Like millions of other Americans, I often have trouble with insomnia — either I can't fall asleep, or I awake prematurely and am unable to get back to sleep. The following sleep tips, compiled from various sources, may prove helpful to some of my fellow insomniacs.

    Only use your bed for sleeping or having sex, not for reading, doing paperwork, watching TV, snacking, or making phone calls. 

    If you've been lying in bed but are beginning to fear you're not going to drop off, try some of these techniques: Count sheep or count backwards from 100 (one of my favorites) to stop yourself from thinking about the problems of yesterday or tomorrow; breathe deeply for awhile; or visualize some peaceful place. 

    If you can't get to sleep after lying in bed for 30 minutes or more, get up for awhile. What to do? Try reading something incredibly boring. 

    Develop a bedtime routine. 

    Keep regular bedtime hours. 

    Before bedtime, avoid tobacco and caffeinated beverages (not just coffee, but other drinks like tea, cola, and Dr. Pepper). 

    Avoid alcohol right before bedtime — a nightcap might get your mind fuzzy enough to put you to sleep, but such sleep may be interrupted by periods of awakening. By contrast, the stress-lowering effect of a drink with dinner may help to promote sleep later. 

    Avoid naps (or falling asleep in front of boring TV programs, as I do). 

    Try to get up at the same time every day rather than sleeping in on weekends. 

    Exercise every day, but not shortly before bedtime since exercise gets the adrenaline going. 

    If you use an illuminated clock for a wakeup alarm, place it where you can't keep looking at it to check the time. 

    Buy a firm mattress and keep your bedroom well ventilated (a cool temperature works best for me). 

    And you might also try some of these: a warm bath, warm milk, light bedtime snack, massage, or quiet music (which turns itself off automatically). 

    Use earplugs for extreme quiet. 

    If you have a painful joint or a headache, take a pain pill before bedtime (but be sure it doesn't contain caffeine). 

    Avoid stimulating reading or television shows late at night. 

    If the insomnia stubbornly persists, check with your doctor to make sure some underlying health problem (such as depression, anxiety, 

    hyperthyroidism, heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) isn't keeping you awake. If all is well, you might ask for one of the several types of prescription sleeping pills that can be useful in the short term.

    像許許多多其他的美國人一樣，我常常受到失眠的困擾——或者是我不能入睡，或者是我醒來過早，而且無法回到睡眠。下面這些睡眠的小竅門，是從各種來源匯編的，可能證明對于我的一些不眠癥朋友是有幫助的。 

    只用你的床睡覺或者做愛，而不是閱讀、做文書工作、看電視、吃零食或打電話。
 
    如果已經躺在床上，但是開始擔心你不能睡著，嘗試這里的一些技巧：數羊或者從 100 向后計數（我最常用的一種方法），以停止自己去想昨天或明天的問題；深呼吸片刻；或者想象一些寧靜的地方。 

    如果你躺在床上 30 分鐘或者更多時間還無法入睡。怎么辦？嘗試讀一些令人難以置信的無聊東西。 

    制定一個例行的就寢時間。 

    保持有規律的就寢時間。 

    就寢前，避免抽煙和飲用含有咖啡因的飲料（不只是咖啡，還有其它的飲料例如茶、可樂和麥根）。 

    避免在就寢時間之前飲酒——睡前飲用可能讓你的思想模糊到足以使你入睡，但是這種睡眠可能因為覺醒的時間而中斷。相反，晚餐中飲酒的緩解壓力作用可能有助于促進后來的睡眠。 

    避免打盹（或在沉悶的電視節目面前入睡，像我一樣）。 

    除了周末睡懶覺之外，盡力每一天在同一時間起床。 

    每天運動，但是不能離就寢時間太近，因為運動加快腎上腺素分泌。 

    如果使用帶燈光燈光的鐘表用來警醒報警，將它放在你不能看到它去查看時間的地方。 

    購買堅實的床墊并且保持你的臥室通風良好（涼爽的溫度最適合我）。 

    你也可以嘗試這樣一些事情：溫暖浴，溫牛奶，些許睡前小吃，按摩，或者閑適的音樂（自動地自行關閉）。 

    使用耳塞達到極度安靜。 

    如果你關節疼痛或者頭痛，就寢之前服用止疼藥丸（但是要肯定它不含咖啡因）。 

    避免在深夜閱讀刺激性的讀物或者觀看刺激性的電視節目。 

    如果頑固地持續失眠，請找你的醫生以確認某些潛在的健康問題（如抑郁，焦慮，甲狀腺功能亢進癥，心力衰竭，或者慢性的阻塞性肺病）是不是讓你不入睡。如果一切都很好，你可以在幾種處方安眠藥中要求一種，它可能在短期內有用。