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| routine and do what is necessary to maintain it religiously. |
| You should also avoid using caffeine or other stimulants while on night duty, since these can interfere with your sleep the next day. Occasional use of sleeping pills might be needed, but you should avoid becoming dependent on frequent or daily use of these agents. |
| Learn to Deal with Stress |
| One of the best things you can do to prevent or eliminate insomnia is to learn how to deal with stress more effectively. Most people experience periods of anxiety, tension, worry or irritability from time to time. These negative emotions can build up during the day and affect your ability to rest at night. In addition, unresolved conflicts and unexpressed emotions, which many people try to suppress or ignore, can come out at night in the form of troublesome dreams or the inability to relax when going to sleep. |
| Medications such as tranquilizers, anti-anxiety agents and antidepressants, which many people use when under stress, can also disturb sleep. So can the increased use of cigarettes, caffeine and alcohol which often accompany periods of emotional and psychological upheaval. |
| One way to mitigate stress is to use relaxation techniques. These include meditation, biofeedback, yoga, self-hypnosis and other relaxation skills that can be used during the day or at bedtime. These techniques don't work for everyone, but you might want to give them a try. It's best to practice any of |
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