Pay attention to the comfort and size of your bed and the habits of your sleep partner. It can be a problem if you have to lie beside someone who has different sleep preferences, snores, can't fall or stay asleep, or has other sleep difficulties.
A number of physical problems can interfere with your ability to fall or stay asleep. For example, arthritis and other conditions that cause pain, backache, or discomfort can make it difficult to sleep well. Sleep apnoea, which is recognized by snoring and interrupted breathing, causes brief awakenings (often unnoticed) and excessive daytime sleepiness. Anyone showing signs of sleep apnoea should see a doctor.
Disorders that cause involuntary limb movements during sleep, such as Restless Legs Syndrome, break up the normal sleep pattern and result in daytime sleepiness.
For women, pregnancy and hormonal shifts including those that cause premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or menopause and its accompanying hot flashes can also intrude on sleep.
Certain medications such as decongestants, steroids and some medicines for high blood pressure, asthma, or depression can cause sleeping difficulties.
Want to Sleep the Good Sleep?
In general, try to build into your schedule time for eight hours of sleep, and follow this routine as closely as possible, even on weekends.
Here are a few ‘good sleep’ tips:
Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in the late afternoon and evening. Caffeine and nicotine can delay your sleep, and alcohol may interrupt your sleep later in the night.
Exercise regularly, at least three hours before bedtime. After that time, exercise may actually keep you awake because your body hasn’t had a chance to cool down.
Your bed is for sleep and sex.
Don’t nap during the day, if you have trouble sleeping when you go to bed.
Make your sleep environment pleasant, comfortable, dark and quiet as you can.
Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine that will allow you to unwind and send a "signal" to your brain that it’s time to sleep.
