Sleep may be elusive for you. In fact, it may be getting more elusive as time goes by. Perhaps all you need to change is some habits you may have picked up.

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

*Taking caffeine or chocolate even much earlier in the day. Perhpas your body chemistry is changing as you age, and you can no longer tolerate these as you did before. Try going without for a few days.

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

*Sweets. Sugary items eaten close to bedtime may stimulate your system, and make it hard to fall asleep. Natural sugar such as what is in orange juice is no exception.

*Stimulating conversations. Are you getting all worked up about something after supper? You can save stimulating conversations for the next day. These can keep you awake because they fill your system with stimulating hormones.

*Creative projects. Are you working on a creative project late in the day? This can get your creative juices flowing too strongly at bedtime. This could be great for ideas for your project, but bad for sleep. Best to save these for the following day.

So much for what to avoid. So, what can you DO to improve your sleep hygiene?

*In the evening, keep your activities dull and quiet. Do them calmly.

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

*If you watch TV or a video, watch documentaries rather than thrillers near bedtime.

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

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