12-POINT PLAN TO HELP YOU NOD OFF

1 STICK to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. As creatures of habit, people have a hard time adjusting to changes in sleep patterns.

Sleeping in later at weekends won’t fully make up for a lack of sleep during the week — and will make it harder to rise early come Monday morning. Set an alarm for bedtime. We all have an alarm for when it’s time to wake up — but often fail to set a reminder for going to sleep. If there is only one piece of advice you take from these 12 tips, this should be it.

2 EXERCISE is great, but not too late in the day. Try to exercise at least 30 minutes on most days, but not later than two to three hours before your bedtime.

3 AVOID caffeine and nicotine. Coffee, colas, certain teas and chocolate all contain the stimulant caffeine, and its effects can take as long as eight hours to wear off. Therefore, a cup of coffee in the late afternoon can make it hard for you to fall asleep at night. Nicotine is also a stimulant, often causing smokers to sleep only very lightly. Smokers also tend to wake up too early in the morning because of nicotine withdrawal.

4 NO ALCOHOLIC drinks before bed. They may help you relax, but heavy drinking robs you of REM sleep, keeping you in the lighter stages of slumber. It can also contribute to impairment in breathing at night, and you could wake up in the early hours when the effects of the alcohol have worn off.

5 DON’T consume large meals or drink a lot late at night. A light snack is OK, but a large meal can cause indigestion, which interferes with sleep. Drinking too much can cause you to wake up frequently for toilet trips.

6 IF POSSIBLE, avoid medicines that delay or disrupt your sleep. Some commonly prescribed heart, blood pressure or asthma medications, as well as some over-the-counter and herbal remedies for coughs, colds, or allergies, can disrupt sleep patterns. If you have trouble sleeping, talk to your pharmacist to see whether any drugs you’re taking might be contributing to your insomnia and ask whether they can be taken at other times during the day or early in the evening.

7 ONLY nap before 3pm. Naps can help make up for lost sleep, but late-afternoon naps can make it harder to fall asleep at night.

8 RELAX before bed. Don’t overschedule your day so that no time is left for unwinding. An activity to unwind, such as reading or listening to music, should be part of your bedtime ritual.

9 TAKE a hot bath before bed. The drop in body temperature after getting out of the bath may help you feel sleepy, and the bath allows you to relax and slow down, so you’re more ready to drop off.

10 DARK bedroom, cool bedroom, gadget-free bedroom. Get rid of anything that might distract you from sleep, such as noises or bright lights. A TV, mobile phone or computer in the bedroom can be a distraction, as can an uncomfortable mattress or a too-warm temperature. People who have insomnia often watch the clock. Turn the clock’s face out of view so you don’t worry about the time while trying to fall asleep.

11 MAKE sure you get enough sunlight exposure. Daylight is key to regulating sleep patterns. Try to get outside in natural light for at least 30 minutes each day. It’s best to wake up with the sun, or switch on very bright lights in the morning. Sleep experts recommend that, if you have problems falling asleep, you should get an hour of exposure to morning sunlight and turn down the lights before bedtime.

12 GET UP if you can’t sleep. If you’re still awake after staying in bed for more than 20 minutes, or if you are starting to feel anxious or worried, do a relaxing activity until you feel sleepy. The anxiety of not being able to sleep can make it harder to drop off.