Let Mother Nature help you sleep
Need help sleeping? Mother Nature may be all you need, say the Ladies Home Journal folks. Try these recommended remedies.
- Soak up the sunshine, preferably between 6:00 and 8:00 AM. Sunlight has a potent effect on your body's internal clock and this can help reset your sleep cycles. The goal: Stay awake all day; sleep all night. Letting the sun in will help you land success.
- Dim the lights, preferably between 7:00 and 8:00 PM. This will help prime your body for sleep. Do dine by candlelight. Don't use your computer at night -- the glare will stimulate your brain instead of calming it.
- Exercise in the evening. Some studies say exercising close to bedtime will leave you wired. But a new one says three workouts a week between 5:00 and 7:00 PM can help improve sleep. Perhaps exercise during these hours creates a pleasant tiredness. Maybe it helps us unwind after hectic days. Regardless, it seems to work.
- Cover your clock. Or at least move it away from your bed. The more you look at your clock during sleepless nights, the more anxiety you'll feel about not sleeping.
- Perfume your pillow. Call it aroma-sleep-therapy. Some fragrances can lead you into slumber. Try lavender or myrrh -- just put a few drops of the oils on a handkerchief and tuck in your pillowcase.
- Relax in the tub. Warm water can ease your body into sound sleep. It relaxes tired muscles and triggers a shift in body temperature -- a cue it's time to doze off.
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