Insomnia

Behavioral Changes to Improve Sleep
Practicing good sleep hygiene can help improve sleep. The following tips may help you to sleep better:
- Eat around the same time every day (avoid eating large meals near bedtime).
- Exercise regularly, but do so at least 3 hours before going to bed.
- Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning.
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine before going to bed. Alcohol can cause you to wake up in the middle of night and reduces the quality of your sleep, while caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that can make it harder for you to fall asleep.
- Dont take naps during the day because they will make you less sleepy at night.
- Maintain comfortable sleeping conditions – a dark, quiet bedroom at a comfortable temperature. If light or noise makes falling asleep difficult, try using a sleeping mask or earplugs.
- Develop a relaxation routine to help you relax before bedtime. You can read a book, listen to music, or take a bath.
- If you don’t feel drowsy and can’t fall asleep within 30 minutes, get up to read or engage in a quiet activity that is not too stimulating until you feel sleepy.
- Avoid getting anxious about falling asleep by reassuring yourself that you will fall asleep or by distracting yourself.
- If you tend to worry about things when lying in bed, make a to-do list or journal before going to bed, so that you can worry these issues the following day. Transferring these worries to paper can also quiet down your mind and prepare it for sleep.

You should be able to fall asleep easier if you practice good sleep hygiene. However, if you still have insomnia after following these tips, you should visit your doctor to see if your situation is suitable to be prescribed a sleeping aid.
The amount of sleep each individual requires varies, so the health of a person is not necessarily at risk if he/she does not get six to eight hours of sleep daily. As you get older, the amount of sleep you require changes as well. Just listen to what your body is telling you and try not to sleep more or less than what is refreshing for you.

Drug Treatments
Although there are sleeping aids available over-the-counter, they only work for acute insomnia and they lose their effectiveness rather quickly.
Common ingredients in over-the-counter (OTC) sleeping aids often consist of antihistamines, of which two common active ingredients are doxylamine 25 mg (example brand: Unisom) and diphenhydramine 25 mg (example brand: Nighttime Sleeping Aid, Sominex). For this same reason, you should avoid taking antihistamines for allergies and colds to avoid taking too much.