10 Problems and Solutions for a Good Night’s Sleep

1. You Think Too Much
The reason you sometimes obsess over a tricky work project or an argument with your best friend when you’re trying to fall asleep. People have little control over their thoughts, because they may be going in and out of a light stage of sleep, even though they think they’re awake.

When fretful, get up and go to another part of the house (but leave the lights off). Then you can go back to bed and fall asleep. This well-studied strategy, called stimulus control, also prevents you from associating your bed with anxiety. Another tip is setting aside time early in the evening to problem solve. Write down your pressing concerns, along with a possible solution for each, a few hours before retiring.

2. You Overdoze on Weekends
Late nights followed by extra sack time the next morning throw off your internal clock, which is controlled by a cluster of nerve cells in the brain that also regulate appetite and body temperature. When Sunday rolls around, you’re reprogrammed to stay up past your bedtime, and you feel like a zombie on Monday morning.

Even if you’ve been up late, don’t sleep in more than an hour longer than usual. To make up for lost slumber, take an afternoon catnap (no more than 30 minutes, though, because an extended daytime snooze can keep you awake at night).

3. Your Spouse Chops Wood
A snorer’s sawing can reach 90 decibels–as loud as a blender. Even if you can get to sleep, his snoring will likely wax and wane through the night and wake you up during REM sleep, the most restful phase.

Ask your partner to sleep on his side instead of his back. Moreover, the pillow decreased or eliminated snoring in nearly every patient studied and reduced sleep interruptions from an average of 17 an hour to fewer than 5.

4. Your Hormones Change
Fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone before or during your period or throughout perimenopause can sabotage sleep. You may notice problems–mainly waking up during the night–long before you start having hot flashes.

A hot bath a couple hours before turning in and, if you’re often awakened by cramps, an over-the-counter pain reliever at bedtime may be all you need to counter premenstrual insomnia. For a stubborn case, ask your physician whether a short-acting sleep medication, taken two or three nights a month, would make sense.

During perimenopause, stay on a consistent sleep-wake schedule, exercise at least 20 to 30 minutes a day, and avoid caffeine after lunch and alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime. For hot flashes and night sweats, try sleeping in a cool room and wearing light clothing (several companies make pajamas that wick away moisture).

5. Your Stomach Growls
Going to bed hungry interferes with sleep–hunger pangs simply wake you up–and some evidence suggests that people trying to lose weight may wake up frequently.

Saving some of your calories for a high-protein bedtime snack, such as a small serving of cheese or a hard-boiled egg. Protein produces greater satiety than carbohydrates and fat.

6. Your Bedroom Is a Mess
You keep a messy pile of papers on your nightstand…and your desk…and the floor. A cluttered sleep environment makes for a cluttered mind–the kind that churns well into the night. Stress is the number one cause of short-term sleep problems such as frequent middle-of-the-night waking and insomnia.

Grab a basket, toss in any unfinished work–bills, spreadsheets, that half-done scrapbook–and promptly remove it. When you eliminate the stuff in your bedroom that isn’t related to sleep, your brain starts to associate the room only with sleep and intimacy.

Also keep your computer in another room, or at least place it in a cabinet that can be closed. You’ll be shutting the door on stress and late-night screen gazing, which has been proven to hinder sleep. The monitor’s bright display may inhibit your production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for telling the body it’s time for bed.

7. Your Room Glows in the Dark
Believe it or not, ambient light from street lamps, alarm clocks, and DVD players could be keeping you awake.

If there is light in the hallway, shut the bedroom door. Also, turn your alarm clock toward the wall (or opt for the nondigital variety), and eliminate night-lights.

8. You Can Hear a Pin Drop
For some people, any sound (the television, rowdy neighbors, traffic) keeps them up at night. Other folks–namely, city dwellers–are creeped out in super quiet places.

Surprisingly, it’s not the sound or lack thereof that’s keeping you awake. Turn on a nearby ceiling or exhaust fan. This will act as white noise, both blocking out disruptive sounds and providing just enough noise for those who can’t stand total silence.

9. You Sleep Tight With Dust Mites
You could be sharing your bed with anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites and the residue they leave behind can trigger mild to very severe allergies.

To reduce allergens, vacuum and dust regularly and replace mattresses that are more than 10 years old. Finally, crack the windows and doors. Increasing a room’s airflow is one of the most effective ways to cut down on dust mites.

10. You Let Fido In
We know–you love your pet, but more than half of dog and cat owners admitted that their animal disrupted their sleep every night, according to a small survey done by the Mayo Clinic.

Put a crate next to your bed and have your pup sleep there. Dogs like to sleep in a safe, protected space. Do you have a cat? Lock her out but keep her entertained with special nighttime-only toys that get put away in the morning.[care2]