A study was carried out by Psyciatrist Dr Wilfred Pigeon of the University of Rochester in New York. Volunteers who drank a glass of unsweetened cherry juice in the morning and evening enjoyed more sleep than when they drank the same amount of other juice.

Each night the body produces the hormone melatonin, which regulates the sleep / wake cycle. When you are jet lagged this cycle is disturbed. Some people find that taking melotonin before bed, helps them sleep better when they have crossed a number of time zones and helps adjust more quickly to the new sleeping and waking hours. Melatonin is not recommended for insomnia. Melatonin is available in pharmacies in the USA, but is interestingly not freely available in the UK. The cherry juice effect for sleep enhancement could be due to the fruit's high concentration of melatonin. Given the side effects of some medications, it is encouraging to have a natural alternative to melatonin.

Lack of sleep makes the person tired during the day, so they may drink coffee to stay awake or take naps, both of which make sleep at night more difficult. Improving sleeping habits and your lifestyle could aid in a better nights sleep. Sleep apnea occurs when breathing stops and this condition is common in overweight men and half of all men with collar sizes over 17 and a half suffer from sleep apnea. Other complementary remedies for a good nights sleep include drinking a cup of tea made with herbs such as lemon balm, chamomile, hops, passion flower or valerian. Some people find a warm glass of milk before bed time also helps.

Try adopting these rules to enable you to get a good nights sleep;

Go to bed and get up at the same time, seven days a week.
Reduce the amount of caffeine intake, found in coffee, tea or cola. Caffeine can stay in your body for up to 16 hours. In theory you should not drink caffeine after 10am, but try 2pm or 6pm and see how changing to these times improves your sleep.
Do not go to bed unless you are tired.
Avoid drinking alcohol late at night, it might make you sleepy to begin with, but it will wake you up later.
Exercise during the day and try and take a half hour walk in the early evening.
Avoid napping during the day.
Do not use the bedroom for anything other than sleep or sex.
If you really cannot sleep, get up and do something like reading a newspaper, then go back to bed when you are sleepy.
Do deep breathing and relaxation exercises in bed to help you fall asleep.
Avoid using a personal computer during the evening.