•  Excessive snoring
• Choking sensation while asleep
• Nightmares
• Chronic insomnia
• Suffering from sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome or asthma.
• Excessive use of sleeping pills or sedatives in order to get to sleep.
• Excessive Yawning
• Tendency to doze off when not active; for example, while watching T.V.
• Grogginess when waking in the morning or experienced throughout the day
• Poor concentration and focus
• Mood changes, i.e, more irritable

Due to the prevalence of sleep-related disorders in our society, the use of prescription sleeping medications to address problems is on the rise. However, these medications carry their own risks: drug carryover into the daytime leading to drowsiness, psychological and potentially physical dependence, physical side effects including anxiety and memory problems, and potential drug interactions. And their long-term use is controversial.

Listed below are some basic natural pointers for helping you get a good night's rest:

• Begin going to bed earlier each evening. Start with fifteen or thirty minutes at first. That slight increase in sleep time can make a big difference.
•  Begin a process of slowing your body's rhythm down before bedtime. This can be accomplished by taking a warm bath or shower, listening to soft music or engaging in light reading.
•  It's important not to read any stimulating material right before bedtime.
• Drinking chamomile tea about a half hour before bedtime can reduce anxiety and encourage sleep.
• Use relaxation techniques to help you fall asleep. Diaphragmatic breathing exercises or progressive muscle relaxation exercises accompanied with music is an excellent strategy.
•  Don't smoke or drink alcohol or caffeine at least 2-3 hours before bedtime.
• Nicotine and caffeine are stimulants. While alcohol is a depressantand can help you to get to sleep, your brain will signal you to awaken when the alcohol is metabolized out of your system.
• Make your bedroom sleep friendly. If light bothers you, invest in darker curtains or shades for your room. If outside noise is a deterrent to going to sleep, use earplugs to block out the sounds.
•  Turn the television off!  For most people, T.V. is a stimulant and interferes with falling to sleep.
•  Regular exercise should be scheduled at least five or six hours before bedtime. Exercise causes your body temperature to rise. Sleep will only occur when your body temperature drops back down again.
•  Our brain makes associations between similar activities performed together regularly. This psychological principle is referred to as anchoring.If you repeatedly play cards, pay bills, do your nails or watch T.V. in the bedroom, your brain associates the bedroom with these activities rather than sleeping. Therefore, it's important to avoid those activities that could result in negative anchoring. Your bedroom should be used only for sexual activity or for sleep.
•  All other activities should be moved out of your bedroom if you want to improve the quality of your sleep. If you find that you are unable to fall asleep after 20 minutes or so, get out of bed and engage in a quiet, non-stimulating activity. It's also important to keep the lights low, so as not to signal to your brain that it's time to be up and awake.