SLEEP

It's a word we all love to hear and look forward to every night - until we can't do it! So frustrating to go to bed and either not fall asleep for what seems like hours, or wake up an hour or so later and just lay there. We've been talking about ways to cut down your stress; it should come as no surprise that this is the biggest culprit to a bad night's sleep. You have to calm your brain down - it's worn out and ready for a break. So an hour before you go to bed, stop thinking, stop doing email, and stop paying bills; turn the lights down, which puts your brain in sleep mode. Fifteen minutes before you want to go to sleep, develop a regular routing of light stretching, meditating, praying (you get a good night's sleep!) or reading; do this every night so that your mind recognizes it's time to call it a day. Don't expect to sleep a full eight hours; it's actually normal to wake up every so often - even as much as every hour and a half. By expecting that you're going to wake up, you won't panic, which only keeps you awake. Just roll over, enjoy your sleepy but awake state, and you'll fall back to sleep easier. It may take a couple of weeks to train yourself to do this, but it'll be worth every hour of extra sleep you get! Melissa