How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep is one of the forgotten 3 pillars (remember them - train, eat, sleep), yet it is one of the easiest things to do under normal circumstances. In fact, it's an innate skill that we're all born with.

When we're infants we sleep over 20 hours a day, waking only to eat for a few minutes at a time.

But adult life sometimes is a lot more complex and getting the requisite 7-9 hours of sound sleep each night can be difficult. Stress, multiple jobs, and kids are just 3 of the causes of insufficient sleep. Health issues, too, like sleep apnea, can wreak havoc on your sleep pattern.

So how do you get a good night's sleep? Here are a few helpful hints for getting that sleep you need to refresh your body and mind and rebuild those muscles that you're trying so hard to build.

DO

• Go to sleep at the same time each night.
• Avoid shift work if at all possible.
• If you must consume caffeine, do so only prior to 3PM.
• Rise at the same time each morning.
Eat a very light meal prior to heading off to bed.

DON'T

• Go to sleep full.
• Exercise immediately before going to bed.
• Consume any caffeine after about 3PM.
• Take any kind of weight-loss aids, like pills, as they contain caffeine and other stimulants.

It is imperative that you remove as much stress from your life as possible. If you're worrying about something, you have to divert your mind from thinking about it or remove the worry. It's as simple as that. Confront your problem head-on.

On occasion, it may be helpful to ingest a tryptophan supplement before bedtime. But don't make doing so a habit.

And PLEASE, don't ever get into the habit of taking sleep aids.

If all else fails, see your doctor. He may be able to direct you to a sleep therapist who can pinpoint the exact root causes of your sleep issues. Hypnosis, meditation, and other relaxation techniques can help in extreme cases.

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