How to Sleep: 16 Tips to Try

• Practice the regular rhythms of sleep -- go to bed and wake up at the same time each day
• No TV in the bedroom 

• Create an aesthetic environment in your bedroom that encourages sleep by using serene and restful colors and eliminating clutter and distraction (Tip: avoid family photos in your bedroom decor for even more of a spa-like feel)
• Create total darkness and quiet - consider using eyeshades and earplugs

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• Avoid caffeine or reduce it after noon -- it may make sleep worse
• Avoid alcohol -- it helps you get to sleep but makes your sleep interrupted and of poor quality
• Get regular exposure to daylight for at least 20 minutes daily. The light from the sun enters your eyes and triggers your brain to release specific chemicals and hormones like melatonin that are vital to healthy sleep, mood, and aging

• Eat no later than two hours before bed -- eating a heavy meal prior to bed will lead to a bad night's sleep and will impede the body’s overnight detoxification process

• Write your worries down. During your Power Down Hour, write down the things that are causing you anxiety and make plans for what you might have to do the next day to reduce your worry. It will free up your mind and energy to move into deep and restful sleep

• Take a hot salt or aromatherapy bath. Raising your body temperature before bed helps to induce sleep.  A hot bath also relaxes your muscles and reduces tension physically and psychically.  
  

​By adding 1/2 to 1 cup of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) and 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to your bath, you will gain the benefits of magnesium absorbed through your skin and the alkaline-balancing effects of the baking soda, both of which help with sleep

• Get a massage, stretch, or have sex before bed

• Warm your middle with a hot water bottle, which raises your core temperature and helps trigger the proper chemistry for sleep

• Avoid medications that interfere with sleep. These include sedatives (these are used to treat insomnia, but ultimately lead to dependence and disruption of normal sleep rhythms and architecture), antihistamines, stimulants, cold medication, steroids, headache medication that contains caffeine
• Take relaxing minerals such as magnesium and calcium

• Get a relaxing tape or CD to help you get to sleep
• If you experience excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, snoring, and have been seen to stop breathing in the middle of the night by your spouse or partner, then consider getting tested for a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea

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​What's *your* best sleep tip?

How do you achieve, protect, and maintain quality zzz's?

​What's one way you can commit to getting better sleep going forward?

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I'm interested in knowing if you're interested in sharing! xo