Avoid stimulants including sweets, alcohol, tobacco and coffee.

Minimise Electromagnetic fields such as cordless phones, wireless devices, hearing dull noises such as fridges near your bedroom. You may want to try unplugging or moving electrical devices further from the bed. Do not use an electric blanket.

Wind down and get to bed early 10 to 11pm, so that your body has time for it’s physical repair which occurs from 10pm to 2am. If you regularly get to bed at midnight you are robbing your body of 2 hours of physical repair time every day. It is not possible to get a good sleep in daylight as sunlight exposure to your skin release cortisol preparing the body to wake.

Minimise exposure to bright lights such as fluorescent lights for at least two hours before going to bed. Do not use computers and electronic devices within the last two hours before sleep. Wind down with dimmed lights or candles. Use techniques such as deep breathing on a Physio roller to detoxify and calm down or other meditation techniques.

Drink plenty of good quality water

Sleep in a room that is completely dark.

Move and exercise at least 30 minutes every day. See your personal trainer who can show you a combination of de-stress slow movements and medium level intensity exercises which can promote sleep. Be wary to keep high intensity exercises in the morning and not late in the day. Keep a balance in your exercise between gentle and high intensity exercise, over training and only high intensity exercise may cause difficulty in sleeping.

Get morning sunshine, try to eat a snack or breakfast in the sunshine or outdoors for at least 15minutes in the morning.

Eat to your metabolic type and if possible keep a food diary and note which meals occurred before poor sleep nights. You may be able to detect food intolerance which can lead to waking you during the night. In general, poor dietary choices will cause poor sleep patterns and inability to stay asleep all night.

Write a list of things you need to do, after dinner or last thing at work. This leaves you prioritized and you will sleep better.

If you experience high pressure at work, ask for help and seek calming breaks for deep breathing.

Conditions which may cause poor sleeping patterns are sleep apnea (can’t breathe when sleep), eating too little, Anemia, depression, hypothyroidism, over stimulated from substances such as tobacco, caffeine, sugar; urinary tract infection, candida, diabetes, dehydration, heart conditions, shift working, food allergies, fatigue syndromes,

If you try these and continue experiencing problems, try to at least self diagnose some of the areas you may need to improve and refer to a doctor for further assistance. Some of the many alternative treatment you may attempt include personal training or exercise, natural supplements, acupuncture, naturopathy and sleep specialists.