Tips on Getting Good Sleep and Rest

Exercising regularly will improve the quality of your rest, so much so that if you take an hour to exercise every day you are likely to gain it back in increased productivity. Don't workout late at night, though, which can actually be a deterrent to sleep. Exercise releases hormones and elevates the body's temperature, signaling it's not time to go bed yet. The body requires about five hours to return to normal so you can nod off. Caffeine stays in the bloodstream for up to 12 hours in some people.

Limit coffee in the afternoon if you are having trouble falling asleep. Or switch to tea, which has about one-third the caffeine of coffee, for an afternoon lift. And chocolate hounds beware: Cocoa is loaded with a compound similar to caffeine called theobromine. Avoid chocolate cake and hot cocoa for dessert unless you are on your way to a late movie. Various medications also can keep you awake, including cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine, thyroid and ulcer medications, bronchodilators, and beta blockers.

The body's Sandman is the pineal gland, which releases the hormone melatonin. Research suggests elderly people with insomnia benefit from a very small dose of melatonin taken before going to bed, although younger people get no value from it and potentially some harm.

On the whole, sleeping pills are bad news. They put you under but leave you with a wicked headache in the morning. Hypnotics, barbiturates, and antidepressants all work to varying degrees, but have pernicious sideeffects, including addiction. Even newer prescription sleep aids like zolpidem (Ambien) and zaleplon (Sonata) can have noticeable aftereffects.

Everyone knows alcohol makes you drowsy. A short one before bed probably won't hurt. But consuming larger quantities of alcohol will disrupt your sleep cycle, making you fatigued the next day-even if you sleep off your hangover until noon.

A glass of milk before bedtime might help. Milk contains L-tryptophan, which is claimed to assist in sleep by producing seratonin, a natural hormone similar to melatonin. Aspirin and other analgesics before bed have no side effects and may provide more restful sleep. Kava, catnip, valerian, and other strange herbs are also marketed as sleep aids. Do they work? Who knows. But the FDA wants nothing to do with this stuff.

Perhaps the best way to fall asleep is the natural way. Think quiet thoughts. Put on some soft music. Repeatedly clench and unclench your muscles. If you are not dozing within half an hour, get up and read a book until you feel drowsy. Deal out solitaire hands. Watch the Weather Channel. Have a midnight snack. If nothing does the trick, try napping the next day after lunch when your body energy naturally drops. A 20-minute nap is equivalent to drinking two cups of coffee and the effect lasts four hours