| Whatever it is, you might have occasional | | | | 4. Slow Sown |
| bouts of insomnia in some stage of your life | | | | |
| and would not feel refreshed in the morning. | | | | Take time to slow down as bedtime approaches. |
| And your conditions will start to worsen if | | | | During the hour before bed, pursue quiet, |
| you have a history of some common types of | | | | relaxing activities. |
| pain such as back, neck, shoulders, hips, and | | | | |
| knee. Because everything else will start to | | | | 5. Avoid Caffeine |
| go wrong and get much more irritable than | | | | |
| before. It will also seem harder to cope with | | | | If your sleep cycle is already upset, even |
| the pain. Here are some tips that you can | | | | small amounts of caffeine can interfere with |
| consider to improve your current situation. | | | | restful slumber. While you may be tempted to |
| | | | energize yourself with caffeine after a poor |
| 1. Exercise Regularly | | | | night's sleep, it is best to avoid coffee, |
| | | | tea, cola, and other caffeinated beverages. |
| Olympic-level exertion is not required. | | | | If you feel you cannot give up caffeine |
| Simply walking for 20 to 30 minutes will help | | | | completely, limit yourself to one cup of |
| improve the quality of your sleep. Try not to | | | | coffee or tea in the morning. Try to avoid |
| exercise near bedtime, however. Evening | | | | caffeine in the late afternoon or evening, |
| exercise can leave you feeling too "charged | | | | and be aware that chocolates and various |
| up" to fall asleep easily. | | | | over-the-counter pain medications contain |
| | | | caffeine. |
| 2. Do Not Lie Awake At Night | | | | |
| | | | 6. Do Not Overuse Sleeping Pills |
| The longer you worry about going back to | | | | |
| sleep, the less sleepy you feel. After | | | | Prescription sleeping pills and sedatives can |
| several nights of lying awake, your mind can | | | | reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. They |
| begin to associate lying in bed with worrying | | | | should be limited to short-term use because |
| rather than with slumber. If you have been | | | | they can be habit forming. In addition, |
| lying in bed trying to sleep for more than 20 | | | | regular use of sedatives and sleeping pills |
| minutes, get up and go to another room where | | | | can depress your mood, reduce your energy |
| you can do something quiet and relaxing such | | | | levels, and contribute to problems with |
| as reading or needlework. When you feel | | | | memory and concentration. |
| sleepy, go back to bed. You may fear that by | | | | |
| doing this, you will miss too much sleep. | | | | 7. Find Another Time For Worrying and |
| Actually, you will probably be more rested. | | | | Planning |
| | | | |
| 3. Avoid Alcohol | | | | If you tend to lie awake worrying or solving |
| | | | problems, you can improve your sleep by |
| The effect of alcoholic beverages on you | | | | planning to do your thinking at a different |
| sleep can be deceiving. At first, alcohol may | | | | time of day. For example, you can regularly |
| seem to help because it has a relaxing or | | | | spend 10 to 15 minutes each morning thinking |
| sedative effect for the first few hours. But | | | | through your concerns and problems and making |
| once the sedative effect wears off, you will | | | | plans to resolve them. This strategy not only |
| feel more anxious and jittery. If you drink | | | | helps you to get organized and improves your |
| alcohol in the evening, you may find yourself | | | | problem solving, but also enables you to put |
| waking in the middle of the night. Therefore, | | | | the problem out of your mind at bedtime. You |
| the regular use of alcohol can make sleep | | | | might even want to keep a pencil and paper or |
| problems worse. If you are having trouble | | | | a tape recorder next to your bed. Then, if |
| sleeping, it is best to avoid alcohol | | | | you should think of a new concern or new |
| altogether. At the very least, never use it | | | | option for solving a problem, you can record |
| as a sleep aid. | | | | it, and then fall asleep without worrying |
| | | | that you will forget. |