Sleeplessness: Do's and Don'ts

Do's

• Maintain regularity: make it a point to go to sleep at a fixed time and also wake up at a fixed time. Try not to break this schedule as far as possible.
• Have a hot milk drink before going to bed. Hot milk has natural sedative compounds in it.
• See to it that the environment in the room is ideal for sleeping (no noise, proper temperature, adequately dark, etc.)
• Adequate physical exercise during the daytime usually ensures that you get a good sleep at night. However, avoid too much exercising after evening as this may tend to keep you fresh and make you unable to fall asleep.
• Try a relaxation exercise or meditation or listen to some soft, soothing music to relax your mind if you are not getting sleep.
• Have a warm bath before you go to sleep.
• If you can't sleep, get up and do something for a while; later try to go back to sleep again.
• Quit smoking- nicotine can contribute to sleeplessness.

Don'ts

• Sleeping during the day: If you are very tired, make it a short nap (about 45 minutes), not a long sleep
• Eating a heavy meal or drinking caffeinated beverages in the late evening or at night
• Drinking alcohol a few hours before bedtime: This will disrupt your sleep pattern and cause your sleep to be unrefreshing
• Smoking before bedtime
• Exercising vigorously in the evening hours
• Reading or working in bed during the daytime
• Thinking about stressful events before sleeping
• Getting worried or excessively tensed if you are not able to sleep: This will worsen your insomnia