How to Get a Better Nights Sleep

Everyday I see posts online from people that are either shattered and haven't had enough sleep, or can't get to sleep. So how can you have a better sleep so you wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and raring to go?
You need to 'de-clutter', both your mind and surroundings.I'm going to split this into three parts - 1) living on your own, 2) living with family/friends and 3) stress.
If you live at home with family or friends, you're bedroom will likely be your mini apartment. If your at home with family, your parents will most likely control the living room, and you will have your own tv etc in your bedroom, so you spend most of your time there. Whilst it's great to have a tv, playstation, dvds, computer etc in your room, if can actually cause 'bad sleep'. Whereas if you lived on your own, your tv, dvds, playstaion etc will be in your living room. So if you want to watch a movie or some tv in the evening, you will do so in the living room and then go to your bedroom when you want to sleep. So your bedroom becomes your 'place of peace', which can give you far better sleep. I have personally watched many property tv shows, and one thing that seems to be very common, is whenever they are creating a bedroom, they always base it around the word 'peaceful'. They want it to be a calm place, where you have no distractions, so its very relaxing - therefore having better sleep.
However, being at home with family, you will often have many distractions in your bedroom. As mentioned above - tv, playstation, computer, even things like dart boards! All of those things can affect sleep because you will become tempted to use them. Especially when a new playstation game comes out - GTA 5 - where im sure many kids (and adults!) will stay up late playing it! I have read articles about studies that have been done, showing the difference between watching tv/playing playstation before going to sleep, and reading a book or listening to music before going to sleep. The majority of the time its the latter that is better. This seems to be because watching tv/a movie/playing playstation, engages your brain, keeps it active and alert, which then makes it harder to fall asleep and get a better nights sleep. Meanwhile, popping the headphones on and listening to some music or reading a book doesn't engage your brain as much, which enables you to fall asleep easier and have a more peaceful sleep.
Another common factor that can mess around with your sleep is stress. Everyone has it, whether its a tiny little problem or a huge problem, everyone stress's about something. So, how can you help get rid of it? My best advice is to prioritise. Work out if the thing that is stressing you is as big as you think. For example, something that you won't be able to help stressing over is something for work - i.e. if you have a big presentation to do in a couple of days. But something like, apparently 'not having anything to wear' on a night out, is just not worth stressing over. They are just two examples, but by separating stress that you can't help and stress that you can help, you will reduce your overall stress levels and feel more relaxed. Life is like 2 great boxers fighting eachother - sometimes you will land the punches, other times you will get hit, and you just have to accept that. If you think you can go through life without taking any punches, then you're insane! Once you accept that everything won't always be perfect, you can learn to let certain things go and concentrate on others. Not only will it help your overall mood, but it will give you the sleep you need!
Hope this helps!