I recently ran across a great article, posted by www.crazysexylife.com. The blog post was written by Dr. Frank Lipman, and outlined some of the biggest mistakes he has seen his patients make when it comes to sleeping. You can read more about Dr. Lipman’s explanation on these mistakes by visiting his post. See below the five common mistakes he has identified. Some of these may be common sense, but it’s surprising at times to discover that what we do on a daily basis is actually counterintuitive to common sense.

1.) Using sleeping pills to fall and stay asleep. Dr. Lipman suggests in his article that people should not rely so heavily on taking sleep medication. If you are having sleep problems, it is important to identify the actual cause of the issue and treat it directly. If anxiety is keeping you up at night, don’t pop a pill – try to implement some relaxation techniques instead.
2.) Using alcohol to fall asleep. It is common belief that alcohol actually helps you fall asleep, but this is actually not the case. Dr. Lipman reminds us that alcohol can actually keep you awake, as it causes your body to become stimulated when the alcohol begins to wear off in the middle of the night. This withdrawal disrupts your sleep, and doesn’t solve a thing.
3.) Watching television to fall asleep. Yes, many of us are guilty of this. Even I am guilty of this. Dr. Lipman points out that when people fall asleep watching TV, they inevitably wake up a bit later – usually due to the noise or the light from your TV set. This bad habit sets up a cycle that reinforces poor sleep at night.
4.) Staying in bed hoping to fall asleep. It may make sense to stay in bed when you’re trying to fall asleep, but if you’re lying in bed stressing out because you can’t fall asleep you may be exacerbating the problem. Dr. Lipman suggests that if you are unable to fall asleep after 45 minutes, that you get out of bed and do something calming such as reading a book, meditation or restorative yoga poses for another 1 -1½ hours before trying to sleep again.
5.) Making sleep a performance issue. If you are having difficulties sleeping, the last thing you should do is beat yourself up about it. As Dr. Lipman says, just thinking about sleep affects your ability to fall asleep. What does he suggest? Let go, and go with the flow. Let the issue escape your mind, and fill your time with soothing activities that help you become more aware of your body’s natural clock so that you don’t find yourself staring at the clock!