Making Sleep a Part of Your Health Regimen

Having a bedtime, having a consistent schedule for meals, and being mindful of one’s digestive functions are all things parents are mindful of for their children.

Some of the things parents do for their children are actually paramount for adults, too.

A child benefits greatly and even thrives from a healthy routine, because it provides stability, and it also makes it obvious when things are not quite right, and may need further examination.

We too need the stability that comes from routine, especially with regards to sleep.

If you’re having trouble with sleep, there are a number of things you can do to get more sleep, and to get more sleep more often.

One really effective habit of mine is to set a bed time alarm. I have it set for about 20-30 minutes before I would like to be in bed, which alerts me to start shutting down what I am doing and getting prepared. If you have an iPhone, there is already an inherent feature that works this way for you when you set your bedtime alarm.

It’s also important to get back to sleep when you wake up in the middle of the night.

Our tendency is to reach for the phone, and either obsess over how late it is and how tired we will be in the morning, or to start browsing through social media apps. Neither are effective for settling in and resting. Try instead turning on ambient sound, deep breathing exercises, or  making adjustments that help your body temperature (i.e. what you’re wearing, turning on a fan, trying a different blanket).

Sometimes after a very long day, we need a little help winding down.

I wrote this sleep story (mostly because my nephew requested it) with a full night’s rest in mind. The story will be fun to share with kids, but suitable for all ages.

I hope you enjoy it!