Sleep is critical for our mental and physical health yet many people struggle with getting enough sleep on a nightly basis.

Anna Marie speaks with Dr. Beth Ann Malow, Director of the Sleep Division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to find out what's keeping us awake and how what we can do in our routine to help us sleep better at night.

We all know that caffeine is something that keeps us awake but then there is the problem of us being more connected to technology than ever before. Electricity, phones and the internet all play huge roles in keeping us too mentally and visually stimulated to go to sleep. Dr. Malow suggests that we unplug from these things at least an hour before going to sleep. Also, many people think alcohol helps them to go to sleep, but in fact it can cause us to wake up earlier than usual and Dr. Malow also suggests that we don't drink alcohol 5 hours before we go to sleep.

Being physically active is another big way to help yourself get more sleep at night. Dr. Malow and Anna discuss why some people are scientifically more predisposed to needing more sleep, including teenagers and how early high school start times affect them in many ways.

For more tips and information to get better sleep listen to the podcast and please visit:

http://www.vanderbilthealth.com/sleepcenter/

Or you can visit their Facebook page for more info:

https://www.facebook.com/sleepwellTN/?fref=ts