Because he has difficulty falling asleep at night, Professor Hogan doesn't go to bed until very late. Before he retires, he tries to wear himself out by running around the block several times. Then he treats himself to a beer and perhaps a pizza while preparing his lecture for the next day's early morning classes. What specific advice would you give the professor to help him fall asleep?

I would advise the professor to stop consuming alcohol and pizza before going to sleep and to prepare for his lecture in the afternoon or the next morning. However, I would urge him to continue exercising later in the day, but not too close to when he goes to bed.

Alcohol consumption leads to interrupted sleep and decreases the quality and duration of REM sleep, which is the most restorative phase of sleep. Food intake signals alertness to the brain and releases insulin, which then interrupts the circadian rhythm. Preparing for his lectures could be considered an exciting activity, as in it requires attention and focus. Exciting activities before bedtime are usually not considered to be a good idea, as they draw in your attention, make you think too much and prevent you from falling asleep, or may keep you up later than intended. Exercise has been shown to help sleep as long as it is not too intense or done too close to bedtime. This could lead to interrupted sleep.