sleep....

Do you average 8 hours of sleep per night over 7 consecutive days?
Do you dream?
Do you wake-up feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the world?
Do you look forward to bedtime, or do you dread bedtime—beginning to worry about whether or not you will sleep tonight as soon as the sun starts to set this evening?

Even though we don’t require as much sleep as our growing children, Adults still need good, quality sleep. We should shoot for at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Yep, 8 hours. At the very least, you need to AVERAGE 8 hours of sleep per night, per week. So let’s do some simple math–since your probably sleep deprived, I will do it for you :)–8 hours of sleep per night for 7 nights equals 56 hours of sleep in a week. Are you averaging enough sleep hours?

If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, then make sure that you are making it up on the weekends–sleep in when possible, nap when possible, go to bed a little earlier when possible.

If you struggle to find deep, restorative sleep that allows you to wake-up feeling rejuvenated and ready to take-on-the-world, try doing 5 things tonight that promote good sleep:

How is Your Sleep?

If it is anything short of AMMMAZZZINGGG, then ask yourself these questions:

Do you sleep uninterrupted and unawakened?

Do you sleep deeply?

It seems that after having kids, sleep is a rare thing at our house.  I long for the days of sleeping past 6:30am.  but i can't be greedy i'm very grateful that for the most part i sleep through the night.  it wasn't too long ago CeCe was just born and getting 2 consequtive hours of sleep was like gold.  don't even let me explain how rare sleep was when the twins were born....ouch it was a rough first 9 months with the twins.  with three young kids the chances of everyone sleeping peacefully through the night is rare.  and if the kids don't wake up, then having a resident husband who is on call with the worlds loudest pager, and who has to routinely leave at 4 am. then i wake up with him and his odd schedule.

i'm sure we all live similar lives where sleep is a rare commodity.  But sleep is very important.  after all sleep is one Maslow's hierarchy of life...do you remember this from school?  my point is sleep is important to our health and our well being.  here are some tips to help you with getting the sleep you need

1. Don’t drink caffeinated drinks after 3pm. Your afternoon Diet Coke pick-me-up could be keeping you from getting your ZZZ’s. And don’t eat 3 hours before bedtime. Digestion can interfere with sleep, too.

2. Turn off the iPhone, iPad, and put your computer to sleep at least 1 hour before bed. Studies show that the “blue light” from these screens actually decreases your natural melatonin production–a natural hormone that helps us drift into sleep.

3. Drink something warm before bed. A nice, warm cup of Chamomile tea within an hour of bedtime, will calm your mind, your tummy, and your soul.

4. Keep a notebook or journal at your bedside table. Before you go to sleep, make a reminder list of the things you need to do tomorrow. Sometimes we can’t sleep because we are so worried that we are going to forget something.

5. In the same notebook or journal, write down what you mind is worried about. Worries keep our minds going around in circles and prevent deep sleep. Once you have done this, look over your “worry” list. Then, for every worry you have listed, write down the same number of things that you are grateful for. Ending your worry list with gratitude creates a peaceful perspective to close the day.

So if you are troubled by sleep–or the lack thereof–then try these helpful and healthy hints to help you find the deep sleep you are looking for!

GSGLife Minerals

also you can try natural remedies like GSGLife minerals...clients who add 2 drops of GSGLife minerals to 8oz of water report better sleeping!