How to sleep better without Melatonin?

This time let me share some of my experiences with how to sleep better. Who doesn't have a sleep problem? Or let us ask it differently, Who has always slept perfectly always? The answer is that we all have some sort of issues with our sleep. I rarely slept very well but it got really worse about two years ago when I had some personal situation (a big source of my income simply disappeared). (Related article: Sleep well for good health)

For as many as 10 years I was aware of a hormone supplement Melatonin. I had occasionally taken it when I had difficulty sleeping or while I was traveling across time zones. It is inexpensive, available over-the-counter, and works. I would fall to sleep in less than half an hour and wake up pretty fresh in the morning.

But when I was very stressed out due to my financial situation, I started taking it regularly. I popped a pill every night and slept without any problem. I had read books on Melatonin and also seen reports here and there about its side effects but there never was a consensus on anything. Personally, I felt no side effects at all. There are reports, however, that Melatonin can have adverse side effects. A recent study by biologist George Bentley of the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley shows that it may have an impact on how well you perform in bed. The tests were done only on Japanese quail but the researchers think that it could affect humans as well. Incidentally, I seem to be doing well so far. (Related article: How to last longer in bed?)

But I was starting to wonder if I was getting addicted to Melatonin. So one of new year resolutions for 2005 was to try to sleep without Melatonin and I am happy to report that I have not taken it even once this year and I am sleeping great. Here are some things that work for me to sleep better?

1. Tell your mind that you will sleep naturally and need no hormone supplement.
2. Stick to your bedtime (even during the weekend). If there is a late night television program that you would like to watch, record it instead and watch it the next day. I try to sleep between 10 and 11 PM.
3. Eat your meals (and keep it light) several hours before sleeping. I eat my last meal at 6 PM, and immediately brush my teeth so that I don't eat anything after that.
4. Take a warm shower.
5. Drink a cup of herbal tea.
6. Put an eye mask if your eyes are tired.
7. Do a bedroom makeover and make it a pleasant place where you feel at peace. I do not have a television in my bedroom. Both my wife and I often read in bed before going to bed (the nights we are not physically intimate).

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