Dear Dr. Garner,

I work in the financial sector, and have been having a very difficult time sleeping to say the least. All night, I keep my husband up, as I toss and turn, walk around the house, trying to become sleepy. I am trying my best to no avail. Could you please help me?

- Sleepless in Sheepshead Bay

Dear Sleepless,

Insomnia can be harmful to your health. Lack of sleep has been shown to lead to weight gain, decreased immunity and even heart disease. I hope you do not fall into the trap of taking sleeping pills, either over the counter or prescription. There is no pill that simulates natural sleep, and I prefer you attack the problem another way. The first thing I request you do is not to stress out about lack of sleep. This only fuels the problem.

Below are some of the do’s and don’ts in the quest for a good night’s sleep:

1. A glass of warm milk or chamomile tea, possess chemicals that can make you sleepy.

2. Have the room cool and dark – a temperature of 65-70 degrees is optimal.

3. The bedroom is for sleeping – it is not a home office – take out computers, spreadsheets or anything else pertaining to business. It is best not even to have a television in the room.

4. Try wearing socks to bed – this seems to help many people fall asleep, although it is not very good for romance.

5. Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol within 6 hours of sleep. These all fight a normal night’s sleep. The alcohol for example, makes you drowsy for about two hours and then stimulates chemicals to keep you up all night.

6. Keep a pencil and paper next to your bed. Make a deal with yourself – you will write any problem down that you may think about – once it is written on the paper, you will block it out of your mind until the next day, when the problem often does not seem as insurmountable.

7. Wake up the same time each day, even on weekends. This will help train the body to get into a routine that will promote good sleep.

8. Keep the room as dark as possible, as this causes a hormone in the brain to be formed, known as melatonin, which helps promote sleep.

9. If you can’t sleep within 30 minutes of trying, get up and do a task in a dimly lit room. Don’t try to fall asleep again until you feel sleepy.

10. Turn the alarm clock away from you. Looking at the clock and the time can make you more frustrated and anxious. If it is near your wake up time, your body may not try too hard to get back to sleep.

11. Avoid heavy meals or a lot of liquids at night, as this will keep you up, either due to heart burn, or the fact you have to urinate several times during the night.

12. Don’t exercise within 4 hours of going to sleep.

13. Use a white noise maker in the room. This will avoid being disturbed by extraneous street noise.

14. Avoid sleeping pills – the over the counter pills have antihistamine, which can be deadly in the elderly. They cause confusion and forgetfulness and are responsible for falls that can often be deadly for the elderly.

Prescription pills also have problems of addiction and forgetfulness, and other bizarre problems, such as sleepwalking and sleep driving. Please stay away from these; never take more than 2 or 3 a month. The key is not to become dependent on pills, but to create a lifestyle that is conducive to a good night’s sleep. Preparing the bedroom, as well as yourself mentally is the best long-term solution to the problem. Incidentally, the average person needs about 6-7 hours of sleep a night. Sleeping more than 8 hours is not good for you either.

You are not alone as millions of Americans are in the same boat. With preparation and perseverance you will succeed. If all else fails, read a few of the old ask the Doctor Columns- that should do it!

Thank you for your question and sweet dreams- I hope.

In last week’s column I promised to give the answer to the question; What is the best diet to lose weight?

- The answer is not earth shattering. It turns out the best way to lose weight is to watch the number of calories you eat. As long as it is heart healthy food; avoiding saturated fats and eating fruit and vegetables each day, this is the best guaranteed way to not only lose weight, but to keep it off after two years. In the largest study of its type, the findings were very obvious- Eat fewer calories, exercise each day, (even walking or house work counts), and if possible join a support group.

Sorry grapefruit diet lovers, but you can eat grapefruit, but more importantly make sure you watch your calories. Those wishing to lose weight should meet with their physicians, to determine the optimal number of calories needed each day.

Until next time have a great week and be well.

* Reprinted with permission of The Tablet