It's usually a combination of several poor practices during your day to day routine that causes sleep problems. These practices are well documented. Drinking caffeinated drinks, such as coffee or tea, and alcohol, two hours or less before going bed can severely interrupt sleep. Obviously napping through the day disrupts your body clock but so does exercising in the evening - this stimulates your body and makes falling asleep difficult. Smoking and a low iron level are also common causes of poor sleep patterns.



Often over looked is the actual environment you are sleeping in. There are several things you can do to ensure that you have a comfortable, interrupted nights sleep. Firstly, hide your clock, particularly if it is illuminated. A bright time display can cause you to look at the clock in the night. This will then lead to stress about what time you are getting up, make you anxious and cause you problems in getting back tot sleep.

You should reduce the amount of time you spend you spend in your bedroom during the day too. For example, regularly doing paperwork in your bedroom is not advised. This will help your body become accustomed to the room and recognizing it is a place for intimacy or rest, rather than work and stress.

Creating a peaceful and restful environment in your bedroom is a necessity. To do this, keep your room well ventilated. Using a fan to do this also means it blocks out noise so that your bedroom remains peaceful. A "white noise" machine can also be used to keep out background noise. The lighting in your bedroom should not be fluorescent and should be dimly lit when entering the bedroom in the evening. Use a dimmer switch for this.

Finally, make sure your bed is large enough, comfortable and suits you and the positions you most regularly sleep in. It's best to test different mattresses and ensure you are entirely comfortable with where you are sleeping. If you share a bed with someone, ensure it is wide enough - queen or king-size are essential, particularly if your bed mate is restless. Therapeutic pillows which are shaped are also useful. These, or additional pillows will help you sleep if you prefer to sleep on your side.