Getting a !Good Night’s !Sleep

Posted by !Jeffry Schneider

Be strategic !about !caffeine

• Make your first drink of the morning water!

• Don’t drink any caffeine after dinner or close to bedtime

• The best time to drink caffeine is between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM

Eat healthy• Heavy or spicy foods late at

night can cause indigestion and other discomforts that contribute to a bad night’s sleep!

• Finish eating at least two hours before you fall asleep!

• Try and limit your alcohol, especially right before falling asleep!

• Try to eat melatonin-rich products, such as cherries and rice.

Control your environment

• The environment of your bedroom plays a major part in whether or not you have a decent night’s sleep!

• Optimize the physical setting of the room !

• Take out any unnecessary light, artificial or not, keep the room quiet and make sure that the temperature of the room is ideal

Be natural

• Unless you’ve been clinically diagnosed with sleep problems, you should avoid sleeping pills, and rather let melatonin production occur naturally

Keep a routine

• Try to get at least seven hours of sleep every evening!

• Try going to bed and waking up on a relatively consistent schedule, and avoid oversleeping!

• Sticking to a schedule regulates the body’s circadian rhythm, causing you to feel more refreshed and energized when you actually do wake up

Take time !to relax

• Take some time to relax before bedtime!

• Working and socializing before sleep creates stress that compromises how well you sleep!

• Try reading, listening to some music or even meditating

Respect your bed

• People who use their bed just for sleep rest better and fall asleep easier!

• If you want to eat or check your computer, don’t do it in bed!

• Going to do those activities in another room will increase mental and physical association between bed and sleep