How to Reorganize Your Sleep Life

Nobody sleeps like a cat...

Think of the last time you went to bed when you STARTED feeling tired... hard to find a time correct?  We've all been there. It's 7pm and you want to go to bed... but NO, you must stay up! there's a 4 hour marathon of Dr. Who that you must watch. Well... people in the know about sleep say otherwise. It is important to let your body tell you when it's time to sleep and wake up. Normally, your body will put you to sleep and wake you up naturally and without an alarm clock. But the days of living in caves are over, now we have bosses that expect we will be at work by 7am regardless of what our body needs for rest and recovery.

So, we must take the time to understand when our bodies' want to sleep. I challenge you to take a couple of days (most likely weekends) where you don't have to be awake at a specific time and you don't have to go to sleep at a specific time  and track your sleep pattern. All you have to do is get into your bed and go to sleep when you feel tired, take note of the time, then let your body wake up naturally in the morning, and take note of the time. You should notice that the amount of time you sleep each night is almost the same! Roughly 7 to 10 hours per night, depending on your age and activity level. Once you know what your body needs, start scheduling your life accordingly. If Dr. Who is on, tape it; with the advent of DVR and PVR, and computers, we don't need to be slaves to the idiot-box's timetable. This could mean that you go to bed at 10 and wake up at 7. To some people a 10pm bedtime is way too early... but are you tired when you wake up the next day? The answer is mostly yes, because your body didn't get enough sleep! Once you know the amount of time you need to sleep, force yourself to go to bed at the correct time and see how you feel at work the next few days (after you get accustomed to going to bed earlier)

Now I know there are some of you out there who have trouble sleeping at night. For you I have a few solutions to cure the bedtime blues...

Things to do:

• Read before bed (puts me right to sleep)
• Listen to come calming music as you sleep (Maybe put it on a timer so it switches off)
• Regular exercise (Is extraordinarily important to getting restful sleep)
• Vitamin D & Melatonin (Get out into the sun!)
• Keep your room clean and neat (so you aren't bothered about being in there!)
• Proper nutrition (Have your 5 fruits and veggies every day!)
• Have a ritual that puts you in the bedtime mood (Brush teeth, read book, go to sleep etc...)

Things not to do:

• Don't have the television on (it distracts and stimulates your brain, hindering proper sleep)
• Don't eat big meals after 6pm (Stick to cereal and easily digested foods as snacks)
• Don't do schoolwork in bed (keep your bed a work-free zone)
• Don't drink caffeine after 12pm (Hard to do, but caffeine has long-lasting effects than can hinder sleep up to 10 hours after your last cup!)
• Don't think that a 3 hour afternoon nap will make up for lost sleep the night before. This nap isn't nearly as affective as a full night, and it will take your body hours to wake back up from your nap, ruining your next night's sleep.

Lets all take the time to have a good night's rest. You'll find that you will be healthier, and sharper (in the head) than ever before!