If you are having sleeping problems at night then you need to pay special attention to the things you do prior to going to bed.
You need to pay attention to: Time you retire Time you last eat Last drink you had and what type Last time you exercised Time you quit watching TV Time you play on the computer ...
any other type of activity that requires you to be alert.
The reason why you need to pay attention to the activities mentioned above is because you need plenty of time to unwind.
If you go to bed right after any of those activities, your mind will be busy and cluttered.
I have experienced my share of sleeping problems in the past but I have been able to conquer them by paying attention to what it is that bothers me.
It took me a while to find a routine and when I did, it made a big difference in my sleeping pattern.
I also discovered that I was going to bed very early and becoming aware of this helped.
My bedtime used to be between 8:30 and 9:00 PM when I had to go to work the next day.
I also found out that every time I did some activities, like watching TV for example, would make my mind very busy and thought all night long about a particular show I watched (insomnia).
That is not a good feeling because if you get any sleep, it feels like you where awake the entire night and you feel tired the entire day.
Now my bedtime is at 10:00 but put the lights out between 10:45 and 11:00 PM.
My problems lasted for years and thought I was going to stay that way for ever but when things where getting out of hand, high blood pressure, palpitation, nervousness, insomnia, bad mood, tired all the time, that's when I decided to make some changes.
I was a worrier (stress) and that was one of the biggest problems that affected me.
I learned how to conquer my worries by finding something positive out of every negative and concentrated on the positive.
It takes a lot of work but it can be done.
I quit caffeine, period.
You should avoid it too.
Get in the habit of drinking decaffeinated products.
No matter how tired I am, I refuse to drink products loaded with caffeine.
Last time I had a high dose of caffeine was 17 years ago.
I get small doses when I take small bites of chocolate from time to time but not enough to bother me.
Everybody is different and you need to develop your own routine.
This is my routine: I quit watching TV at 10:00 if I have to work the next day.
If I am off, then I go to bed as late as midnight.
I stop playing on the computer between 9:00 and 9:30 Last time I eat is at 0700.
I try to but some times I find myself eating past 8.
Not good for digestion but I am working on it.
Last time I drink a lot of fluids is at 6:30 and if I am thirsty, I take small sips from then on.
If I drink a lot past that time, then I have to get up in the middle of the night and this should be avoided.
I go to bed right at 10:00.
Reading makes me sleepy so I grab a book and read it for 30 to 45 minutes depending when my wife comes to bed.
By the time she comes to bed, I am sleepy.
I get up to brush my teeth and we talk for a few minutes.
Then I turn off the lights.
I am out, according to her, in few minutes.
Having sleeping problems affects millions of people and a lot of them depend on sleeping pills.
I tried a few sleeping aids myself at one time but refused to stay on them.
If you are having sleeping problems yourself, you too can conquer them just like I did.