- Sleeping pills are only OK if you have changed time zones, do rare episodic shift work or have a rare, unusual life event that is disrupting your sleep. Sleeping pills are not OK if you need them several times a week.
- Decaffeinated beverages still have caffeine in them. If you are sensitive, one cup of decaf can cause bad sleep for 24 hours. The only way to find out if this is you is to not have any tea, coffee, cola, chocolate or energy drinks for 2-4 weeks (he recommends 4!).
- If you are not getting 7-9 hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep every night, then do the following steps in the order listed:
- Consume NO caffeine for 30 days
- Remove all light from the bedroom (alarm clocks, TV power lights, phones and of course, light-blocking curtains if you need them).
- Consume NO alcohol after 6 pm
- Get exercise every day -- but always before 4 pm
- Get some bright light before noon
- Eat small dinners
- Try to practice mindfulness every day, even for 10 minutes
- Sleep in a cold room. Use the air conditioner or open your windows, even in winter.
- Ritualize your bedtime routine...time, shower or not, etc...
- Sleep alone. This could be the hardest for couples and pet owners. But if your spouse is not sleeping well, neither are you. And you will not sleep deeply with pets in your bed. Want to really see the impact of a spouse or pets in bed? Wear one of the new FitBits or similar devices. You might be surprised how much wakefulness you have. You have to get to that deep REM sleep to achieve rest.
So good luck my tired friends. I hope you achieve sweet dreams in 30 days or less.