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I'm in Bed and Can't Fall Asleep. Do I Stay in Bed?

You’re in bed and can’t sleep.
You’ve counted a flock of sheep and are now watching every minute tick off on the clock and your eyes are still peeled.
What should you do?
The general advice is to get a change of venue.
Get out of bed and go somewhere else.
Don’t turn on the light and start reading. Don’t reach for the TV remote. Get up and leave the bedroom, quietly without turning on a light.
Then in the other room, do something quiet, like reading a dull book in dim light. Then when you feel sleepy, go back to bed and try again.
This is true whether it’s the start of the night or whether it’s the middle of night, according to sleep experts.
These kinds of behavioral techniques are geared toward avoiding the frustration that builds from not being able to sleep. It also teaches the mind and body that the bedroom is for one thing, well, maybe two – sleep and sex.

Dr. Jim Stocks, sleep specialist and pulmonologist at the University of Texas in Tyler, Texas.
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