support that?Steven Lockley, TimeshifterCONTROL YOUR LIGHTINGWe dim our lights in our house pretty much when the sun sets, and then, in the mornings, turn the lights on inside as much as possible and certainly open up the window shades to get the sunlight in the house as soon as the sun is coming up. I think those are really important things: minimise light at night, maximise light in the morning.Christopher Depner, University of UtahKEEP COOLSleep science has shown that your body [temperature] should drop a full degree