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:

*Taking caffeine or chocolate even much earlier in the day. Perhpas your body chemistry is changing as you age, and you can no longer tolerate these as you did before. Try going without for a few days.

*Exercise. Are you getting your needed 30 minutes a day of exercise close to bedtime? This can get your resting heart rate up, even an hour or two later, and prevent your falling asleep. So try exercising earlier in the day.

*Sweets. Sugary items eaten close to bedtime may stimulate your system, and make it hard to fall asleep. Natural sugar such as what is in orange juice is no exception.

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

*Brainstorming. If you have a creative project you love to work on, you may be better off giving yourself a curfew, such as 8 p.m. Otherwise your mind may work on the problem all through the night, keeping you awake.

So much for what to avoid. So, what can you DO to improve your sleep hygiene?

*Do calm things after supper, in a calm way.

*Read short items such as news magazines, with no story line.

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

So, now you have plenty of tips for good sleep hygiene. Try them out. They could be just what you are looking for.

Tags: medicine, womens issues, leadership