Good night sleep

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Last night I got home pretty late and felt like I had so much to do! Walk the dog, cook dinner, laundry and a quick vacuum, let me just check my email before going to bed. Once I was in bed, I had a pretty difficult time falling asleep. Shouldn't I be tired after this busy day? Or maybe something I was doing, or not doing, had an impact?  
One of the complains I hear frequently from patients is difficulty falling asleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, or both. You would be surprised how many people have trouble with this! We live in such a fast paced society, we're exposed to light constantly, look at our phones and TV's and then, surprise, we can't fall asleep.
There could be several reasons why folks have trouble with this. One of them is lack of proper sleep hygiene techniques. ("Sleep hygiene", such a silly expression, I didn't invent it, I swear!) This basically involves letting your body know it is time to sleep. So, what does your body like in order to sleep? Calm, quiet, dark environment and letting your body know in advance it is now time to sleep. Limiting screen time 1-2 hours prior to bed tends to work well, yes, this means no Facebook checking on your phone! Taking a bath or drinking herbal tea may prove beneficial as well, because it tends to relax you. Creating a bed time routine, so that your body learns over couple of weeks that, yes, it's time to be tired now, might work nicely as well.  
If you wake up in the middle of the night and are unable to fall asleep, get up if it's been more than 20 minutes and do something non-strenuous, such as sit in a darkly lit room, look at a magazine, meditate, etc. You want your brain to know that bed is for sleeping, not being awake! 
I realize some of us may have difficulty with adapting those techniques... Those with small children, large families or demanding jobs may face a bigger challenge with these changes. If conservative methods do not bring relief, speak to your provider about the possibility of using medication to help this problem.  
There may be other reasons you have difficulty falling or staying asleep, such as anxiety, inattentiveness and other mental health disorders that influence the sleep pattern. It is important for you to speak to your provider about this so they may choose the best treatment option for you.

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