Trouble Sleeping??

I have had lots of trouble sleeping since my little peanut was born almost three weeks ago. But, that is only because I have to feed her every 2 hours, burp her, listen to her snort and make all these other baby noises throughout the night, and I have the paranoid mother question of "Is she still alive??" going through my head all night. My sleep deprivation has an end in sight, and I know why I am kept awake, but that is not the case for everyone.

I hear from my nutrition and fitness clients all the time that they have trouble sleeping, and they don't have newborn babies. There are so many reasons people are not sleeping well these days, and we have to fix it! Sleep is sooooo important for good health!! I cannot stress that enough!

So, what do you do to get better good quality sleep? (Remember, you want to sleep at least 6 hours straight without waking, so you get that great deep REM sleep)

Here are a few tips for you:

• Write down any thoughts or to-do's that are bugging you on a sheet of paper that you keep by your bed.


• Exercise!! Researchers at Northwestern University discovered after four months of exercising 30-minutes at least 4 times a week, exercising insomniacs were getting up to 90 minutes more sleep a night than the sedentary insomniacs. And....the exercising group also felt happier and healthier!! Why? Well, working out can reset your circadian rhythms, which helps you sleep better. Not to mention, exercise fights stress, which is why a lot of people aren't sleeping well.


• Try counting backwards from 100 down. Sometimes, I try this one to quiet my mind. It has worked for me!


• Don't drink alcohol before bed. You may think it will make you sleep well, but it actually won't help you get the deep sleep you need.


• I also recommend Shaklee's Gentle Sleep Complex to help with sleep. It is a natural supplement that includes: Passion flower, German Chamomile, and Valerian. Valerian has been used for over a thousand years because it helps maintain a calm state, promotes relaxation, and is a natural means of promoting restful sleep.

Any other tips for our insomniac friends? Comment and tell us what you have tried that works great!