Here are the tips and tricks that I used to help me sleep:
Help me sleep method #1: Avoid coffee and other sources of caffeine
Do you know why we need to avoid coffee? This is because of the stimulating effect of caffeine which can last for many hours and interfere with your ability to fall asleep at night. Hence, you MUST avoid all sources of caffeine so that you can fall asleep more easily at night. There are many other sources of caffeine other than coffee, examples of foods that contain caffeine are, tea, soft drinks, some brands of aspirin and chocolate.
Help me sleep method #2: Limit your alcohol intake
Limiting your alcohol intake is an important factor in helping you sleep better. This is due to the alcohol's ability to disrupt brain electrical activity and undermine normal sleep architecture by suppressing the rapid eye movement stage of sleep.
Help me sleep method #3: Avoid or limit your naps
Try to avoid taking long naps in the afternoon. If you really want to refresh yourself, take a nap between 30 minutes - 1 hour. Do NOT sleep too much because napping can disrupt your natural sleep cycle and prevent you from feeling tired enough to fall asleep when you really want it, which is at night.
Help me sleep method #4: Don't force yourself to sleep if you are really not tired at all
This is the common mistake made by insomniacs. Do you know why I asked you not to force yourself to sleep if you are really not tired at all? It is because if you are not tired, you will set yourself up for tossing and turning in your bed, which is not what you wanted. Here's a tip: If you are awake after twenty minutes or so, get out of your bed and do something quiet and non-stimulating. After you start to feel tired, return back to your bed and try to sleep again.
Help me sleep method #5: Review your medications
Not all medications provided by your doctors are good for your sleep! There are some over-the-counter drugs which contain stimulants such as caffeine or pseudoephedrine that can prevent you from getting a good sleep! Hence, try to review your medications with your doctor before you take them before you sleep.
The above tips written are the proven techniques that I used to help me sleep. I hope that these tips and tricks to prevent insomnia can also help you sleep better. However, if your sleep problems persist, I would recommend that you seek a doctor because you might have a treatable underlying illness that's interfering with your sleep such as obstructive sleep apnea or depression.
Ethan Chong is a sleep expert who has been training and teaching people professionally on how to cure and treat their sleep disorders easily and instantly. Have a question related to sleep insomnia? Ask Ethan Chong at http://www.SleepWellSecrets.com. The author grants full reprint rights to this article. You may reprint and electronically distribute this article so long as its contents remain unchanged and the author's byline remains in place.