Did you know that not getting enough sleep can cause memory loss, weight fluctuation, heart disease and high blood pressure? Not to mention, make you a bit crabby to be around. Don’t be crabby. Use these easy tips for better sleep!
Activities – what activities can you do to make sure you get your beauty sleep?
1. Take a warm bath before bedtime
2. Get up and read if you don’t fall asleep in the first 30 minutes – pro tip: don’t read in bed, it will actually keep you up later – oh, and don’t use your tablet because it emits blue light (which is bad news bears)
3. Make sure your workout is finished at least 30 minutes before bedtime
4. Turn the TV off at least one hour before bedtime – yeah you heard us. No watching TV in bed! If you need some noise, try a radio or white noise machine instead.
5. Meditation, guided imagery and breathing exercises can help get you relaxed and ready for sleepy time
6. You can also Marvin Gaye and Get it On…which reduces stress and helps you relax…just saying…
Get Your House Ready – it’s not only yourself that you need to prepare for bedtime, you need to get your house ready to tuck in too!
7. Dim the lights about 3 hours before bedtime
8. Keep it cool, yup, turn your bedroom’s temperature to 60-67 degrees F
9. Invest in a white noise or natural oils machine, both help relax you
10. Get your pet it’s own bed that it might actually sleep in. Yes, we love snuggling with our pups and kittens, but it can sadly lead to poor sleep quality for you (you’ll be too worried accommodating your pet’s preferences, don’t lie, you know you do)
11. Put your alarm clock on the opposite side of the room, causing you to actually get up to turn it off and makes you less likely to hit snooze (which is fragmented, low quality sleep and really doesn’t do you much good)
12. Comfy beds and bedding are key to a good night’s sleep, so invest in a mattress, pillow and sheets that you actually love
Food & Drink – what should you be eating and drinking before it is time to hit the hay?
13. Go for foods with tryptophan (aka that stuff that makes you go into a food coma after Thanksgiving), such as bananas, yogurt, eggs, milk, peanuts, poultry…etc about 2-3 hours before bedtime. They’ll convert into serotonin and melatonin, which make you nice and relaxed.
14. As much as you might need that 2pm boost, try skipping the afternoon coffee and opt for eating natural energizers – like fruit!
15. Don’t drink alcohol at night because it disrupts deep REM sleep. A drink you might enjoy instead are “sleepy teas” such as lavender, chamomile and mint tea.