alcohol

The US embargo against Cuba prevented Americans from bringing home Cuban cigars, even if they were purchased in third countries.

Two years ago the limit was eased, but travelers could still bring home only $100 worth.

Perhaps suspecting that US sanctions would last for a while, shortly before President and cigar aficionado John F. Kennedy signed the embargo into law in 1962, he sent aide Pierre Salinger to buy all the Cuban smokes he could find in Washington, DC.

This can cause big trouble the next day, impairing function, energy, and mood. So what can you do to get a good night's sleep? Here are 10 tips.

Avoid alcohol.

While alcoholic drinks can help lull you into a light sleep, that's not the whole story. Alcohol actually deprives you of REM sleep and deep sleep, the restorative stage of sleep that helps you feel energized the next day. What's more, it's tough to stay asleep once the sleepy effects of the nightcap wear off and the alcohol begins to metabolize and wake your brain.

Instead, a study concluded, the only way to prevent a hangover is to drink less alcohol.

More than 800 students were asked how they tried to relieve hangover symptoms, but neither food nor water was found to have any positive effect.

The findings are being presented at a conference in Amsterdam.

A team of international researchers from the Netherlands and Canada surveyed students' drinking habits to find out whether hangovers could be eased or if some people were immune to them.