Not getting enough sleep?

Everybody knows you should set 8 hours aside for sleep, and if your busy schedule doesn’t allow it, you’ll never get enough. But what about those of us who do have those eight hours that do nothing for us? Here are some perfect ideas.

Light

So you turn the lights out and your room plunges into darkness. You roll over, and sleep is nowhere to be found. Time ticks by and you can’t sleep, even though it’s dark and comfortable.

Question is: how did you turn out the lights? The brains wake/sleep cycle is moderated by light: it naturally wants to follow the dimming of the sun, slowly cooling the body down for sleep.

However, just turning the lights off suddenly plunges the body into cool-down mode. Try using dimmer lights, or even installing a dimmer instead of a switch to calm you down before bed.

Aids

There are many simple sleep aids and formulas out there to help you get to sleep and keep it. Supplements and teas draw from herbs like chamomile, lavender and valerian that have been time proven to summon the Sand-Man.

Routine

We know that regular sleep needs to be a part of our routine, but what about other activities? When you do things that are a part of your normal routine is just as important as if.

Thinks like a hot bath or TV might help us unwind after a long hard day, but they get our minds all riled up. Try doing them earlier in the day, away from your bed-time. This applies also for exercise: use a morning routine to not only wake you up, but prepare you for later that night.

Food

Learn what foods will keep you up and which will knock you out. Obviously, sugars and stimulants are a big no-no if you want to get to bed in time.

However, though alcohol may knock you out at first, it will wake you back up once the buzz has worn off. Consider adding complex carbs to you diet which got though the digestive system quickly, but provide smoother release of energy.

Relax

Take time to tie up those loose ends before you unwind. Worrying about that bill will keep you up longer than if you just got up and took care of it.

Dream

You might be thinking, how can I control that? You can control your dreams! What an incentive to get to sleep: you could solve problems, overcome nightmares or visit the Great Wall on the back of a flying toaster!

One of the easiest ways to control your dreams is a verbal cue you repeat as you go to sleep. It could be something like, “Tonight I will dream about being a rock star.” A mental image will help solidify what you want to dream about.

Alarm

Love your alarm! Fearing a bad buzzer is no incentive to get to sleep at night. Try the radio or a CD/MP3 alarm that will wake you up with more enjoyable means.