I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for the National Sleep Foundation. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
Are you beyond tired? Are you, like, so tired you just can’t even? Don’t feel alone! There are 70 million Americans that are affected by one or more common symptoms of insomnia.
I feel tired, but I just can’t turn your brain off. I close my eyes and nothing happens. Sometimes it takes a long time to actually fall asleep which makes me frustrated because I feel like I’m wasting time! I hate wasting time because there aren’t enough hours in a day to get everything done. I try to think about relaxing, but my brain is still thinking about all the things I’m going to do tomorrow. I’m mentally making a to-do list and thinking about my busy schedule, which of course isn’t conducive to sleep.
Does this sound like you too?
You may find help on www.beyondtired.org, where other people like you share their own insomnia struggles and give tips on how they get more sleep.
Jana, wife, mother of 4 and small business owner shares her story of insomnia…
Jana is beyond tired
Having trouble falling sleep and having occasional or chronic insomnia is not a hopeless situation. You may be surprised to learn that you are probably doing things during the day and in the hours leading up to bedtime that are actually making it harder for you to fall asleep. In this day and age of fast paced, jam-packed routines, it might be easy for you to lose sight of healthy habits before bed.
It’s time to start a new bedtime routine!
1. Avoid consuming caffeine, alcohol, sugar, high carb items and heavy meals at least 2 hours before bed. Some people need to abstain from drinking anything with caffeine after noon time because it’s effects can last into the late night hours and prevent you from falling asleep.
2. Don’t take naps. I know you may be tempted to catch a few zzz’s in the afternoon when you are feeling worn down, but don’t do it. This can perpetuate a vicious cycle of not being able to sleep at a reasonable bedtime.
3. Avoid blue light. Smartphones, tv’s, tablets, computers, etc all emit a blue light which tells your body it is wake up time and affects your circadian rhythm. If you are laying in bed using your phone or reading a book on your Kindle, you may need to stop doing this so that your body will have the ability to make melatonin. Some people choose to wear orange glasses to filter out the blue light in the evenings so they can continue on their normal routine. You may also choose to put a Orange Bulb
4. Make your bed comfy! This isn’t as obvious as you might think. You spend approximately 25 years of your life sleeping. For most people, that’s 1/3 of their life! Don’t you think you deserve a comfy, luxurious bed?! The answer is yes. Paint your bedroom walls a soft, soothing color like light blue or mint green, buy a new mattress, get down-filled pillows, put up blackout curtains in your bedroom windows, and invest in some incredibly soft 100% Rayon from Bamboo Sheets
5. Get an air cleaner. The air you breathe affects your overall health and a little white noise in your bedroom can actually make it easier for you to fall asleep and stay asleep. Invest in a high quality air purifier like Honeywell True HEPA Allergen Remover with Bluetooth® Smart Controls.
6. Exercise every day! Yes. Whether you like it or not, there is one more reason for you to get up and get moving. Being active and getting exercise during the day is PROVEN to help you get more sleep at night. (Walking or jogging every day also helps with restless leg syndrome too.) Much in the way you know your kids will get a more restful night’s sleep if they play hard all day long, the same theory applies to you too.
Beyond Tired brings to light the struggles of real people, just like you, that are working hard at getting more sleep.
For more resources and tips for how to get more sleep, please check out www.BeyondTired.org as well as Sleep.org from the National Sleep Foundation.
You can also find the National Sleep Foundation on Facebook and Twitter as well.
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