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THE MAGIC NUMBER If you cannot go cold turkey on the caffeine in the afternoon,
then switch to drinks with less caffeine, such as teas.
It’s a myth that there’s a magic number of hours the body
requires to sleep. Everyone has a different sleep need. The 6. Don’t sweat it. Watch out if you exercise within three hours
eight-hour rule is general, but not necessarily the ideal of bedtime. For some people, exercise can be stimulating to
number for you. Most people need seven to nine hours, and the point it affects getting to bed on time and falling asleep
chances are you know what your number is. If you feel like a easily. This is when tracking your sleep experiences and what
drag after a six-hour night, then clearly you need to aim for you do beforehand can help you to pinpoint your own unique
more sleep. Think of the last time you went on vacation and culprits to restless sleep. If your body’s reaction to exercise is
slept like a baby for more hours a night than usual. That is stealing your sleep, then shift your exercise to earlier in the
probably your perfect number. Poor sleep catches up to most day.
of us, and it’s practically impossible to make up a sleep loss
because life keeps moving forward and demanding more of us. 7. Limit your libations. Be cautious about alcohol intake in the
Despite what many people attempt to do, shifting your sleep evening hours. If you use a glass of wine as a way to unwind
habits on the weekends to catch up can sabotage a healthy after the kids have gone to bed, which is how many moms
circadian rhythm. decompress at the end of the day, be mindful of how that
glass (or two) could be influencing the quality of your sleep.
Not surprisingly, stress and staying up too late are the two big You might want to test out avoiding this routine and see if it
culprits to poor sleep, which is why it’s important to establish changes how refreshed you feel the next day.
healthy sleep habits that make for a restful night’s sleep re-
gardless of factors such as age and underlying medical condi- 8. Ditch digestive distractions. Keep in mind that heavy foods
tions that can disrupt sleep. The goal is to minimize those too close to bedtime can upset your sleep as much as they
factors’ effects on us so we can welcome peaceful sleep. upset your stomach. The best bedtime snack is nothing. Eating
provides energy and that runs counter to prepping the body for
12 PATHS TO PERFECT SLEEP rest. If you need to take a medication or if you are breastfeed-
ing and up during the night, then maybe a liquid such as plain
coconut water will satisfy you. This requires no extra digestive
1. Get on a schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time work; it’s a diluted amount of carbohydrates that also provides
seven days a week, weekends included. Try not to fall into a potassium for hydration, which will help the body with recov-
cycle of burning the midnight oil on Sunday night in prepara- ery. To balance it out, you could have 10 to 15 nuts with it.
tion for Monday, letting your sleep debt pile up for the week
and then attempt to catch up on sleep over the weekend. It 9. Focus on relaxing. Try valerian herbal tea or a chamomile
won’t work. Stick to the same schedule seven days a week. blend before bedtime. Take your magnesium supplement in
Your body and energy levels will love it. the evening hours to help relax muscles for better sleep and
regularity.
2. Unplug to recharge. Set aside at least 30 minutes before
bedtime to unwind and prepare for sleep. Avoid stimulating 10. Practice aromatherapy. Keep a sachet of lavender by your
activities (e.g., work, cleaning, being on the computer, watch- bed and take a whiff before hitting the pillow. Lavender has
ing TV dramas that get your adrenaline running). Try soaking in known sleep-inducing effects. Other aromas widely considered
a warm bath or engaging in some light stretching. Once you’re to be relaxing are rose, vanilla, and lemongrass—different ones
in bed, do some light reading and push any anxieties aside.
work for different people. For you, maybe lavender is stimulat-
ing and rose is not. Scented lotions can also be effective.
3. Don’t let your To Do list or worries take control. Early in
the evening—say, right after dinner—write out tasks you have 11. Take a d-e-e-p breath…and release. On your back with
yet to complete that week (not tonight!) and prioritize them your eyes closed and your body stretched out, hands by your
realistically. Add any particular worries you might have. If side, palms facing up, begin to squeeze and release your
these notes begin to talk to you when you’re trying to go to muscles, starting with your head and face and working down to
sleep, tell yourself it’s time to focus on sleep. Everything will your toes. Breathe in deeply and slowly, telling yourself I will
be okay. You’re tired and will have a productive day tomorrow. fall asleep. I am going to sleep.
You’re relaxed and at peace. The body needs to sleep and is
ready for it.
12. Get out of the bedroom. We all think that if we lie in bed
long enough, sleep will come. Instead, our minds tend to get
4. Create a restful refuge. Reserve the bedroom for sleep (and busier and our muscles tenser as we stress over being awake.
sex) only. Remove distracting electronics and gadgets and keep Give it a rest. If you can’t get to sleep within 20 minutes,
it clean, cool, and dark.
slip out of bed and go to a safe haven—a place that’s comfy,
has dim lighting, and no distractions. Just sit comfortably. Or
5. Nix the fix and cut the caffeine. Stop drinking caffeinated do your breathing exercises. Or read. No e-mail, TV, or other
beverages about eight hours before bedtime. Due to caffeine’s electronics though. The point is to give your mind-body a re-
half-life (how long it takes for caffeine to lose half of its spite from trying so hard to nod off. After 20 minutes or so, go
punch in your body), you’ll need all that time to let your body back to bed and see what happens when you’re more relaxed.
process all the caffeine so it won’t infringe upon restful sleep.
Repeat once or twice if necessary.
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