If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, your habits could be to blame.

Sleep hygiene is a relatively new concept. It helps you think of caring for yourself in preparation for sleep, just as you might care for your teeth. If you suffer from insomnia, you should take a look at various elements of your sleep hygiene:

*Caffeine. Perhaps as time goes by your body is not as adjusted to taking caffeine as it used to be. Cut out the caffeine (and possibly chocolate too) for a few days and see if that helps. Even caffeine or chocolate taken early in the day can cause problems at bedtime for some people, especially in middle age or later.

*Prolonged evening exercise. Taking you 30-minute walk at bedtime can keep you from sleeping.

*Sweets. Sugary items eaten close to bedtime may stimulate your system, and make it hard to fall asleep. Natural sugar such as what is in orange juice is no exception.

*Arguments. Instead of getting into arguments in the evening, make an appointment to argue the next day, preferrably not at bedtime!

*Creative projects. Are you working on a creative project late in the day? This can get your creative juices flowing too strongly at bedtime. This could be great for ideas for your project, but bad for sleep. Best to save these for the following day.

Finally, let’s talk about what you SHOULD be doing for good sleep hygiene.

*Do calm things after supper, in a calm way.

*Read short items such as news magazines, with no story line.

*If you want to watch TV or video, watch a documentary rather than a thriller or a whodunit.

These tips will let you improve your sleep hygiene. Try them and see whether they might be just what you need.