Smarter Sleeping 101

This robust list comes from Jessica Hupp from the Nursing Online Education Database.  The first 14 are posted here, you’ll have to visit the site for the remaining 36:

1. Get on a regular schedule: Following a regular schedule can improve the quality of your sleep by keeping your sleep phases consistent.
2. Open a window: Get some fresh air to improve the quality of your sleep.
3. Reduce or eliminate caffeine: Caffeine can mess with your energy levels and disrupt sleep patterns, so reduce or eliminate use of it, especially in the hours before you go to bed.
4. Only sleep in your bed: Use your bed exclusively for restful activities, not work or TV.
5. Don’t go to bed with a full stomach: Going to bed with a full stomach can result in disruption, because digestion takes energy.
6. Meditate: Focus on relaxing to let yourself get better rest.
7. Stay away from the computer and TV: Backlit screens can stimulate your brain in a way that’s not conducive to sleep.
8. Realize that sleep is vital: Give yourself all of the time you need to get a good night’s rest.
9. Don’t snooze: If you’re snoozing every morning, you’re stealing valuable moments of quality sleep. Set your alarm clock later and get up right away.
10. Write out what’s on your mind: Create a worry list to put things out of your mind and get to sleep.
11. Don’t stress yourself out: Don’t force yourself to sleep if you’re not tired, or become worried when it takes you a while to get to bed. Sleep will come eventually.
12. Sleep in a dark room: Limit your exposure to light in order to keep your body’s internal cycles intact.
13. Drink something warm before bed: Raise your body temperature to induce sleep with warm milk or herbal tea.
14. Never go to bed hungry: Just like a too-large meal, going to bed with an empty stomach will disrupt your sleep.

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