"If you spend a nightmarish amount of time in the wee hours counting sheep or wrestling with your pillow or your worries - you’ve got lots of company." According to recent statistics, up to 70 million American’s either have a sleep disorder or are sleep deprived. Lois Krahn, M.D., Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic, states “people aren’t getting as much sleep as they did 20 years ago. People’s lives have become more complicated with active children, more time spent at work and longer commutes. People are using their sleep time to keep up with busy lifestyles.” Although everyone, at one time or another, is sleep deprived, it is important that on average you get 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. If you are having difficulty falling to sleep, here are some basic rules to help you SLEEP like a baby.

Set a schedule. If you sleep short all week and try to catch up on weekends, you’ll never be well-rested. Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day.

Limit caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and spicy foods. These products can disrupt a restful sleep cycle and should especially be avoided before going to bed.

Exercise regularly. This not only reducing stress, but it also lessens symptoms of PMS. Also, make sure to quit exercising three to four hours before bedtime.

Expert medical advice - get it. There are lots of factors that may contribute to sleep disorders and a professional can help to pin-point the exact reason for yours.

Put off watching TV. For some, television watching can numb your mind and postpone stressful thoughts until later in the evening. Don’t sedate your stresses (by drinking, smoking or watching TV) —talk to someone you trust.

What’s Considered Healthy/Unhealthy Sleep?

According to the Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource (August 2003), "during sleep, you usually pass through four to six sleep cycles. Most healthy sleep is a combination of rapid eye movement (REM) and slow wave (deep) sleep. Dreaming comes in waves, usually four to five times a night, during REM sleep. Unhealthy sleep is too much intermediate sleep - less deep sleep.