You turn on the TV  with the hope that the late night show will put you to sleep, but does it? That depends …

1) If your female, it will take you longer to fall asleep than your male counterpart. Women take an average of about 9 minutes to fall asleep compared to the 23 minutes for men. Gender matters.

2) If you had caffeine after dinner with that yummy dessert, you may be feeling the effect of the caffeine now. The effects of caffeine can last as long as 8 hours. Switch to decaf!

3) You stayed up late and slept in all weekend. Different sleep and wake schedules on the weekends can reek havoc on your sleep rhythm. Limit the difference to no more than an hour on weekends.

4) You’ve become more European and are eating dinner around 9:00p.m. The problem with this is that unless it is a very light dinner, heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime, can keep you awake.

5) Your bedroom is toasty and hot. This might feel good on a cold winter night, but turn down the heat around bedtime. Keep the bedroom cool and dark for better sleep.

6) The TV is on, remember? Turn it off and make it quiet. Bright light from a TV or computer screen can signal the brain to wake up!

7) It was a busy day and you took that late night exercise class. Now you are too wound up to fall asleep. Schedule the exercise class for very early evening.

8) Your mind is racing with so much to do. Switch gears and pray. End your day with prayer and thanksgiving to God. He will keep you in perfect peace if your mind is stayed on Him. Begin and end your day with prayer.