1. Do not drink caffeine after 3pm!

When caffeine is ingested into the body it stimulates the sympathetic branch of the nervous system (aka. Fight or Flight). When the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated, the adrenal glands begin to release cortisol. Cortisol is a low-grade adrenaline. It is also the same hormone that wakes you up in the morning in response to light. Cortisol has a half-life of 6 hours in the body, which means that drinking caffeine at 3pm will cause elevated cortisol levels until about 9pm. This will make it very difficult for your to either fall asleep or stay asleep. Some people may need to cut their caffeine intake back to no later than 12pm.

2. Decrease the quantity of carbohydrates you eat before bedtime!

Late night carbohydrate snacks and sweets such as ice cream, cookies and so forth will create a sharp rise in blood sugar levels. If you eat these foods and then fall asleep, you will most likely create a blood sugar crash during your sleep. This can disturb your normal hormonal rhythms, create trouble staying asleep or make you feel like flat out crap in the morning when you wake up. Eat light, preferably protein and a small amount of fat and curb your night eating about 2 hours before bedtime.

3. Resolution of emotional or stressful situations will improve sleep!

If you are having problems with falling asleep or staying asleep and are experiencing nightmares or disturbing dreams, this may be an indication or emotional disturbance or unresolved emotional issues. I frequently find that once emotional issues are resolved by means of simple processes such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming or dream analysis, there is a remarkable improvement in sleep quality.

4. Eliminate electromagnetic stressors near your bed!

Electromagnetic stress can come from electronic equipment that is turned on near your bed. Make sure televisions and computers are turned off. Also, devices such as a Q-link (electromagnetic attractor) can be useful in absorbing electronic stressors on the body, thus improving sleep quality.

5. Make sure your room is completely dark!

As I mentioned earlier in this article, the body is sensitive to light. Artificial lighting from computers or televisions can cause an increase of cortisol which can keep you from falling asleep. Keep your lights as dim as possible before bed and make sure your room is as close to pitch-dark as possible.

6. Exercise!

Yep, that