There are medical reasons why you may not be feeling rested in the morning.
This article is not a replacement for medical advice.
If a sleep problem is keeping you from fully enjoying life or waking rested please see your physician.
This article may be a first step in getting better rest.
It addresses ways you can enhance your chance of quality sleeep.
I've worked with hundreds of older adults in an exercise setting as their trainer or wellness coach for the last 30 years.
Sleep is often a common denominator in reaching goals or preventing progress.
The list I present includes the art and the science of getting a good night's sleep in the second fifty.
If you suffer from insomnia and aren't yet 50 it could also help you.
My role as a wellness professional goes far beyond sets and repetitions.
In order for exercise to be beneficial you need to integrate recovery from nutrition and relaxation, and the grand-daddy of relaxation is rest.
1.
Create and keep a routine.
My bedtime routine starts shortly after dinner.
Once the dishes are cleared I will wash my face and put on my sleep clothes.
Often I'll bathe or shower.
I never leave this to those last minutes before bed.
Your routine will be uniquely yours.
Yet whatever it is needs to have the same effect.
Years of doing this have signaled my system to begin to wind down and relax.
I do have evenings when I need to finish a project and when I do I purposefully wait.
I finish my work dressed and still "made up.
" I shift my evening routine by the extra time I need but I don't abandon it.
2.
I have a stack of books by my night stand.
They are books I look forward to reading and only read in bed.
I'll admit to being a frequent flyer on Amazon however.
When that stack gets overwhelming I remove all a few titles.
Bedtime should be welcoming and not feel like work.
Make sure you are surrounded by a peace-invoking setting.
Avoid clutter and work-related items.
3.
Stop your screen time before bed.
If you can do this 90 minutes at least before you wish to sleep it may help.
Don't bring computers in the bedroom.
If you use a Kindle or Nook, keep the screen low light and at least 14 inches from you.
Cell phones can have the greatest LED light.
Avoid the temptation to check Facebook one more time or look at your text messages.
4.
Sleep on high thread count sheets.
You need to love the look and the feel of your bed.
A mattress is where you spend a third of your lifetime.
For better days, create better nights.
Keeping them clean and fresh is important as well.
5.
Get fresh air during the day.
Your night routine begins hours before bedtime, in fact 12 hours before.
Especially if you have a challenge with quality sleep make it a point to get sunlight and fresh air early in the day.
Reset your body clock.
You help yourself create more melatonin, a hormone that helps sleep but whose natural production is decreased as we age, with exposure to sunlight.
6.
Count your blessings not sheep.
Place a notebook near your bed.
Before you turn out the light create a list of three or five things you are grateful about from this day.
Even the most mundane days usually have meaning.
The frame of mind you have before you close your eyes makes a difference.
Focus on your loves and blessings rather than your worries.
7.
Allow your gratitude journal to double as a worry journal or get a second notebook.
When you think of that thing you're afraid you'll forget in the morning, write it down.
If you like to mentally reflect on what you'll do tomorrow before you sleep, write it down.
It sets your intention for the day in a way that helps you prepare and plan your energy.
That allows you to sleep well knowing you're prepared.
8.
Release your sleep stresses.
If you've had months or years of sleepless nights you may have anxiety about the thought of retiring.
We can easily go to that place where we know we need sleep so badly that we push it further away by creating so much importance on it.
Allow yourself some time out of your normal routine.
If you can truly get away to a hotel do that.
To break the cycle of poor sleep habits you need to really make big changes.
While some people find they don't sleep well away from home, many others sleep better.
Make sure the curtains create an extremely dark room.
If not, use an eye mask.
Use the fan in the room to keep a constant white noise in the room.
Use your bedtime routine.
Allow yourself to go to sleep when you're tired and wake without the alarm.
Turn the face of the clock away from you.
If you find you're able to sleep better doing this experiment away from home it's possible to create this sleep at home.
Try to bring the experience home.
Do you need better curtains or shades? Do you need more "padding" around your night time and day time routine? Too many of us keep our day pressures with us right up until we turn off the light.
We jump out of bed only at the last possible minute before we need to be somewhere.
Try to leave yourself an hour on each end.
Spend more time winding down and winding up.
Whatever you begin, be consistent for at least a week.
Long time habits of months and years don't just go away.
Take your time.
Record what works.
Good night.