If you've had one or two bad nights lately, you can probably solve the problem by taking some of the measures below. These strategies may require you to change your sleeping habits, but the effort is well worth it in the long run.

    1. Make your bedroom a haven for sleep. Your room should be quiet and sufficiently dark, because darkness prompts the pineal gland to produce melatonin, the hormone that regulates circadian rhythms (your 24-hour body clock). Heavy drapes can help keep the light out, and a fan or white-noise machine can help drown out any annoying sounds. Cool temperatures help you sleep, so set your thermostat appropriately. For better air circulation, open a window or use a fan. If the air in the room is too dry, buy a humidifier.

    2. Become a creature of habit. A nighttime routine can be very effective in letting your body know when it's time to sleep. Go through whatever rituals help you get mentally prepared for sleep. (Read a few pages of your novel, spend 5 to 10 minutes on personal grooming, meditate, stretch.) It's also critical to go to bed and get up at the same time every day -- even on weekends.

    3. Reserve your bed just for sleeping and sex. Avoid working, paying bills, reading, or watching television in bed. If you associate your bed only with sleep, you'll be more likely to fall asleep when you get under the covers for the night. 

    4. Tame your tummy. Going to bed either hungry or too full can disrupt your sleep. Don't have a big meal too close to bedtime or the digestion process might keep you awake. Also, if you lie down after stuffing yourself you can end up with gastric reflux -- stomach acid backing up into the esophagus. If you're hungry, have a snack rich in carbohydrates, which trigger the release of the brain chemical serotonin, associated with relaxation. Try a graham cracker or bowl of cereal. Pair it with some milk or a slice of turkey, both rich in the amino acid tryptophan, which also induces sleep.

    5. Watch the caffeine. Too much caffeine throughout the day, even if it's not consumed right before bedtime, can contribute to fitful slumber. Once you hit 50, your metabolism slows, so caffeine may stay in your system longer -- up to 10 hours. Limit yourself to two cups of tea, coffee, or cola, taken at least 6 hours before bedtime. If that doesn't work, try cutting out caffeine altogether.

    6. Tap the exercise answer. It's a simple fact: If you're physically tired at the end of the day, you'll sleep better. In a study from Stanford University School of Medicine, a group of 50- to 76-year-olds who had complained of sleep problems began moderate exercise for about half an hour four times a week. Compared with a similar group of people who didn't exercise, the more active group slept an average of one hour more each night, took less time to fall asleep, spent less time napping, and reported an overall improvement in sleep quality. Outdoor exercise is especially helpful. By exposing yourself to sunlight (particularly in the afternoon), you help prevent midday sleepiness and reinforce your body's circadian rhythms. Exercise at least three hours before bedtime.

    7. Soak it up. Take a warm bath an hour or two before bed. Your body temperature will slowly drop after you get out of the tub, making you feel tired. Don't bathe right before bed, however, because it can briefly stimulate you enough to make it hard to fall asleep.

    8. Drift off naturally. Investigate the benefits of chamomile, valerian, kava, passionflower, skullcap, catnip, or hops. These herbs can be taken in tea and other forms. A cup of chamomile tea before bedtime may be all you need to relax. If you're trying valerian, the suggested dose for the concentrated form is equal to two to three grams of the root a day. But don't combine valerian with alcohol or mood-regulating drugs. If you're using kava, try a dose of between 60 and 120 mg before bedtime.

    9. Don't toss and turn. If 30 minutes go by and you haven't fallen asleep, don't lie in bed feeling frustrated. Get up and do something relaxing, like listening to soothing music or flipping through a magazine. Or make yourself a cup of warm milk.

    10. Buy the right bed. A bed that's too soft can cause poor sleep postures (which can also lead to muscle stiffness and back problems). If you're leaving a divot in the mattress when you get up, it's too soft. Replace your mattress if it's more than 10 years old, and buy one that's as firm as you can tolerate but still comfortable.

    If you're tired of feeling like you're not at your best or like you're not getting the sleep you need, then it's time to take action! Sign-up for the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep Challenge today!

