My patients hear me say it all the time: if you improve your sleep hygiene and exercise more your insomnia will get better. But I always warn folks that, like most things worth waiting for, the improvements don’t occur “overnight.” A recent study that was reported upon in USA Today, echoed those same words of wisdom. People who experience insomnia should improve their sleep hygiene by setting more rigid bedtimes and waketimes, using the bed for sleep and sex only (i.e., no reading or watching tv in bed), etc, and they should exercise more. The increase of exercise should, of course, be in moderation and should not be just prior to bedtime.
