Are you sleeping well every night? Do you wake up refreshed and ready to face the day?
Ha! Yeah, right. Me neither.
One of the most common complaints I hear from patients – and one that I sometimes have myself – is the inability to get to sleep or stay asleep.
Zzzzzzzzz…… WHAT!? HUH!? WHO!?
Since sleep is the only time that your body has to rebuild and rejuvenate, it’s critical that you get adequate, good quality sleep most nights.
How’s that, you say?
Here are some tips for getting a good night’s sleep:
- Adopt a relaxing ritual before bedtime. For me, that means a warm bath and / or a cup of camomile tea.
- Don’t have any caffeine or alcohol after dinner.
- Turn off all screens (phones, iPads, TV’s, etc.) at least two hours before bedtime.
- Have a small, high-protein snack before bed, like some cheese or a few nuts.
- Keep a notepad by your bed to jot down things that may keep your brain spinning all night.
- Keep your bedroom on the cool side (for me, that’s around 68 in the winter and 70 in the summer).
- Try to wake up at the same time each day. On weekends if you’d like to try to ‘catch up’, take an afternoon nap rather than sleeping a few hours later.
Despite doing most everything right, it’s still not unusual to have an occasional sleepless night because life is a complicated bi-atch, isn’t she? If that happens to me, I take a natural sleep aid like melatonin or valerian root.
Sleep is sacred. Don’t skimp on this very important factor in your quest for good health!
