• Set a bedtime: What is your ideal number of hours of sleep per night? What time do you need to wake up to start your day? Use these parameters to set a bedtime and stick to it whenever possible.
  • Develop a bedtime routine: Turn off all electronics for 30 minutes before your bedtime. Instead, find a quiet bedtime routine: get ready for bed, spend time with family, meditate, journal, or read a book.
  • Protect your sleep space: When you climb into bed, your body should know, “this is where we sleep”. If you watch tv, work, or even read in bed, the signal to sleep in that space is lost. Help re-connect your body with the idea that “this is where we sleep”.
  • Sleep in a dark room: Even a small amount of light inhibits our natural melatonin production. I suggest using a sleep mask nightly to block out ambient light.
  • Balance blood sugar: Eating sweet snacks or simple carbs before bed can spike our blood sugar, making it difficult to fall asleep, and causing us to wake up when our blood sugar crashes during the night. Limit snacking after dinner but if you do reach for a snack, focus on high protein and low sugar snacks such as nuts or hummus.
  • Limit caffeine, nicotine and alcohol: Avoid caffeine after 3:00pm if you experience insomnia. Nicotine dependence causes waking about four hours after your last exposure, so smoking and vaping cessation helps us to sleep through the night. Alcohol may help us fall asleep but prevents us from achieving a deep sleep, so avoiding alcohol is important for waking up feeling well-rested.
  • No napping: Napping is for babies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the elderly. Napping might help you feel energized to get through your day, but it undermines getting a deep, restful sleep at night.
  • Additional screening: Insomnia and fatigue may be indications that another health concern should be addressed. Start with blood work to assess thyroid health and anemia, a sleep study to look for sleep apnea and other sleep disorders, and address underlying concerns like anxiety, depression, frequent urination, and chronic pain.
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