1. Avoid daytime napping.

2. Never spend long periods of time awake in bed.

3. When you are unable to sleep, get up and go to another room. Stay up until you feel sleepy, then return to bed. Get up again if sleep does not come quickly.

4. Avoid worrying, thinking, planning, etc. in bed. If such mental activities come on automatically in bed, get up and stay up until you can return to bed without such mental activities interrupting your sleep.

5. Use the bed only for sleeping. Do not read, watch TV, eat, etc. in bed. Sexual activity is the only exception to this rule.

6. Elect a standard wake-up time. Use it every day regardless of the sleep you obtain on any particular night. Even on weekends, if possible.

7. Restrict your time in bed to only the amount of time you need for sleep. To determine your sleep needs, keep a log on which you record your total sleep time each night for 2 weeks. Compute your average sleep time for these 2 weeks. Add 30 minutes to this average. The result is the time you should spend in bed per night.

Other Helpful Hints that may also help you improve your sleep:

1. Limit your intake of coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolates and other caffeinated substances. Caffeine delays sleep onset and may produce a broken sleep pattern.

2. Participate in regular aerobic exercise. Exercise can help deepen your sleep.

3. Control loud noises during the night with ear plugs or a sound screening device (fan, air conditioner).

4. Try a light bedtime snack of milk, cheese, or peanut butter. These foods may induce sleep.

5. Don't eat late evening meals or drink large quantities of liquids in the evening.

6. Control the temperature in your bedroom. Temperatures above 75 degrees fahrenheit may cause broken sleep.

7. Other relaxation resources on this page, such as relaxation exercises, may help you to relax so you can fall asleep.

(Information from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Campus Health Services, http://campushealth.unc.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=507&Itemid=150)