First, find a cool, quiet, dark, comfortable spot…probably in bed, right?

Next, close your eyes and relive in your mind every detail of what you did that day. You really have to conjure up the images of what happened from the moment you got out of bed, the walk to the bathroom, what you did in there, what you said to people, what they said to you. I usually fall asleep before I get to breakfast.

Avoid stimulants such as caffeine 4-6 hours before bedtime.

Avoid drinking alcohol 4-6 hours before going to bed.

Eat a light, easily digestible snack before bed but avoid large meals before bedtime.

Avoid exercising within 3-4 hours of bedtime.

Give yourself a quiet period or calm time for at least one or two hours before bed.

Develop a regular pre-sleep routine.

Improve the comfort of your bed if needed.

Make your bedroom a place to sleep. Don't eat, read, drink, smoke, or watch TV while in bed.

Reduce noise and disruptions.

Reduce light in the bedroom.

Maintain a regular temperature.

If you can't sleep — don't stay in bed. Get out of bed, move to another room, and return to your bed when you are tired.

Avoid daytime napping. Daytime napping can alter your body's natural circadian rhythm, making it difficult to get to sleep when you should.

Get up at the same time every day. Establishing a regular time that you get out of bed will help your body to establish a consistent bed time.

Being physically relaxed before bed has been shown to improve sleep. For many people, all that is required is to do a relaxing activity for an hour or two before bed (take a bath, watch TV,

read a book). Some people, however, have difficulty relaxing before bed. Listed below are three proven methods to help you relax.

Diaphragmatic breathing: Slow deep breaths from your diaphragm (belly breathing) is a simple and easy way to induce relaxation. Sit comfortably and put a hand on your stomach (between

your rib cage and your belly button). Take a slow deep breath and let your stomach expand, pushing your hand out as you breathe in. As you exhale, let your stomach go back down. Let

your shoulders and chest relax. Your diaphragm does all the work. A few slow deep breaths should encourage relaxation.

Visual imagery relaxation: Imagine yourself in peaceful and comfortable situations apart from your daily life where you leave your cares and worries behind. Imagine taking a walk in a

beautiful, peaceful environment. For people who can imagine the situations easily, this is a good method of relaxation to assist with sleep difficulties. Pairing this exercise with

diaphragmatic breathing can be very relaxing.

Progressive muscle relaxation: Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique where you tense, hold and then relax your muscles, one muscle group at a time. Some people prefer this form of
relaxation because it provides them with something to do as they relax and holds their attention better than the other types of relaxation.

Try these relaxation strategies to see which one works best for you. Also feel free to experiment with when best to do these relaxation strategies. Some people prefer to do these relaxation
exercises an hour or two before bed to start their "wind down" period. Others prefer to use these relaxation exercises once they are in bed to promote sleep. With regular practice, you
should find that you are able to induce a relaxed state with your body and mind in a relatively short period of time.

Stimulus control breaks the association between "bed" and "sleeplessness". Many people with insomnia have come to associate the bed with being awake and anxious about sleeping

instead of being relaxed and asleep. Because of all the time spent in bed not sleeping, you have learned to associate the bed with racing thoughts, agitation, alertness, restlessness, and

sleeplessness. Some people notice that it is easier to fall asleep in a living room chair than in bed. Stimulus control treatment helps you re-associate the bed with sleep. There are three

simple rules to follow as part of this treatment approach.

Use your bed/bedroom for sleep and sex only; do not watch TV, listen to the radio, eat, or read in bed. Using your bed for watching TV, eating, reading, discussing family problems, doing

leftover work from the office, or other non-sleeping activities, promotes wakefulness and strengthens your associations of your bed as a place to be alert and active. Barring these

activities from your bed and bedroom will help promote the concept that "bed" means "sleep."

Go to bed only when you are tired. People with insomnia often make the mistake of going to bed before they are sufficiently tired. As such, they are not able to sleep, and anxiety and

ensuing sleeplessness result. Be sure that you are really feeling sleepy when you go to bed.

Get out of bed if you can't fall asleep within 20-30 minutes; return to bed only when you feel sleepy. Repeat this step as often as necessary during the night. People with insomnia report

that they often experience nights where they lay awake for hours on end "trying to sleep." With mounting anxiety, they look at the clock, calculate time left until morning, and worry about

how awful they are bound to feel the next day. Such a pattern of behavior causes the bed to become not a place for restful sleep, but rather, a place of anxiety and frustration. To break this

association, remember the "bed is for sleep only" rule. After a short period of not sleeping, you need to get out of the bed and the bedroom. After about 15-30 minutes of doing some quiet
activity, you will want to assess whether you are sufficiently tired to return to bed again. Getting out of bed when you think you should be sleeping is probably a major change from what
you have done, but this major change is necessary to relearn a natural sleep pattern.