Help Me Sleep

I’ve collected a lot of wisdom from talking to people, especially health professionals, from observation, and from analyzing my own successes and failures. I've shared my tips for falling asleep faster and my long journey toward finding my best sleep position. This page is mainly about products that can help. I am convinced that a good deal of our sleeping problems come from the overloaded lives we live -  counter-balancing the overload is a big part of my concern. So the first suggestion for creating a lifestyle that includes a healthful night's sleep is to keep a regular bedtime. Don't let your busy, demanding life steal this away from you. Your body has a natural daily rhythm and can be really confused by irregular schedules. You will have much better success getting to sleep if your body knows what to expect. Try to go to bed at the same time each night. 

Build the time for getting ready to sleep into your evening. An end of day ritual tells your body and brain that the time to sleep is just ahead. Habits are powerfully controlling, as we all know, so take advantage of this and create a ready-for-bed habit that will give you the signal to begin to close it down and prepare to sleep..

It’s a mistake to be mentally or physically active right up to the very last minute and then imagine that you are going to get right to sleep when you climb into bed. Instead, give yourself a cooling down period. Make it a pleasant time of self-care.

Stop what you are doing at least half an hour before bedtime. Change into your nightclothes. Brush your teeth slowly and thoroughly, including flossing. Take your time. Wash your face and use your products, gently relaxing as you do so. Breathe deeply. Tell yourself you are having a spa moment. Get out of the mindset that these are last minute chores you must rush through.

Make it part of your bedtime routine to get the kinks out of your body. This is not the time for serious exercise, just a little end-of day muscle release.

• Put your hands over your head and reach as high as you can. Go up on your toes and reach even higher. Then down.
•  Stretch your arms out at the side, shoulder height and gently push back. Feel your shoulder tightness give.
•  Bring your arms out in front of you. Slowly let your hands go down toward the floor, gently bending your back one vertebra at a time. Don’t deliberately try to touch your toes, just let the weight of your arms softly drag toward your feet and stretch your spine. Hang there for a little while and let your spine decompress. Come back up slowly, uncurling just as gradually.

Feels good. How about a yawn?

These natural supplements can help provide you with an adequate supply of the hormones that may be missing from your body. As with any product of this type, do not ignore the manufacturer's recommendations and warnings. Your best plan is to pick one and try it for a few weeks. Notice how you feel and if your sleep improves. For example, if you use melatonin and you don't see a difference, it could mean that you were not deficient. Try a different once and see what the results are. If you try two or three things at once, how will you know what helped you?

How to Get a Better Sleep

How to Get to Sleep More Easily