Sleep....

SLEEP.... Ah, sleep. How many of you need some sleep? I bet more of you than not. It is one of the biggest problems today and I don't think people really understand how important it is. You notice that animals don't seem to have that problem--they ALWAYS get their beauty sleep, sometimes at the expense of their owners... Notice in the picture that I am nowhere to be found--I have been completely rooted out of the bed! But seriously, we need sleep. Somehow we need to make it a priority--that falls into the category of taking better care of ourselves. And we already know that you don't do that...


Ideally, you should be able to wake up without an alarm clock AND not feel like you have been run over every day. (I know by experience that it can be done!) If you get enough sleep, you will be awake before the clock. A real easy test to my theory--take a look at your children (or nieces and nephews). Notice how they are up at the crack of dawn ready to go? What happens to them when they don't get enough sleep? And to those of us around when it happens? Yikes! We don't want to be around. When we are older, we can control the crankiness--sometimes. But there is more to it than just being cranky. Sleep is when all the good stuff happens, your body is resting, it gets restored and ready for the next day. Your mind gets a break from all the "stuff I need to do". Recovery time from the war of life. Not having enough sleep causes you to not function on all cylinders, it impacts your thinking, and--not getting enough sleep seems to also have an effect on your weight. Studies show that people who don't get enough sleep tend to be heavier. Why is it that we tell our children they need their sleep but we don't practice what we preach???


Get the TV out of the bedroom! Don't watch it right before you go to bed, and certainly not in the bed. Your brain is over-stimulated with all the images and that the TV bombards it with. Same is true of the computer. The images and light cause you not to be able to shut down for sleep--just because you turn the TV/computer off doesn't mean your brain turns off. Don't eat for two hours before bed and no exercise either. You need to get "wound down" before bed so you can continue into a restful sleep. Experts say that you should only use the bedroom for sleeping and you know...


Spend some money on "good" sheets--sheets with a high thread count. Once you go up, you will never go back. After being converted myself, I never buy anything less than a thread count of 800. The horror of growing up sleeping on 250-300! I don't know how we made it through. You can find these on sale and they are definitely worth the higher price tag. TRUST ME! Your mattress is important too. No matter how thrifty you are--they are not made to last forever. (I swear my grandmother still had the mattress that my mother slept on when she was a teen in the guest bedroom!) About 10 years is all they are good for. Same is true for pillows. You need to buy some new ones. They make all kinds now--back sleepers, side sleepers, stomach sleepers. Find the right kind for you and put it to use. You need to have your bedroom as dark as possible. Even the light on the clock is enough to mess with your sleep. If you have a clock with a lighted dial/face, put it as far away from you as possible. And--keep the children and animals out of the bed. Ok, so the NEXT ones aren't going to be in the bed... The temperature of the room is also important. It needs to be cooler in your bedroom. If your feet are naturally cold, put some socks on. I couldn't believe the difference it made!


Sometimes a sleep aid is necessary but it isn't meant to be used every day. A good natural one-- that works--is a combination of 3mg of melatonin and 500 mg of l-tryptophan. That is the stuff in turkey that makes you wanna take a nap after Thanksgiving dinner. Take it about an hour before bedtime and...ahhh.


I hope this is helpful... Here's to a good night's sleep!