Common Sense
Common sense tells us that better sleep is dependent on eating right, getting
plenty of exercise and reducing the amounts of alcohol, caffeine and
nicotine in your diet--or eliminating them altogether--but you can
also try one of the following:
- Try going to bed 15 minutes earlier every day until you wake up feeling
rested.
- Block any excess light or sound from entering your bedroom.
Remove anything that might disrupt your sleep, such as a loudly ticking
clock.
- Add to your schedule a 20-minute nap--no longer, or you’ll wake
up groggy.
If you still have problems getting to sleep at night, you
might try developing a nightly bedtime ritual, a series
of steps
that you
perform every night
as a preamble to lights-out. As you perform these same
steps every night, you’ll be training your body and
mind to slow down and prepare for your nightly rest.
Step 1: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every
day.
Even on the weekends, try to get up at the same time as you
would during the week. As your body becomes accustomed to
a regular
schedule, you
will find yourself waking up more easily and becoming sleepy
at the same time
every night.
Step 2: Take a shower or bath before bed.
Slipping between the sheets feels better when your body
is clean. Similarly, your sheets and anything you wear
to bed
should be laundered regularly.
Step 3: Wear festive sleep clothes.
Ditch the ratty t-shirt and stained sweats. Make bedtime
a happy time by investing a few bucks in an inexpensive
pair of pajamas, nightgown
or sleep
shirt. Natural fibers breathe well and feel soft on your
body.
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