Do you lie awake many nights waiting for sleep? Maybe you need to look at your sleep hygiene.

Working on improving your pre-sleep habits is called sleep hygiene. Here are some suggestions for good sleep hygiene for you:

*Eliminating caffeine or chocolate. Try this for a few days. The effect of these two on your body can change over time. Taking caffeine or chocolate even in the morning may be able to affect your night-time sleep.

*Prolonged evening exercise. Taking you 30-minute walk at bedtime can keep you from sleeping.

*Sugar. Sweets taken late in the day can stimulate your system, making it hard to sleep. Even natural sugar, like in orange juice, can be a problem for some people.

*Arguments. Instead of getting into arguments in the evening, make an appointment to argue the next day, preferrably not at bedtime!

*Creative thinking. Projects worked on in the evening can get your mind going... and going... and going.

So what SHOULD you do for good sleep habits?

*After supper, do calm things on purpose, in a calm manner.

*If you read near bedtime, read news magazines or other items that have no exciting story line.

*If you want to watch TV or video, watch a documentary rather than a thriller or a whodunit.

Give these practices a try to see whether good sleep hygiene will make a difference for you!