Chronic sleep problems are associated with an increased blood pressure, weakened immune system and elevated cortisol.

1. Make your room as dark as possible or sleep with a sleep mask.

A dark room signals your body that it's time to rest. Even small amounts of light from electronics or creeping in around window coverings can suppress melatonin (the hormone that helps you sleep).

2. No caffeine past noon, no food or alcohol past 7pm.

Caffeine is a stimulant and can prevent sleep if consumed to close to bedtime. Keep in mind that even decaf coffee contains caffeine. Eating past 7pm, especially sugary foods, can cause wakings especially if you already have a metabolic problem (obesity, diabetes, etc). Alcohol alters sleep patterns and prevents the body from going into a deep sleep.

3. Dim/turn off the lights when it gets dark outside.

This stimulates your body to get in sync with it's natural circadian rhythm and thus to produce melatonin, the main sleep hormone. Artificial light suppresses melatonin and your body does not get the signal to rest. A recent study demonstrated that 3 days of camping without any artificial light completely resets circadian rhythms.

4. Don't use any electronics (tv, phone, computer, etc) after it gets dark outside.

The blue light from our favorite electronics suppresses melatonin production. As stated above melatonin signals our brain that it's time to rest. Blue blocking (amber) glasses can help but eliminating blue light (TV, phone, computer, etc) can start to reset your circadian rhythm to get you sleeping again. Also dim household lights when it starts getting dark outside.

5. Turn off your wireless router and have your cell phone greater than 6 feet from your head.

Electromagnetic waves from your cell phone and wireless router can negatively impact sleep. Easy steps you can take include turning off the wireless router when you go to bed and keeping your cell phone 6 feet away from your head when you sleep.

At Celebrate Primary Care we go beyond merely treating symptoms. Instead we take a holistic approach to optimizing the health of our members. Find out more about Gainesville Florida's premier direct access primary care practice at celebrateprimarycare.com/about or become a member by enrolling today.