Sleeping Problems?

Here are some quick-fixes to try before going a more serious route. Read the full article at MSNBC:

Mild sleep problems can be tamed with relatively easy steps:

1. Don't do anything stimulating in the hour before bed — even talking on the phone. Sex, happily, seems to be the exception. "Most people find that it makes them sleepy, even though it's arousing," says Meir Kryger, director of research at the Gaylord Sleep Center at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Conn., and author of "A Woman's Guide to Sleep Disorders."
2. Go to bed and wake up at about the same time every day. "We're creatures of habit. Our bodies become habituated to sleep if we make it a routine," says Mark Mahowald, a neurologist and director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center.
3. Mute disturbances: Cover light sources, block out noise with earplugs or a white-noise machine, and kick out the cat. Pets are a surprising source of sleep disruption, experts say, because they tend to be noisy and move around at night.
4. Never look at the clock in the middle of the night — no matter what. "It can make you more anxious about not sleeping," says James Maas, a professor of psychology at Cornell University and author of "Power Sleep."
5. Keep your bedroom cool — no more than 68 degrees. "That's the optimal temperature for sleeping, because it facilitates a drop in core body temperature, which will help you fall and stay asleep," says Rubin Naiman, clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona's Program in Integrative Medicine and sleep director at the Miraval Resort in Tucson.

I do all of these things, except the cat thing - maybe I should, but I can't. I knew pussies were bad!