Sweet Dreams: How to Get the Best Nights Sleep

Getting enough sleep each night is essential to reaching your health and fitness goals. Receiving less than seven hours of sleep per night can reduce the benefits of dieting, as well as cut down on your energy and make you crave unhealthy foods. Weight loss studies have shown that women who skip out on sleep cut their weight lost in half when compared to their well-rested counterparts. Here are some tips to help you incorporate more sleep into your daily routine.

Include sleep in your scheduleWe know you’re busy and sometimes it can be hard to hit the sack before midnight. Try scheduling out your days and nights in such a way that you can actually complete the days’ tasks on your list and still crawl into bed at a reasonable hour. Begin large tasks early and break them down into smaller, more manageable components that can be completed over a period of days so you are not overwhelmed and overtasked trying to complete them at the last minute.

Eat to sleepEating a big meal takes energy for your body to digest so eating late in the day can conflict with sleep. Make breakfast your heaviest meal or start your day with an energy boosting Svelte. Be sure to avoid caffeine, greasy and spicy foods and alcohol before bedtime. Foods such as nuts, cereal and milk are thought to be beneficial late night snacks. 

Cool offSet your thermostat between 60 and 65 degrees before bedtime. Keeping your internal temperature down is key to having a deep nights sleep. You can also take a quick shower or bath before bedtime to help cool your internal temperature. When your hands and feet warm up, your blood vessels dilate and heat begins to escape from your body. Once your core temperature begins to fall, your brain will switch over to sleep mode.

Tune outCut back on TV time and put your laptop out of sight. Spending too much time in front of a screen can result in poor sleep quality. Instead, try grabbing a book and reading before bed!

Keep it clean and comfortableKeeping your room clean and comfortable can also keep your mind clear and ready to sleep! Clutter can remind you of unfinished tasks and leave you stressed and unable to sleep.

Wake up naturallyLet the morning light in to wake you up. This will keep your internal clock on track and help wake you up naturally. If you happen to wake up to an hour before your alarm, just get up! Waking up is a sign that you’ve reached the end of a sleep cycle and heading back to sleep for a short period of time will leave you feeling groggy and unrested.

Don’t hit snoozeHitting snooze doesn’t do you any good. Your brain knows your alarm will go off again in a few minutes, so you won’t go into any of the deeper and more restful stages of sleep. Ultimately, you will end up more tired than if you had just gotten up with the first alarm.

Kick your pets outWe love snuggling up with our dogs and cats, but the bed is no place for them. Almost all pet owners admit that their animals wake them up throughout the night. Train your pups to sleep next to the bed on the floor and set up a more desirable location for your cats to rest.

Exercise dailyDaily exercise can help burn off energy and stress, and help you sleep through the night. Working out in the morning or afternoon is thought to be most beneficial, as exercise increases your core temperature, which is counterintuitive to sleep. It takes 4-5 hours for your body to cool off and your muscles to relax after a workout, so try not to squeeze your fitness routine in right before bedtime.

Think happy thoughtsDon’t stress about work or the days problems right before bed. This is a surefire way to keep your brain active and postpone sleep. Instead relax and think happy thoughts. If you’re having trouble tuning out the day, try reading a book, chatting with a good friend, playing with your pet or taking a relaxing bath.

Whatever your goals are, putting a priority on your sleep will leave you feeling more energized and better equipped to handle your busiest days. Getting enough sleep will not only leave you feeling more rested, it will give you the energy to hit the gym and will reduce cravings for sugary and greasy foods. So don’t skip out on sleep and don’t leave it to the weekend to catch up, there’s no such thing!

Sweet dreams!