Do you have trouble getting to sleep at night? Do you lie awake for hours, tossing and turning, feeling restless and unable to nod off? If so, you’re not alone. 

 

Plenty of teenagers have exactly that problem. It seems to be pretty common in adolescence.   If you have real problems getting to sleep – that is, it takes you hours to fall asleep nearly every night – then see a doctor or psychologist for help. But maybe your sleeping problems are less than this severe, but still annoying. If so, try these “do’s” and “don’ts”.

 

Do NOT have hot showers or baths before bed – they increase your body temperature and make it more difficult to sleep. If you need to shower, make it just lukewarm, not hot.

 

Do NOT drink caffeine drinks at night (coffee, tea, coke, Red Bull etc) or smoke cigarettes. Caffeine keeps you up. And if you are having trouble sleeping - don’t drink alcohol either! Alcohol can make you sleepy but it wakes you up after a few hours and makes you even more tired in the morning.

 

Do NOT eat a big meal before bed. Your stomach digesting that food will keep you awake. However, a small snack (no, NOT the extreme KFC meal!) if you are starving will help you get to sleep.

 

Do NOT get too physically active before trying to sleep.   Play sport, go for a run or whatever earlier in the evening, not just before you are trying to sleep.

 

DO consider having a drink of warm milk before sleep. It has a nutrient in it called L-trytophan in it, which relaxes the body.

 

DO imagine something that is relaxing (but not too interesting) when trying to get to sleep. Imagine every detail of a relaxing scene, like the beach for example, to help you relax in bed. Or think about relaxing each muscle in turn, from your toes up to your head. Don’t do planning or thinking about complicated things in bed.

 

DO spend an hour or so relaxing before bed, like reading, watching television or listening to music. Don't go straight to bed from doing homework if possible.

 

DO try to be relaxed about getting to sleep. Telling yourself "I MUST GET TO SLEEP!" is not very relaxing. Remember, eventually you WILL get to sleep. And you will survive the next day, even if you are tired.

 

Do GET up out of bed if you can’t get to sleep after about 20 minutes. Go and do something relaxing (read a book, flip through a magazine, listen to music – do not use the internet – the computer screen flickering seems to wake us up - but you can TV if there’s nothing else to do). When you feel sleepy – go back to bed. If you can’t sleep again – get up again. It’s important not to be in bed awake for too long because it teaches your brain to “link” being in bed and being awake.

 

If you have lots of trouble getting to sleep at night, DON’T take naps during the day and DON’T sleep in too much on the weekends.  If you have just a little bit of trouble getting to sleep at night, you can still take a nap after school but it should be less than forty minutes(set your alarm). If you are still having trouble getting to sleep with only a forty minute nap, then you probably need to cut that nap out altogether.

 

Happy snoozing! (hopefully)