While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night to function at their best. Children and teens need even more (see box at right). And despite the notion that sleep needs decrease with age, older people still need at least 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. Since older adults often have trouble sleeping this long at night, daytime naps can help fill in the gap.

• Stay away from caffeinated drinks after 2 pm
• Don't eat heavily right before bedtime. If you're hungry, try something light like yogurt sprinkled with cereal, or cottage cheese with banana slices, or milk & graham crackers
• Restrict alcoholic drinks to dinnertime or well before bedtime
• Don't raise your body temperature right before bedtime (like a hot soak in the tub). Your body needs to cool to a certain temperature to achieve a deep, sound slumber
• A little stretching or yoga to relax before bedtime may help you fall asleep faster.
• Swap out bright bulbs in your bedside lamps to lower wattage ones. Dim light signals your body that it's time to go to sleep.
• Keep your cell phones in another room or far away from you. Invest in an alarm clock so you won’t be tempted to keep your cell phone close.