You may think you have insomnia, but perhaps is your bedroom just too busy. Are you preventing yourself from getting a restful night because there is so much going on in your bedroom?

Take a look at what's in your bedroom. Does it serve a dual purpose? It is a bedroom/home office or bedroom/TV room? If yes, a few adjustments may help you sleep better. How often have you fallen asleep while the television is still on? You make want to remove television from your bedroom, especially if you know that you are often tempted to watch just more program. If your television has a timer set it so your television is turned off after you watch the late night news. If possible watch the news, etc., somewhere else in your home before you go to bed.

Try these ideas:

• Move your home office out of your bedroom. If this is your only free space for an office, place a screen in front of the area at night. A pretty folding screen will hide your office/TV room and add interest to your bedroom.
  
  
• Do not have that last cup of coffee while you watch the nightly news. This is not a time when you want caffeine in your system. Instead, have a cup of herbal tea, a glass of warm milk or a banana. A good 'just before bed' snack is oatmeal or other hot cereal with warm milk. Wheatena is especially delicious and soothing.
  
  
• After your shower or bath, while you are still warm and supple, stretch your body with arms high over your head pulling up towards the ceiling. Stretch your right arm over your left side and vice-versa. Manipulate your spine a bit by stretching to touch your toes. Then make lights out your next move by doing just that the moment you hop into bed.
  
  
• If you call friends or family from your bedroom telephone to say goodnight, do just that. Don't stay on the phone chatting.
  
  
• Use a nightlight in your bedroom, the automatic kind is best. When you turn your lamps off, this small nightlight will give just enough light for you to find the bathroom, or walk out to check on the baby.
  

Do not resort to over-the-counter sleep aids before you have tried natural alternative methods, instead, talk to your doctor. You may be asked to take a physical examination, better one more examination than your treatment of a guessed diagnosis. If your mates or your own snoring wakes you up at night, your mate or you may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder and should be dealt with by your physician.

See Medline Plus a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health for information about insomnia and sleep apnea .