One of the most important ways to get a good night’s sleep is to eliminate “sleep robbers:”
1. Coffee, many teas, chocolate, soft drinks, some over the counter medication is full of caffeine.
Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it has a wake up effect, and heavy use of coffee – about 3 cups daily can cause sleep problems.
It also depends how sensitive you are to caffeine. Even small amount of coffee early in the day can keep you from falling asleep 10 -12 hours later.
Caffeine stays in the body for roughly 20 hours.
Drink decaf instead and stay away from caffeinated beverages, at least in the afternoon.
2. Alcohol
Alcohol keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep so you never really achieve restful, restorative sleep.
3. Smoking
Nicotine, like caffeine is a stimulant that makes it hard to fall asleep and contributes to problems waking up.
Give up smoking! It will improve the quality of your sleep and certainly the quality of your health.
Also protein can keep you awake. Cut back on protein consumption especially in the evening, and eat more quality carbohydrates. They have naturally tranquilizing effect on the body.