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Tips to help you fall asleep

Dr. Stephanie Moore teaches at Harvard Medical School and this is what she tells her students and patients.

These are some of the rules Dr. Stephanie Moore, who teaches at Harvard Medical School, tells her students and patients. 

Number one: Be guided by your best thinking, not your worst fears. Remind yourself to think positive. 

Number two: Unplug after dinner. No social media. Watch a funny movie or play a game instead. Do not search for the latest Corona news - it'll change by the time you wake up anyway. 

Number three: Check in on your loved ones; it makes everyone feel more secure, but don't focus the conversation on Covid.

Number four: Avoid taking more than a catnap during the day, so you're more tired at night. 

Number five: Increase your exercise, but avoid any exercise three hours before bedtime. 

Number six: No caffeine after 4 PM. 

Number seven: Silence your phone when you go to bed. 

Number eight: sleep in a dark room - no TV, and turn your clock so you can't see the time if you wake up in the middle of the night. 

Number nine: If you need extra help, Dr. Moore recommends Sleepytime Tea. She says 3mg of melatonin is okay too, or 25mg of over-the-counter Benadryl. But she says it's always good to run any supplement by your doctor. 

And number ten: Go back to number one - be guided by your best thinking, not your worst fears. 

Now Dr. Moore says alcohol is actually a double-edge sword. While a glass of wine could help you fall asleep; alcohol prevents you from falling into a deep sleep, so you're more likely to wake up in the middle of the night.

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