    假設你最近連著一兩天都睡不好，看起來不是很嚴重的事情，但是事情可能不像表明看起來這么簡單。這里我們可以推薦幾個辦法——改變你的睡眠習慣——雖然麻煩了點，但是長遠看還是值得的。

    1. 把你的臥室變成睡眠天堂。首先，你的臥室必須安靜、黑且暗，因為黑暗的環境會促進松果體產生褪黑激素，這種激素正是控制晝夜循環的（就是你那個24小時制的生物鐘）。用厚重的窗簾（或者別的什么）隔絕外界光源，借助風扇或者白噪音掩蓋惱人的聲音。涼爽的溫度有助于入眠，所以恒溫器也要好好調節。當然啦，開窗或使用電扇對室內空氣循環有好處。如果室內空氣太干燥，也可以用點加濕器。

    2. 順從你的天性。晚上你會比較容易切換到睡眠狀態，因為你的身體知道——到點了。可以隨便做點什么以使在心理上做好入睡的準備。（讀幾頁書、花個5到10分鐘打理個人衛生，或者冥想一會？） 每天按時上床和起床也很重要——即使是在周末。

    3. 保證你的床只是用來睡覺和xx。避免在床上工作，付賬單、讀書或者看電視。如果你希望只把睡覺這件事和你的床聯系起來，那么在床上你需要做的事情就是熟睡，而不是整晚翻烙餅。

    4. 馴服你的胃。 無論太飽或者太餓都會干擾睡眠。別在臨睡前吃大餐，或者饑腸轆轆不得入眠。另一方面，如果你放倒的時候胃里還是塞得滿滿當當，那么胃酸會回流進食道。 如果真的很餓，吃些富含碳水化合物的小點心，可以觸發大腦血清素的釋放，這玩意有助放松身心。試試看全麥餅干或者一碗麥片。搭配牛奶或一小份火雞肉，這些食物富含氨基酸，同樣促進睡眠。

    5. 警惕咖啡因。 每天過量的咖啡因，即使不在睡眠時間發揮影響，也會導致睡眠不規律。當你50歲時，新陳代謝會變慢，于是咖啡因滯留人體的時間就更長——乃至于10個小時。睡覺前6小時最多只能來2杯茶/咖啡/可樂。如果這樣還不行，那就把咖啡因戒了。

    6. 累了就睡。事情其實很簡單：如果你的身體覺得累了，那么入睡就很容易了。斯坦福大學醫學院的一項研究，要求一組年齡在50-76之間有睡眠障礙的受測人員，為時一個半小時的中等強度的鍛煉，每周進行4次。相較于情況類似而沒有參加運動的其他受測小組成員，參加運動的成員每晚的平均睡眠時間增加了一個小時，入睡時間則更少，短暫睡眠的時間更短t，而且根據報告，睡眠質量有整體提高。戶外運動尤其有效。 暴露于日光下（尤其是午睡），(容我碎碎念一句，不怕皮膚癌么？), 有助于避免午睡，鞏固人體生物節律。睡覺前鍛煉3個小時。(到底該不該午睡啊，我覺得不太靠譜……)

    7. 沖個澡。臨睡前1到2小時來個熱水澡。當你離開浴盆體溫會逐漸下降，令你感到疲倦。不過，別臨睡才洗，那會使人興奮，反而睡不著。

    8. 回歸自然。甘菊，纈草，卡瓦胡椒,，西番蓮，美黃芩，貓薄荷(我靠！)，啤酒花被證明是有效的。 這些草藥可以加進茶或者別的什么里。臨睡前一杯甘菊茶可以幫助放松精神。如果你愿意嘗試下纈草，建議的劑量控制為平均2至3克，每天。但是不要和酒精以及刺激性藥物混合使用。如果用了卡瓦，劑量要控制在60和120毫克之前，就寢前使用。

    9. 不要勉強逐漸。如果半個小時還不能入睡，不必躺在床上暗自神傷。 干脆做點別的什么輕松一下，諸如聽點舒緩的音樂或者瀏覽雜志。或者來杯溫牛奶。

    10. 買張好床。一張床不能太軟，那會導致睡姿不正（還會導致肌肉僵硬和背部問題）。如果你起床的時候床墊凹下去一塊，那么這張床就太軟了。如果你的床墊的服役年齡高于10年，老兄，好換啦，換張硬度舒適的吧。

    如果你不覺得困或者覺得不需要睡覺，那就別逼自己睡，等想睡了再說！