Sleep Tips for the Frustrated and Exhausted.

Getting a good night's sleep is something that I have struggled with for quite some time. There have been many times that I have wandered through my day, unable to focus looking like something from night of the living dead. I can fall asleep very easily. My problem specifically was waking up about 3-4 a.m. and not being able to fall asleep again until about 6 a.m. which does not make for a productive day. At least not for me. I am not one of those people that can function on a couple of hours. I also know that I have poor adrenal function and a lot of things I tried revolved around diet. Here is a list of all the things I've tried and the results.

1. Protein before bed-This was recommended to me by my nutritionist. It did have a decent effect but was not always full proof.

2. No alcohol near bedtime-This is sort of obvious but I've noticed that even one beer too close to bedtime can cause me to have a fitful night's sleep. I'm also going to include not eating any foods with chemicals or color dyes.

3. Aromatherapy-This is an excellent tool. My aromatherapist friend, "The Fragrant Muse" makes an excellent blend called Peaceful Sleep which contains roman chamomile, lavender, and some other oils. She had also recommended clary sage but that gives me crazy, unpleasant dreams. If I know my sleep problems that night are surrounding anxiety, I prefer a blend recipe that she recommended for general happy feelings which was geranium, bergamot, and cedarwood in a carrier oil. This is also a fantastic blend to have around if you have a tendency to feel stressed or out-of-control.

Now to the most recent of my self-experimetation...

4. 5HTP and time-release melatonin-The 5HTP also recommended by the Fragrant Muse. One of each right before bed. The time release is better for people who wake up and can't get back to sleep.

5. Phillips Go-lite. This is the model I have (they have a few models). It's supposed to help with SAD and sleep problems. Which I was skeptical at first but it really does work and improves my energy during the day as well. It's super light weight and I take it to work and use it when I start to feel draggy.

6. EFT Tapping-This is done by tapping certain acupressure points on the body and stating an affirmation. I like to use, "I sleep soundly and restoritively, each and every night and wake feeling refreshed and well-rested." You can do whatever works for you but always do it in a positive version. For instance do not use, "I will not sleep poorly tonight." Those affirmations will backfire. They have lots of videos on YouTube and this technique is one that is free to try!

7. The last and probably my favorite is this foot rubbing reflexology trick that my friend and Reiki Master (who is also a reflexologist) recommended. You take the palm of your hand and rub your foot front to back 87 times (front to back counts as one). Do this on each foot before bed. I am telling you, this one does the trick even if I go to bed not feeling particularly sleepy.

I have been doing tips 4, 6, and, 7 each night, #5 five days a week for about two months and it has been the best I've slept in YEARS. I rarely have trouble anymore. Now the unfortunate part is that when I started all of these things I was so desperate that I started them all at once so I cannot tell you if they are all really necessary BUT the beauty of it is, you can try #6 and #7 for free and see if that does the trick. The 5 HTP is $19.99 for 100mg, 60 tablets and the melatonin is 100 tablets for $6.99 (I use Now Foods brand).

So there's my list of recommendations. Hopefully if you are suffering with a sleep problem they will help you too.

My sweetie jokes that the reason I've been sleeping so well is that I'm exhausted from doing all of these steps. Maybe so. Either way I'll take it!
Sweet dreams everyone!!!