By Donna V. Scaglione
We all have those times when we wake in the middle of the night and drifting back to sleep seems impossible. You don’t want to get up and become more awake, but you also don’t want to restlessly toss and turn. You don’t want to lie and stare at the ceiling, chewing over the day’s stressful events, but you don’t want to start watching television, either. What to do?
1. Keep lighting low
Don’t turn on any bright overhead lights, advises Health.com. Light interferes with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Instead, keep a small night light or book light nearby.
A bedroom that will invite sleep should be dark, quiet, and cool, the National Sleep Foundation recommends. Eye shades, ear plugs, blackout curtains, and “white noise” fans and other devices all can help induce sleep.
