SLEEP ON IT…

Trouble Sleeping?  Are you able to go to sleep but then wake up during the night and can’t get back to sleep?  Or do you have trouble just getting to sleep to begin with?  Whether you have trouble with onset of sleep or interrupted sleep, there are things you can do to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep.  For example:  If you watch a scary movie right before bed you may have restless sleep and even nightmares or if you are drinking lots of caffeinated beverages in the evening, you may have trouble getting to sleep. 

Check back often to find out more sleeping tips.

Sleeping Tip #1

Go to bed and get up at the same time

If you have a family and both parents work outside of the home, you will be challenged by this.  It may be easier to do the wakeup at the same time because of school and jobs.  And then the weekend arrives and everyone wants to sleep in.  These are things you can do to make sure you wake up at the same time every day.  Put your alarm across the room so you have to get out of bed to shut it off.  Get an old fashioned alarm with the bells on the top – it will jolt you out of bed with its loud dinging.  Going to bed at the same time – well that depends on when the game at school ends, when the teenager comes in the door, when the baby finally goes to sleep etc.  So do the best job you can with this – go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time as much as possible – Good Luck!

• Keep your bedroom quiet, comfortable and dark
• Avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, chocolate) at least 4-6 hours before bedtime
• Exercise regularly, but finish exercising at least 4 hours before you go to bed
• Don’t take naps during the day
• Take a warm bath 90 minutes before you go to bed
• Don’t read, eat, or watch TV in bed – only use your bed for sleeping and sex
• Don’t go to bed feeling too full
• Don’t drink alcohol to help you sleep