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in. Break the link between fun or stressful activities and the bedroom. Move the television out of the bedroom and find a favorite chair for reading or midday snacks. This will make it easier to settle down and sleep in the bedroom. It may also make you less distracted during "other" bedroom activities.

8. Don't sleep in your clothes, and don't wear pajamas during the day

Just like the link between activities and rooms, a link can form between activities and types of clothes. Wearing pajamas for sleep, and clothes for daily activities will help you associate pajamas with sleep and make it easier to fall asleep when wearing them.

9. Avoid naps

Naps can reduce the amount of sleep you are able to get at night. At least until you are sleeping better, avoid naps as much as possible. You will be more tired at bedtime. If you must take naps, limit the time to a total of one hour or less and take all naps before supper.

10. Avoid caffeine

Stimulants make it difficult to sleep. Some people have trouble sleeping even if their last cup of coffee or soda was in midmorning. Until you are sleeping better, avoid all caffeine. Later, you may want to test yourself and see how much caffeine you can have before it disturbs your sleep.

11. Avoid alcohol

Alcohol is a sedative, and may make people sleepy. However, use of alcohol can result in restless sleep with intense dreams and nightmares for days after it is consumed. While it may help you fall asleep, it won't help you stay asleep and you probably won't feel very rested the next morning.

12. Try to avoid nightly use of sleep medication

Sleep medication can be helpful for some people. However, if you only fall asleep after taking medication, you will start to rely on it. Try to limit sleep medication to once every 2-3 days. This way, you will learn how to fall asleep by yourself, and keep benefiting from those lessons. Keep in mind that you may still need sleeping pills at times. Also, some psychiatric symptoms and illnesses will make it more difficult to avoid sedative medication.

13. Have a cup of warm milk or tea (herbal, not caffeinated)

A warm beverage may be soothing and help you relax. Also, milk and some herbal teas have small amounts of chemicals that may help you feel sleepier at bedtime.

14. If you are eating spicy food in the evening, eat only small amounts

Spicy foods make it difficult for some people to settle down and feel tired. Again, this is not true of everyone, but it certainly worth a few days effort to see if you are a person who is affected by spicy foods.

15. Avoid eating later than two hours before bedtime

Some people have difficulty sleeping when their body is busy digesting food. This is not true of everyone, but you may want to try limiting evening snacks for a time to see if it helps.

When you discover the technique that works best for you, keep working at it until you are able to sleep well and feel rested in the mornings. Insomnia may strike again at some point in the future. If this happens, go back to the skills that helped you fight it off before. Often, simply repeating the same "treatment" will get your sleep schedule back on track. If it doesn't work, try another technique. Sometimes, mental health problems such as depression or an anxiety disorder can contribute to insomnia. If this is a concern, it is a good idea to seek treatment for the mental health problem. Some insomnias can be alleviated by simply treating the underlying physical or mental symptoms.

Learn more about this author, Kayanne Nelson.
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