4. Taking naps
If you don't sleep well, you
may decide to take an after-
noon nap.Chance are, you
don't sleep well again and do
the same thing the next day. It
can be an endless cycle. Long
daytime naps can interfere
with nighttime sleep. If you
choose to nap, limit yourself
to up to 30 minutes and avoid
doing so late in the day (try
right after lunch, for example).
Instead of napping, do some
physical activity. It can help
energize your body and will
tire you for later in the day. The
only consideration is to avoid
exercising too late in the day
as it can wake your body and
make it difficult to fall asleep.
When your eyes get heavy and
your head starts to bob, get
back into bed. This trains your
brain to associate bed with
sleep.
3. Overusing sleep aids
Many people reach for sleep
aids to get a good night's rest,
but doing so regularly is not
recommended. Most over-the-
counter sleep aids contain an-
tihistamines, and people often
build a tolerance to them. That
means they lose their effective-
ness the longer you take them.
What's more, OTC sleep aids
often leave you feeling groggy
in the morning as your body at-
tempts to wake from the sleep
hangover. They do not pro-
vide the feeling of restorative
sleep that most people want to
achieve.
These four common
mistakes can easily be
corrected at home, but
if you continue to have
trouble with sleep, con-
sider requesting an ap-
pointment with a Mayo
Clinic specialist at www.
mayoclinic.org/appoint-
ments.
