If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, your habits could be to blame.
Sleep hygiene is a relatively new concept. It helps you think of caring for yourself in preparation for sleep, just as you might care for your teeth. If you suffer from insomnia, you should take a look at various elements of your sleep hygiene:
*Caffeine. Perhaps as time goes by your body is not as adjusted to taking caffeine as it used to be. Cut out the caffeine (and possibly chocolate too) for a few days and see if that helps. Even caffeine or chocolate taken early in the day can cause problems at bedtime for some people, especially in middle age or later.
*Prolonged evening exercise. Taking you 30-minute walk at bedtime can keep you from sleeping.
*Sugar late in the day. Are you drinking or eating sweets late in the day? Sugar can be a stimulant, and as such can rev you up so you can’t sleep. Beware of natural sugar, too, such as the sugar in orange juice.
*Stimulating conversations. Are you getting all worked up about something after supper? You can save stimulating conversations for the next day. These can keep you awake because they fill your system with stimulating hormones.
*Creative projects. Are you working on a creative project late in the day? This can get your creative juices flowing too strongly at bedtime. This could be great for ideas for your project, but bad for sleep. Best to save these for the following day.
So what SHOULD you do for good sleep habits?
*Do calm things after supper, in a calm way.
*If you read near bedtime, read news magazines or other items that have no exciting story line.
*For watching TV and video, choose documentaries over thrillers.
These tips will let you improve your sleep hygiene. Try them and see whether they might be just what you need.