While alcohol relaxes some people enough to sleep, it leads to a shallow sleep with many awakenings. It is not a good idea to become dependent on alcohol to induce sleep. For one thing, regular use of alcohol at the same time each day is thought by some to contribute to the development of alcoholism . Furthermore, when alcohol is combined with sleeping pills, as often happens because of the shallow, unsatisfactory sleep induced by alcohol use, the result may be fatal. Anything that relaxes, such as a warm bath, meditation, or reading in bed can help you get to sleep.
Milk contains proteins that some find help sleep.
A cool, but not cold , bedroom also contributes to sound sleep. Some sleep researchers recommend delaying bedtime for an hour or two if you cannot sleep. If you do not fall asleep within 20 minutes after trying this, get up and do some quiet activity, such as reading or working on a hobby. Do not smoke or eat. The next day, whether sleep came easily or not, get up at your regular time and try to get through the day without falling asleep.