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8 Great Tips to SLEEP BETTER at Night and Wake Up Full of ENERGY!

 
Wake up refreshed and energized in the morning! Perhaps easier said than done, especially if you stick with the healthiest options for getting a better night’s sleep.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nearly 40 percent of men and women get less than the 7 hours of the sleep that they need at night. This is alarming when you consider that these are undoubtedly the same people who unintentionally fall asleep during the day and nod off behind the steering wheel as they’re driving.

Here are 8 great tips and guidelines to avoid sleep deprivation:
 
 
 

• Invest in a red light. Exposure to light during the night in any form — the television, your cell phone, night light, laptop — can suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone that is responsible for keeping your sleep/wake cycle in sync. If you need to have some light to help you navigate to the bathroom during the night, make it red.

 
Exercise early in the day. Experts don’t agree on how much time to keep between your workouts and bedtime, but at least three hours is the minimum. For the best shut-eye, exercise first thing in the morning.

 
Skip the alcohol. Sure, a drink or two before bedtime may help you fall asleep, but it also will have you up and restless in a few hours and/or you will be awake before your normal starting time. The net result is less and restless sleep, not more.

 
Eliminate distractions. That means you should keep the TV and computer off and your cell phone out of sight (if you need to have your phone in the room, keep it where you can’t see it). Once again, the light from these objects can reduce melatonin levels. If you fall asleep better with a little noise in the background, choose some soothing music or white sound.

 
Be consistent. Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. That means Saturday and Sunday too! Work with your body’s rhythms, not against them.

 
Identify your magic bullet. Okay, maybe it’s not magic. However, if you have a routine you can do before bedtime that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep — perhaps its meditation, a hot shower or bath, doing crossword puzzles, reading, progressive relaxation — follow it consistently. But whatever you do, don’t do it in bed. Take all the non “S” activities out of bed, so your bedroom become a sanctuary for just sleep and sex, not work and watching TV.

More tips on the next page …

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