Sleeping Tips -- Difficulty Sleeping? Solve your sleep problems tonight
Avoid caffeine (including caffeine-containing drugs), nicotine, and alcohol for four to six hours before bedtime. The first two are stimulants that can make it difficult to sleep. And while alcohol may have a sedating effect at first, it tends to disturb sleep after several hours.
Don't exercise within four to six hours of bedtime. Working out earlier in the day, though, not only doesn't hinder sleep, but can actually improve it.
Perform relaxing rituals before bed, such as taking a warm bath, listening to relaxing music, or eating a light snack.
Before going to bed, try as much as possible to put your worries out of your mind and plan to address them another time.
Reserve your bed for sleeping. To preserve the association between bed and slumber, on't watch television or do work in bed.
Go to bed only when sleepy. If you can't fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, get out of bed and read a book or do another relaxing activity for awhile, rather than trying harder to fall asleep.
Make sure your bed is comfortable and the bedroom is conducive to restful sleep--quiet and at a comfortable temperature, for example.
Wake up about the same time every day, even on weekends, to normalize the sleep-wake schedule.
Don't take naps, or nap during the mid-afternoon for no more than 30 minutes.
These organizations can provide information on sleep and sleep apnea, as well as other sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy (an overwhelming sleepiness at inappropriate times) and restless legs syndrome (an unpleasant burning, itching or tugging in the legs while sitting or lying down that creates an irresistible urge to move).
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) (formerly American Sleep Disorders Association)
www.aasmnet.org [Information for this organization updated July 29, 2003]
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Two Rockledge Centre, Suite 7024
6701 Rockledge Drive (MSC 7920)
Bethesda, MD 20892
301-435-0199
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/index.htm
