To sleep. Perchance to dream. For some of us this reality eludes us. But there are some things you can avoid in order to increase your odds of getting a good night's sleep.

It is very important to avoid any caffeinated drinks, such as coffee, tea, coke or hot chocolate. Some of us are more sensitive to caffeine than others and I once spent the whole night lying awake with palpitations after a meal followed by brewed coffee.

Avoid strenuous exercise in the evening. Instead focus on relaxing your body and mind with meditation, yoga, a hot bath, or listening to calming music.

For women, having sex at bedtime often keeps you awake, whereas for men it acts as a stress reliever and puts them to sleep. I'm not saying don't ever have sex again if you are a female with sleep problems! Just make sure it is not very late at night and maybe follow it with a hot bath.

Don't watch the news just before you go to bed - it will just depress you and will provide you with vivid images (often of gruesome events) that will play on your mind and prevent you from being able to relax. The same goes for movies depicting distressing scenes, such as horror movies, action movies or depressing melodramas. Instead, try to watch comedies or light movies. It is best not to have a television set in the bedroom as the bright, flickering light stimulates the brain and prevents it from being able to switch off when you want to sleep.

Make sure that your room is not too warm. When you sleep your body temperature drops. So if the room is warm it will be harder to get to the ideal body temperature. Turn down your thermostat at night.

Don't eat a heavy meal too late at night as you will be trying to digest the food and it will be harder to get to sleep. Also avoid drinking alcohol just before going to bed. Most people think that a drink or two will relax them and induce sleep, but it can actually disrupt your sleep pattern.

Bedtime is not the time to bring up heavy relationship issues with your partner. Make sure that issues are dealt with earlier in the day and that you have resolved any major conflicts before heading to bed.

Don't let your pets into the bedroom at night as they will tend to disrupt your sleep. It never fails that your cat will start scratching at the door to go out in the middle of the night or will start lapping at your glass of water.

Don't have bright lights shining in your room when you go to bed. If you like to read in bed try using a small book light. When you turn out the light make sure that the room is completely dark. Having black-out blinds is a good idea or thick curtains to block street lights shining in. Cover up the lights on DVD machines, televisions and alarm clocks if they bother you. Bright light interferes with the production of melatonin which is important in inducing sleep. So the darker the room, the better quality of sleep.

Finally, don't have irregular bedtimes. You body likes routines and if this changes from day-to-day it will be harder to get to sleep. Try to avoid going to sleep after midnight. One hour of sleep before midnight is like two hours of sleep after midnight. As the saying goes, early to bed early to rise makes a man (or woman) healthy, wealthy and wise.

Learn more about this author, Jacqueline Price.
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