Sleep Deprivation….it’s a topic I’ve written about before, interestingly enough, at about this same time last year. You guys know the drill, if you don’t average 7-8 hours a night, you are more likely to gain weight, be diabetic, suffer from heart disease, have hypertension, contract the common cold and flu, and put yourself in harm’s way while on the job. Yep, getting enough sleep is pretty important.

You know you need more sleep, so what more can you do help you get to sleep sooner, and have a more restful sleep. Below is a list of 10 things that you can enact immediately and start yourself off toward a better night’s sleep.

Highlights are below. Please click on the link for additional details. http://www.prevention.com/sleepthieves/index.shtml

1. You Think Too Much
The reason you sometimes obsess over a tricky work project or an argument with your best friend when you're trying to fall asleep: "You can't refocus your thinking at the edge of slumber the same way you can when you're alert," says Colleen E. Carney, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Insomnia and Sleep Research Program at Duke University Medical Center.

Fix It: When fretful, get up and go to another part of the house (but leave the lights off). "Your anxious thoughts will usually stop right away. Then you can go back to bed and fall asleep," Carney says.

2. Too Much Sleep on the Weekends
Late nights followed by extra sack time the next morning throw off your internal clock, which is controlled by a cluster of nerve cells in the brain that also regulate appetite and body temperature, says Lawrence Epstein, MD, medical director of Sleep Health Centers in Brighton, MA, and author of The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night's Sleep

Fix It: Even if you've been up late, don't sleep in more than an hour longer than usual, Epstein says. Cat naps are okay as long as they are not more than 30 minutes.

3. Your Spouse Snores
A snorer's sawing can reach 90 decibels--as loud as a blender. Even if you can get to sleep, his snoring will likely wax and wane through the night and wake you up during REM sleep, the most restful phase.

Fix It: Ask your partner to sleep on his side instead of his back. Or, try a pair of ear plugs.

4. Your Hormones Change
Fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone before or during your period or throughout perimenopause can sabotage sleep,

Fix It: A hot bath a couple hours before turning in and, if you're often awakened by cramps, an over-the-counter pain reliever at bedtime may be all you need to counter premenstrual insomnia.

5. Hunger
Going to bed hungry interferes with sleep--hunger pangs simply wake you up--and some evidence suggests that people trying to lose weight may wake up frequently, says Peter Hauri, PhD, a professor emeritus at the Mayo Clinic and author of No More Sleepless Nights.

Fix It: Hauri suggests saving some of your calories for a high-protein bedtime snack, such as a small serving of cheese or a hard-boiled egg.

6. Your Bedroom Is a Mess
You keep a messy pile of papers on your nightstand...and your desk...and the floor. A cluttered sleep environment makes for a cluttered mind--the kind that churns well into the night. Stress is the number one cause of short-term sleep problems.

Fix It: Grab a basket, toss in any unfinished work--bills, spreadsheets, that half-done scrapbook--and promptly remove it.

7. Too Much Light
Believe it or not, ambient light from street lamps, alarm clocks, and DVD players could be keeping you awake.

Fix It: If there is light in the hallway, shut the bedroom door. Also, turn your alarm clock toward the wall (or opt for the nondigital variety), and eliminate night-lights. Wearing an old-fashioned eye mask ($4 to $7; drugstores) helps signal your brain that, yes, it really is nighttime.

8. You Can Hear a Pin Drop
For some people, any sound (the television, rowdy neighbors, traffic) keeps them up at night. Other folks--namely, city dwellers--are creeped out in super quiet places.

Fix It: Surprisingly, it's not the sound or lack thereof that's keeping you awake; it's the inconsistency of sound or silence that's disruptive.

9. Allergic to Dust Mites
You could be sharing your bed with anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites, says Alan Goldsobel, MD, a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in San Jose, CA, and the residue they leave behind can trigger mild to very severe allergies.

Fix It: To reduce allergens, vacuum and dust regularly; use linens that block mites

10. Pets in the Bed
We know--you love your pet, but more than half of dog and cat owners admitted that their animal disrupted their sleep every night, according to a small survey done by the Mayo Clinic.

Fix it: Dogs like to sleep in a safe, protected space, like a crate. Do you have a cat? Lock her out but keep her entertained with special nighttime-only toys that get put away in the morning.