Great Days Follow a Good Night's Sleep

All too many Americans - it's said to be over 50% - suffer from early morning grogginess and the inability to focus. The National Sleep Foundation addresses these frustrations of those of us who don't sleep well.

Sleepless nights are more than a matter of frustration. Having a hard time falling asleep eventually can lead to depression, health problems and even lead to accidents. Many people suffer from tossing and turning vs. sleeping well due to excessive stress at work and because they worry about finances. But you can break the cycle of sleepless nights, and wake up feeling rested and alert to make your days the best yet!

8 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

1. Stop worrying. Worrying over losing sleep only adds to the accumulated stress from work, family problems or finances that is keeping you awake in the first place. You can pro-actively take steps to get a wonderful night's rest and alleviate the effects of a few nights or a few weeks' short-term insomnia. So stop worrying! If you still have insomnia after a month, then call a doctor.

2. Don't exercise within two hours before bedtime. Exercising immediately before bedtime, or even two hours before, can thwart your efforts to relax. You want your energy levels to be down, not up, so create a no-exercise zone in those hours before you want to fall asleep.

3. Avoid stimulants. Avoid caffeine after noon, and avoid alcohol and smoking, especially before bedtime. Instead, try a soothing cup of non-caffeinated tea. Chamomile tea is a favorite. Some of the herbal teas like passion flower, valerian, or skullcap will help you achieve the calm that will allow you to fall into sleep.

4. Create a Sleep Comfort Zone. Your Sleep Comfort Zone should be cool Studies suggest the optimum temperature for falling asleep and sleeping comfortably is about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Make your Comfort Zone dark and quiet, turning off all electronics. If you have a bedside clock that you can hear ticking, buy another clock. Don't work, eat, watch television or read in bed.

5. Drink fewer liquids at night. You don't want to wake up in the middle of a restful sleep for a trip to the bathroom. Make that one cup of hot tea instead of two cups. Or switch to a half a cup of water instead of a glass of water before bedtime.

6. Sleep only at bedtime. Taking long naps in the afternoon after sleepless nights will only disrupt your goal to achieve a normal sleep cycle. Stop yourself from the urge to nap, and you'll look forward to a more restful sleep at night.

7. Make the bedroom a No Worry Zone. You can think through your worries before you get into bed. Mentally create a time of the day to focus on your worries, and think about or write down your worries in another room of the house at that time. You can create your bedroom to be a place where worry is not tolerated. Write this new rule on a piece of paper and place it on your nightstand to remind you. Before you go to bed, say out loud: You can set aside your problems to think about in the future.

8. Divert yourself. If you can't fall asleep after 15 minutes, leave the bedroom and do something relaxing. Take a bath, read a few pages of a book or do some gentle stretching exercises. Instead of tossing and turning because you can't fall asleep, you are diverting your attention to a pleasant, relaxing activity. After 20 or 30 minutes, go back to the bedroom. If it doesn't work, repeat this exercise.