Picture this:

You're lying wide-awake in bed thinking about your to-do-list, unpaid bills, the day's disturbing headlines, and the meaning of life itself.  However, instead of boring us to death, we're wide awake, tossing and turning in bed when all we want is some decent shut-eye.

Sound familiar? If so, you're not alone.

Stress is a fact of life.  So much so that sixty-five percent of Americans report that stress has impacted their sleep in a noticable way.  Sixty-five percent.  That's 6.5 out of 10 people.

Why is this?

For starters stress and sleep have a Catch-22 relationship: a good night's sleep helps us better handle stress, but when we're stressed we often have trouble getting that good night's sleep.

While this is often a temporary problem, it can sometimes take a turn for the worse and trap us in a vicious cycle of sleep difficulties. This typically occurs when we actually get stressed about not sleeping, as opposed to stressing out over other things.

Again, that Catch-22 bit rears its ugly head:  Worrying about sleep can actually become a sleep stealer itself.

So what can you do?

The first step to sleeping better is to not stress about not sleeping. 

Easily said than done sometimes, but it's key to breaking the cycle of anxiety that arises from this particular set-up.  By tracking your sleep, you might actually learn that you're sleeping more than you thought, which studies have shown can help lower your anxiety level.

The second thing one should do is make use of tried-and-true relaxation techniques and soothing routines can help you get the sleep you need.

Proven strategies and techniques, such as using mental relaxation exercises and worry journals, are great tools for learning how to manage stress, worry, and anxiety.  Breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga are also great, easy, and effective tools for mental and physical relaxation.

By experimenting with different ones, you can find the combination that works for you, which in turn will hep you not stress out about your sleep, which will help you sleep better, and you'll be come a superhero, win the Nobel Prize in your chosen field and be an all-around nice guy (honest).

We know the stress in our lives will never completely disappear, but behavioral experts tell us it's how we manage the inevitable stress that counts.