Healthy Living: Your partner or your pet may be preventing you from getting a good night sleep



 

There are several things doctors say you should NOT do before bed in order to get a good night's sleep. According to Dr. Tavis Taylor with Pacific Medical Centers, they include drinking alcohol, watching television, exercising or having caffeine. All these habits can interfere with your REM sleep and will get in the way of a good night sleep.

In addition Dr. Taylor says keep the room dark, and if your partner is a restless sleeper, he says consider sleeping separately.   Same goes for a pet in the bed or room.  If they're busy and up a lot a night, that can keep you up as well.

Dr. Taylor says the key to a good nights sleep is setting a good routine, going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time, even on the weekends. He says it typically takes a few weeks to adjust your sleep patters, but only a couple of days to disrupt them.