8 Quick Strategies to Optimize Your Sleep

I want you to get the best night’s sleep possible, and since at least fifty people have asked me, I decided to give you my best advice and put together these eight quick sleep strategies... 

1. SOAK IN SOME WARMTH 
Try taking a hot bath a couple of hours before bed.  The rapid cooling that happens when you leave the warmth of the water is like a memo to your body that it’s time for bed.  For a relaxing and detoxifying bath, fill the tub with hot water and add two cups Epsom salts, one cup baking soda, and 1/3 cup hydrogen peroxide.  Soak for twenty to thirty minutes.  You will sweat in the tub and lose toxins.  It is important to drink plenty of water while you soak.  Take a lukewarm to cool shower after getting out of the tub to rinse off the salts or you may itch. 

2. LOWER THE LIGHTS 
Melatonin is the chemical that is naturally released by your brain to help you sleep.  Encourage its release by dimming the lights as bedtime approaches. 

3. PREPARE FOR THE NEXT DAY 
Develop a nightly routine of laying out your clothes for the next day, pulling back the covers on your bed, and other simple tasks to signal your body that bedtime is near. 

4. WATCH YOUR CAFFEINE INTAKE 
To encourage better sleep, try setting the caffeinated beverages aside in the early afternoon. 

5. DITCH YOUR DEVICES 
Electronic screens may also be keeping your mind overstimulated and causing you to lose sleep.  Instead, try reading or listening to music to relax before bed.  I personally like to listen to podcasts. 

6. COVER YOUR TOOTSIES 
Believe it or not, keeping your feet warm has been linked to improved circulation and better sleep.  Slip on a pair of socks before climbing under the covers to get these benefits. 

7. RESIST THE SNACKING URGE 
Eating right before turning in can cause your digestive track to kick into overdrive.  Try and avoid snacking at least two hours before bedtime.  If you must have a snack, have a one two ounce high-protein snack such as a hard-boiled egg, some cheese, an ounce of meat or fish, or a handful of nuts.

8.  TRY USING A HERBAL SUPPLEMENT MIX 
If you experience poor sleep quality, try using an herbal mix designed for sleep support.  Look for herbal formulas that contain ingredients such as theanine, Jamaican Dogwood, wild lettuce, valerian, passionflower, and hops. Contact me for a specific product recommendation.  If you have trouble falling asleep, use a product called Sleep Tonight! 

Follow these eight quick and easy sleep strategies, and you’ll be rewarded with serene nights and more productive days! 

John is a Health Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Master Educator, Certified Holistic Life Coach, and Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Wellness Coach.  He neither rejects conventional methods nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically. Instead, he has been taught that good solutions are based on good science; they are inquiry-driven. He is open to new modalities. Effective solutions that are natural, less invasive, and more cost-effective should be used whenever possible. Alongside the concepts creating a balanced and appropriate plan of action for optimizing peoples' health, he believes the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.
For more information please visit his website at www.OHealthO.com.

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