Sleep Right, Starting Tonight
by Kristyn Kusek Lewis

Every time my husband and I board a plane, the same thing happens: We find our seats, settle in with our books and magazines, and before anyone has a chance to offer us a cold beverage, he's fast asleep. Meanwhile, I can only glare at him--wide-awake with envy.

I can't sleep on planes. Or trains. Or in any room not equipped with a not too-soft, not too-firm mattress and kept at the perfect temperature. And if I don't clock in my required Zzzs, I am not a very happy camper.

I don't hold out much hope I'll ever be able to conk out on an airplane, but experts say that a few simple changes in my bedroom could help me sleep a lot better. And I'm feeling motivated--turns out that my fussy sleeper personality could make me sick.

Researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine recently found that consistently not getting a good night's rest can have a serious impact on my immune system, making me more prone to colds, infections, and serious conditions such as diabetes. Here are some simple changes that can turn any bedroom into a den of sweet dreams. Try them in yours--tonight.

You keep a messy pile of papers on your nightstand... ...and your desk...and the floor.

A cluttered sleep environment makes for a cluttered mind--the kind that churns well into the night. Stress is the number one cause of short-term sleep problems such as frequent middle-of-the-night waking and insomnia, according to the American Psychological Association.

Fix it

Grab a basket, toss in any unfinished work--bills, spreadsheets, that half-done scrapbook--and promptly remove it. "This is what we call stimulus control," says Lawrence Epstein, MD, medical director of Sleep HealthCenters in Boston and coauthor of The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night's Sleep. "When you eliminate the stuff in your bedroom that isn't related to sleep, your brain starts to associate the room only with sleep and intimacy."

Keep your computer in another room, or at least place it in a cabinet that can be closed. You'll be shutting the door on stress and late-night screen gazing, which has been proven to hinder sleep, according to a Japanese study in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

The monitor's bright display may inhibit your production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for telling the body it's time for bed.

 -- www.prevention.com

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