Business & Finance

Do you lie awake many nights waiting for sleep? Maybe you need to look at your sleep hygiene.

Working on improving your pre-sleep habits is called sleep hygiene. Here are some suggestions for good sleep hygiene for you:

*Eliminating caffeine or chocolate. Try this for a few days. The effect of these two on your body can change over time. Taking caffeine or chocolate even in the morning may be able to affect your night-time sleep.

*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.

*Arguments. Instead of getting into arguments in the evening, make an appointment to argue the next day, preferrably not at bedtime!

*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.

Finally, let’s talk about what you SHOULD be doing for good sleep hygiene.

*After supper, do calm things on purpose, in a calm manner.

*Those who read at bedtime may want to choose magazines with short items and no story line.

*If you want to watch TV or video, watch a documentary rather than a thriller or a whodunit.

These tips will let you improve your sleep hygiene. Try them and see whether they might be just what you need.