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7 Tips for Better Sleep

A good night’s sleep does more than just make you look and feel good, it also helps your brain and body perform essential functions that are necessary for your good health.

If you’re spending more time tossing and turning these days than getting adequate rest, try these 7 tips for better sleep. If you continue to have trouble, talk to your doctor. He or she may want to recommend further evaluation in a sleep study or other interventions that can help you get back on track for a lifetime of healthy sleep.

7 Tips for Better Sleep:

1.) Keep your mobile devices out of your bed – or better still, in another room.

2.) Set a “digital curfew” each night. Once it’s passed, turn the TV, computer, and tablet off until the next day. Otherwise, your brain may be too overstimulated to adequately regulate a healthy sleep process.

3.) Stick with a regular bedtime, even on the weekends.

4.) Create an inviting bedroom environment. Make your bed in the mornings, invest in some comfortable linens, and keep the clutter to a minimum. Adding a dash of a favorite fragrance (wall plug-ins, fresh flowers, and scented linen spray) can help your bedroom always seem fresh, welcoming, and relaxing. Avoid using your bedroom for work.

5.) Avoid beverages with caffeine or alcohol in the late afternoons and evenings.

6.) Develop your personal bedtime ritual. Hot showers, mellow music, and reading a favorite book or magazine are examples of activities that can help you wind down mentally prepare yourself to eventually “sign off” for the evening.

7.) Before you begin your bedtime ritual, make a list of the next day’s to-do items or map out your calendar. If something is bothering you, put it on the list to deal with the next day. Having a sense of closure – and a plan of action for the next day – means that you’ll be less anxious when you to to bed, and therefore more likely to get a good night’s rest.

And a bonus tip: Get moving! People who participate in regular aerobic exercise (like walking, swimming, or running) tend to have less trouble falling alseep and staying asleep than people who are sedentary.

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