Sleep! And how to get it


There's no sleep like a baby's sleep

Surely you’ve read by now that sleep is key to staying sane. But many of you scoff and say “Sure. Easier said than done.” Not getting enough sleep or sleeping too much, is a clue that you might be depressed. I mention this because it’s a sign of possible teen depression and if you know me, you know I’m a teen advocate. I’m trying to keep them sane and alive, but I also want their parents the same way. You need your mental acuteness to raise those teenagers! There are some key components to getting this thing called “sleep.”

First off, forget about those afternoon naps! They might be a reason why it’s hard for you to sleep soundly at night when your brain really needs that down time. Teens are famous for sleeping in the afternoon when they get home from school. But that sets up a cycle of sleeplessness. They’ve just slept for several hours and can’t go to sleep when their brains need them to sleep – at night. So unless you’re 6 months or 80 years old – forego nap time. You can do it!

Drinking all evening is not wise either. Sure a glass of wine helps send you on your way to LaLaLand but it’s proven that you will not sleep soundly if you drink primarily to get to sleep. Keep your drinking confined to meals and you’ll be safe.

But if you don’t partake in drinking or napping and still have a hard time getting to sleep, try taking melatonin. This is great stuff as it’s natural and will gently help you to sleep. I take one nightly before hitting the bed (mostly to get to sleep before my husband starts snoring!). I also take magnesium along with it which helps as well. I was taking magnesium in the morning but it was making me sleepy on the drive into work so I switched it to the evening. When I’m traveling alone, I rarely take either in the evening to get to sleep.

Besides meds (try the natural methods as the doctor prescribed type are highly addictive!) exercise can help you get a great night’s sleep. Exercise is an excellent habit to get into. Try scheduling it on your calendar as a MUST DO. I know if I’ve been really active during the day, I tend to sleep like a baby at night. And no, I don’t wake up for feedings.

I used to have the mind wandering syndrome at night as I’m sure many of you do. Mine used to occur especially when we were dealing with my son’s antics (abusing drugs, etc.). I really had problems with this after he died. I admit I did take Ambian for about a month afterward but I honestly had to. I kept replaying my son’s death scene – it was unnerving as you can imagine. After I got off that per my doctor’s orders, I tried the “keep the TV on until I fall asleep” method. I would set the timer on the TV to go off in an hour or two after getting in the bed. That worked until my husband got tired of it. (Sleeping all night with the TV is not good for you either as your mind is working when it should be resting.) That was when I tried melatonin as my sister said she would take that when she used to travel overseas to get to sleep.

I will say I’m also practicing yoga and meditation now and I also see an acupuncturist on a regular basis. All of these activities keep my stress level down and allow me to sleep all night without waking up and worrying about an upcoming event. It’s all of the above or I’ve just found peace within myself – finally.

If you have some great, healthy ways to get to sleep, please share them! We all need to aim for a peaceful night’s sleep.

Night night and don’t let the bed bugs bite!

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