As many as one in three Americans have difficulty falling and staying asleep. There are however many things you can do to help yourself get to sleep and stay asleep.

This article will give you some great tips and ideas you can do now to help get a better night's sleep.

Eliminate all sources of light. Your bedroom shouldn't have any lights on, especially lights coming from a TV or electronic devices. When your eyes are exposed to light during the night, your brain is tricked into thinking it's time to wake up which reduces the production of melatonin, a hormone released by your pineal gland that causes sleepiness.

Exercising at night. If you exercise within three hours of trying to go to sleep, you'll increase your body's metabolism which will raise your heart rate causing restlessness and frequent awakenings throughout the night.

Drinking alcohol before bed. Most of us believe that alcohol is a sleep inducer, but it actually interferes with REM sleep, causing us to feel more tired the next day. Yes, you may feel sleepy after you drink however it's only a short-term effect.

Room temperature. Your body and brain needs to cool down before you sleep, but if your bedroom is too warm you'll interfere with the cool-down process. Having a fan in your room is sometimes a good idea because it will keep you cool as well as produce a consistent level of white noise that will help you fall asleep.

Monitor your caffeine intake. Caffeine can stay in your system for up to 10 hours after you drink a cup of coffee or even a soda. If you're going to drink coffee and soft drinks, drink them earlier in the day so you allow them enough time to get out of your system.

Watching the clock. Though it's difficult not to do, quit looking at your clock when you wake up during the night. As a matter of fact, it's better to turn your clock around so that it's not facing you. When you habitually watch the clock, you're training your circadian rhythms the wrong way, and before long, you'll find yourself waking up at exactly the same time every night.

Watching TV at bedtime. This is a bad idea for a several reasons. Watching TV stimulates brain activity, which is exactly the opposite of what you want to do if your goal is to sleep soundly. Also, if you fall asleep with the TV on. the light and sound coming from the TV is telling your brain to wake up.

Problem-solving during the middle of the night. All of us are pretty much guilty of this. We wake up during the middle of the night and start thinking of the problems and challenges facing us the next day. The best thing you can do is stop yourself from going there and redirect your thoughts to something less stressful like counting sheep. If you get caught up on the worry treadmill, you'll stay awake much longer.

Cut your protein intake close to bedtime. Protein requires a lot of energy to digest, and that keeps your digestive system working away while you're trying to fall asleep. Instead of eating something high in protein, try having a light carbohydrate snack instead.

Eliminate smoking before bedtime. Smokers think smoking relaxes you, but in actuality, that's a neurochemical trick. Nicotine is a stimulant. When you smoke before bedtime, expect to wake up several times during the night; much as you would if you drank a cup of coffee.

Other ways to promote sleep in more difficult cases include relaxation techniques, a regular exercise routine and certain psychological therapies. Sleeping tablets such as Ambien and Sominex are not the best way to help with sleep problems . These sleep aids can be highly addictive and often stop working if you take them on a regular basis.

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