Better bedtime habits

I have no problem falling asleep at night, but I don't always stay asleep. A couple of times a month I wake up in the middle of the night and watch the clock until I drift off again. Apparently, I'm not alone. Experts report a third of Americans suffer from sleep problems. About 20 percent of those people share my complaint and suffer from something called sleep maintenance Insomnia. Here are some tips that might help you get a better night's sleep:

1) Limit time in bed. Don't stay in bed longer than 20 to 30 minutes if you can't fall asleep.  Go to another room and read until you're sleepy.   Bad sleeping habits can often become ingrained.

2) Caffeine effect. Limit daily intake of coffee, tea and soda containing caffeine. Studies show the stimulant can take up to 10 hours to wear off.

3) Eat and work out earlier. No eating, exercising or drinking alcohol within three hours of bedtime. You might think alcohol makes it easier to fall asleep, but it might trigger a lighter sleep and make it more likely you'll wake up in the middle of the night.

4) Relaxing routine. Focus on activities that help you wind down in the evening such as reading a book or listening to soothing music. Ban the TV, video games and computer from the bedroom.

Finally, cooling off is conducive to a better night's sleep. Experts say one way to trick your body into thinking it's cooling off is to take a warm shower 30 to 45 minutes before bedtime. As your body cools off, you might be sleepier.

Source: Dr. David Schulman, director of the Sleep Laboratory at Emory School of Medicine

Judy Fortin's Health Minute segment runs daily on Headline News from 10am to 6pm ET weekdays.