Sleeping tips

Many of my friends have problems sleeping, so I thought  I would give a few tips over the next few posts about how to get a better nights sleep, which at my age I really need.

1. Avoid Late Nights Snacks  You might think your tummy is rumbling, but it really may be  boredom. Especially if it’s late at night. When you eat and then lay  down, the digestion of the food can cause problems. A late night  snack may cause you to get heartburn or acid reflux. Falling asleep  may be rough when your insides are burning. Eat an earlier snack or  wait for breakfast to eat so you sleep well.

 2. Skip Caffeine After Dinner

You ate a big dinner and feel a little sluggish. For a pick me up, you  have a cup of coffee or a glass of soda. Wrong! That little bit of  caffeine after dinner may keep you awake all night. By the time the  pick me up takes effect, it will be close to bedtime. Caffeine not only  keeps your body awake, but your mind too. You may have trouble  falling asleep, and when you do, it may be restless and full of strange  dreams. Skip the caffeine until breakfast to have sweet dreams.  

3. Eat a Small Dinner

A small dinner before bedtime can help in more ways than you think.  You won’t feel sluggish and in need of a pick me up, you won’t blow a  diet plan and you’ll feel hungry for a snack earlier! Smaller meals  typically digest easier, preventing any problems from creeping in  during dreamtime!  

4. Skip Nicotine

Nicotine products can interfere with a good night’s sleep. The nicotine  in cigarettes and tobacco products is addicting, and if indulged before  bedtime, can make the body experience withdrawals right away that  interfere with sleep. If you need to use tobacco products, use them  an hour or so before you are planning to go to bed. This will give your  system adequate time to process the nicotine and withdrawal without  harming sleep.  

5. Eat an Early Dinner

The sooner you can begin your digestion, the sooner you can have a  snack. Early snacks have the proper amount of time needed to digest  before laying down, preventing heartburn. Early dinners also burn off  more calories, keeping you healthier too!

 6. Avoid Greasy Food at Dinner

Does it feel like a huge grease ball is sitting in your stomach? No  matter which way you turn, you can’t get comfortable. After tossing  and turning for hours, you get up to find the proper medicine to make  it feel better. If you had skipped the big, late and greasy meal, you  would be blissfully into dreamland by now.

 7. Try Relaxing Music

A song can soothe the soul. At least for some people. Classical music  CD’s playing quietly can set the mood to sleep peacefully at night. In  addition, studies have shown that playing them while your baby sleeps  improves their think patterns. If it can help them so much, it can’t  hurt you either! If the mood is peaceful and relaxed, and if you wake  up during the night, you may fall back to sleep easier since it still  remains peaceful and relaxed.

8. Hot Tea or Milk

There is an old wives’ tale that says to drink warm milk before bedtime  to help you sleep. You can try it, but a cup of decaffeinated tea may  taste better. A warm drink warms your insides, but don’t drink too  much to fill your tummy. That could put you right back to having acid  reflux, which hurts!

9. Limit Your Beverages  

This goes against a few tips, but only a little. If you need warm tea or  milk to fall asleep, drink in moderation. Drinking a gallon of warm milk  will fill your bladder up in a few hours. Having to get up and go to the  bathroom during the night doesn’t make for restful sleep. If you need  to sip something, sip in small quantities.

 10. Read a Book

This tip needs to be followed with caution. Pick a book where you can  read a few pages or chapters each night before bed. The quiet time  relaxes your body and mind and focuses on what you are reading.  Your body will fall asleep faster in a relaxed state and remain that way  all night. However, if you choose a very interesting or scary book, the  effects may reverse! You may stay up too late to finish it or be too  scared to sleep!