How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Improved sleep behavior and attitudes do more good than sleeping pills for the treatment of insomnia, experts at a recent National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference agreed, says Daniel Kripke of the University of California, San Diego.

The changes Kripke recommends:

• Do not take sleeping pills. This includes over-the-counter pills and melatonin.
• Don't go to bed until you're sleepy. If you have trouble sleeping, try going to bed later or getting up earlier.
• Get up at the same time every morning, even after a bad night's sleep. The next night, you'll be sleepy at bedtime.
• If you wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep, get out of bed and return only when you are sleepy.
• Avoid worrying, watching TV, reading scary books, and doing other things in bed besides sleeping and sex. If you worry, read thrillers or watch TV, do that in a chair that's not in the bedroom.
• Do not drink or eat anything caffeinated within six hours of bedtime.
• Avoid alcohol. It's relaxing at first but can lead to insomnia when it clears your system.
• Spend time outdoors. People exposed to daylight or bright light therapy sleep better.

Related Stories

• Sleep Deprivation: The Great American Myth
• Insomnia Mania: Newborn Mammals Don't Sleep for a Month
• Sleep Poorly? You're Not Alone