- Try to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning
- Try to avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol close to bedtime
- Get regular exercise. Try not to exercise close to bedtime.
- Don’t eat a big meal in the evening, although a light snack before bedtime may help you sleep
- Make your sleeping place comfortable. Be sure it is dark, quiet and not too cold or too warm.
- Create a routine to help you relax and wind down before sleep, such as reading a book or taking a bath
- If you can’t fall asleep and don’t feel sleepy, get up and do something else until you feel sleepy
- Keep the clock face turned away, do not keep looking at it
- An occasional sleeping pill is not too harmful.
- Do not keep working right up to the time you switch off the light. Unwind.
- Watching TV before sleep is a bad idea. Flickering lights wake us up even more. Soft music is better.
- Avoid naps. Daytime naps can disturb sleep at night.
- Try gentle stretching, yoga, meditation, warm milk or herbal tea
- If you find you still have a sleep problem, remember not to go to a psychiatrist. See a sleep specialist.