They call it "beauty" sleep for a reason.....sleep is a time when our cells renew and our bodies re-energize. "Gettin' your Eight" will help you feel and look great!
Ok, but what if Mister Sandman is avoiding you like the plague? Studies show that when we age, we have a harder time falling asleep.
Seem to be in a sleep slump? Here are some practical sleep tips for you...
1* Ditch the Dummy Tube
Make the bedroom a TV-Free zone, or don't watch it before bedtime. It will distract and stimulate you. Especially when you are trying to solve puzzles on Wheel of Fortune....mom......
2* White it Out
Fans? Not the adoring kind, the noisy kind. Fans create a "white noise" to help you block out unwanted noise like traffic. Okay, now you can put the TV back into your bedroom, if you don't watch a channel and just listen to the static.....
Or, you can buy a white noise generating machine to help you drift off into a static-free bliss:
You can even get a white-noise app on your iPhone. You are soooo high tech!
3* Center Square For the Block, Please
Use blinds or an eye mask
to block out light. Keeping it dark will "invite" sleep.4* "Goldie Locks" Your Mattress
Make sure you're in love with your mattress! Take some time to find one that's "just right" for
you. Invest. You'll be in bed for a good portion of your life. Need to brush up on your mattress types? Click here.
OR, you can always keep what you've got (as long as it's not over 10 years old) and cheat it with a super-comfy "topper."
5* No Snoopy Snuggles
You love your doggie or kittie - but you don't want them interrupting your precious sleep. You don't have to a pull a whole "Dino" on them and throw them out of the house, just give them their own little sleeping space, and an extra hug in the A.M. You may just breathe better too.
6* Too Cool For School
Temperatures above 75 and below 55 will wreak havoc on your sleep, so when you are chill-axin', try to keep it relatively cool, dig ?
7* Fight Footie Frustration
Sometimes, it's the little things .... like cold little piggies! Wear a comfy pair of fuzzy socks for warm and toasty toes. Something that won't pinch your ankles, leaving that ugly red mark and making your piggies want to run away from home!
8* Get Down
Feather pillows have less allergins than synthetic ones....easier on the nose and the last thing you need is your nose keeping you up at night.
Still having probs sleeping?
9* Get More Down
Try natural herbs such as Valerian root, or a Chamomile tea to relax before bedtime. Some recommend Melatonin. Alteril
is a combo of all natural ingredients like L-Tryptophan (yummmm, Turkey Day!) and Valerian Root Extract and Chamomile. Unless you want to be a sleep-zombie that doesn't remember things the next day, I'd say PASS on the Ambien.Murad has a new product that promotes sleep AND skin repair at the same time. I'm down with that:
10* Schedule it UP
Go to bed at the same time every night. Your body will get used to it....before you know it, you'll be getting up at the same time too. You can even have a nice relaxation ritual every evening at the same time, to tell your body to "wind down."
11* I Said "Wheel Watcher," not "Clock Watcher"
It's 2 am. Oh, no, now, it's 2:01....Best to just not SEE the clock and obsess over it. It causes stress and stimulates the brain. Probably just as much as buying a vowel from Vanna. Oh, and did you know your plug-in digital alarm clock may also emit harmful electro-magnetic fields? You don't want those near your noggin. So keep clear of the clock.
12* RIY - Relax It Yourself
Try a lovely relaxation CD
with meditation exercises, or you can opt for a CD of soothing ocean waves, whale calls, or even give self-hypnosis a try. VISUALIZE all of your muscles relaxing, your mind slooowing down and you are getting sleeeeeepy.....you are completely relaxed....DOH! Not now, of course...there's more blog reading to do!13* Coffee and Booze, Anyone?
Ain't gonna help, so definitely cut these out if you can't sleep. Oh, this also applies to caffeine in general....and Snickers Bars, M&M's, ho-ho's, Twix, Kit-Kats, etc.
14* B's Equal Zzz's
"B" sure to get your vitamin B. The B vitamins help your body deal with stress and can help prevent insomnia. Magnesium is also a go-to vitamin that can help induce sleep.
If you are stressed, go hardcore with a turbocharged B-Complex like this:
15* My Girl Likes to Potty All The Time
All those bathroom trips preventing you from getting a good night's rest? Try cutting off your water intake around dinnertime. Then, you'll BE number 1, as opposed to having to GO number 1.
16* Sudz it Up (No, Not Beer)
Ahhh, to sit in the bubble tub. Warm baths (as opposed to showers) are muy relaxing! Where's my rubber duckie?
Try your bath with this relaxing bath bomb from LUSH and sleep like a babe:
17* Jumping Jax...
just not right before bed -- THAT is just going to keep you up. The National Sleep Foundation sleep experts recommend exercising at least three hours before bedtime, and the best time is usually late afternoon.
18* Spring for The Sheets
It COULD be your low-thread count sheets making you scratchy wacky tossy-turny. Go for a higher thread count, many times on sale with tiny irregularities at stores like Ross. I was surprized to find out they go above 1,000 thread count and are pretty reasonably priced !
19* Z is For Zeo
Can't figure out WHY you're not catching enough Z's? Get a Zeo! Not "Zeno" - that one is for acne.
Zeo is a personal sleep coach. You wear the Zeo headband when you sleep. It has sensors on it that measure your sleep patterns through the electrical signals naturally produced by the brain. It actually will give you a "score" of your sleep in quanity and quality.
You get a bedside display of your sleep and can upload your sleep info to the myZeo Personal Coaching website, and spot trends in your sleep that you have never been able to see before. You get an on-line journal and a guided self-discovery process for your sleep, too! If you've tried all else and like solving mysteries, Zeo is for you!
20* Call in the Pro's
Who Ya Gonna Call? Insomnia Busters! That'd be cool, but not really... If you're sleep-slump is severe, you can get poked and prodded at sleep clinic or sleep lab. Many insurance programs will cover it - just bring your jammies, as you'll be spending the night ! (I hear lots of times there's a waiting list, so don't expect an immediate appointment.)
The National Sleep Foundation is a great resource to find a sleep professional or get more info on more serious sleep disorders.
One Sheep, Two Sheep, Three Sheep....
~The Anti-Age Girl
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