1. PUT THIS BAD HABIT TO BED: Overstimulation. Our world is filled with all sorts of tempting stimulations: hundreds of television channels to watch, e-mails to read and write, and millions of Web pages to surf. While we can’t avoid technology, we can turn it down long before our heads hit our pillows.

What the sleep researchers say: Action series and films can have the same effect as caffeine. Studies show they actually increase levels of certain hormones,

especially testosterone, adrenaline and cortisol (not conducive to sleep), so resist the temptation to watch on workdays.

2. PUT THIS BAD HABIT TO BED: Stressing Out. Too stressed to sleep? Laughing is a great stress buster and can help you relax before going to bed. You can rent or buy any number of comedy films. Consider the silly classic “Blazing Saddles” or the charming “ 2 Days in Paris.”

What the sleep researchers
say: Enjoying “mirthful”
laughter reduces stress
hormones and stress-
related chemicals in the
brain, according to research
by Lee S. Berk, M.D., of the
Loma Linda University
School of Medicine in
California. Laughing also
boosts the activity of
immune cells, which help
fight sleep-robbing colds and flus.

CLICK For our staff picks of funny TO IT stuff to help you sleep, visit

GreatHealthMag.com.

HELPING MOM AND DAD GET SLEEP (SO YOU CAN TOO)

If an aging parent or in-law comes to live with you, their lack of sleep can

negatively impact the entire family, especially if their being up at 3 a.m. keeps

you awake. "Insomnia in older folks is not the norm that most of us think,"

says Ellen Michaud, author of Sleep to Be Sexy, Smart and Slim (Reader’s

Digest, 2008). There’s likely a medical cause that needs to be addressed.

The first step: “Get them to their doctor with a visit exclusively devoted to

evaluating the insomnia,” says Michaud. Here, she offers her top tips.

Does “venti”

mean “stay

up all night”

in Italian?

It should: A venti

Starbucks coffee

contains the caffeine

of 12 cans of Coke

Classic.

Change timing or dosage of meds.

Talk to your parent’s

physician about the

possibility of medica-

tion causing insomnia.

For example, a blood

pressure pill taken

in the morning that

causes drowsiness

during the day can

often be switched

to before bedtime.

Treat medical conditions.

If arthritis pain is keep-

ing your elders up,

suggest they ask for

a pain medication so

they can sleep. If your

parents complain of

“twitchy” legs or

disruptive snoring,

have their doctors

evaluate them for

restless legs syndrome

or sleep apnea.

Move together.

Go for a walk together

or spend an afternoon

shopping at the mall.

A Brazilian study of

101 women recently

found that elderly

women who stay active

sleep an hour longer

each night than those

who are sedentary.

They also wake up

less at night.

PHOTOS, TOP TO BOT TOM: CHRIS R YAN/GE T T Y IMAGES; STEVEN MARK NEEDHAM/CORBIS