Blog

Plan your bedtime so that you will get 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

Eat a healthy diet during the day.

• Some people need a healthy snack after dinner to make it through the night without being woken up by a hungry metabolism.
• Less simple sugar and more complex carbohydrates before bedtime keep blood sugar stable.
Regular exercise helps to promote better sleep.
• Workout early in the day if possible, as evening workouts can keep you awake later.
• Simple exercise such as a 20 to 30 minute walk late in the afternoon or early evening can help burn off the stress of the day.

Create a plan in case you wake up in the middle of the night.

• Take 10 deep breaths into your stomach. Inhale to the count of 5; hold for 5 and exhale 5.
• Listen to relaxing music or a recording of the ocean, the woods, etc.
• Have a pad and pen next to your bed. If you wake up with a lot on your mind, make a “to do” list and/or write down what is troubling you and look at it in the morning.

Take note of how much better you feel on days when you have had a good night’s rest. Make refreshing sleep a key part of your extreme self-care practices.