Sleep Better, Now!

...And Improve Your Health


by Dr. Joan Vernikos

Here are 10 things you can do starting today to improve the quality of your sleep, and your overall health.
I recommend you print these reminders and put them somewhere you can easily refer to them.
Start with perhaps 2 or 3 and commit to doing them for at least 6 weeks – this is how long it takes to engrain a habit for long-term benefit. Great sleep and the benefits it brings are worth it!
1.    Get up and go to bed at set times. 

2.    When tired, don’t sleep in but rather go to bed earlier.

3.    Be active during the day but avoid exercise or excessive activity for two hours before bedtime.

4.    Reduce your exposure to lights 90 minutes before bed. Avoid laptop, tablet, and smart-phone screens and turn off the TV!

5.    Eat sparingly within 3 hours of bedtime.

6.    Stop drinking fluids within two hours of bedtime.

7.    Well before getting in bed, review the day gone by and then calmly mentally prepare for the next day’s commitments.

8.    Sleep in a dark cool room.

9.    Make the bedroom for sleep and amore. Do not have a TV in the bedroom. And do your reading whenever possible sitting upright in a chair, and not in bed.

10. Spend two or three minutes before getting in bed doing calming breathing  exercises or more formal sitting meditation. For tips on meditation for the average person, click here.

Remember, small investments in your sleep will pay back in a myriad of ways.