Make your sleep a PRIORITY. Do all the things you need to do to get this back on track.

Remember, if your sleep is messed up, so are you. Here’s a list of the best ideas on improving sleep (prioritized starting with what to do first):

  1. Use a thought awareness exercise like meditation to quiet your mind (5-­‐15min/day)
  2. Less than 100mg of caffeine/day, none after 12noon, and ideally none at all!
  3. Reduce or eliminate the use of amphetamines (talk to your doctor if prescriptions)
  4. Go to bed so you can get 8hrs of sleep each night (don’t judge until 7 straight days)
  5. Get to bed at night and up in the morning at the same times (within 30min)
  6. Learn to manage stress during the day. This will change the hormones in your body and enable you to sleep at night
  7. Reserve your bed for sleeping (no eating, reading, talking, radio or TV)
  8. Exercise regularly during the day (3-­‐4 times/wk for 30-­‐40min)
  9. Use an anti-­‐snoring device (some are very effective).
  10. Use ear plugs if there are noises in your room
  11. Be ok with whatever dreams you might have (they don’t mean anything unless you say they do)
  12. Get hydrated 7 days in a row (64oz of water per day or more, spaced out evenly during waking hours)
  13. Try taking a warm bath with lavender before bed
  14. Get your body fat below 30% for women and 25% for men
  15. If you awake exhausted each morning, you may have a disorder like sleep apnea. Get tested by a sleep clinic like this one: http://www.dallas-­‐sleep.com/index.php
  16. Last resort (and we hesitate to even list it) -­‐ talk to your doctor about a sleeping pill. This should ONLY be done if the others do not help after really giving them a good try. Even then, it should be only temporary until you find out what the real cause is. There are often serious side effects & addictions from sleep medications like this.

Dr.Bob
CEO-Founder
Mental Training, Inc.
Dallas, Texas
www.mentaltraininginc.com
www.onlinementaltrainer.com