Sleep…With Brian

This week is National Sleep Awareness Week and if you are not getting proper sleep, you and everyone around is aware of it. There is nothing more important for the body, mind and soul than getting a good nights sleep and most of us are not getting it. Your mind and body, like a computer, need to shut down and reboot to be properly functional. I have the most wonderful sleep system in the world from Innomax and I have not had any problem getting sleep ever since I got it but I know not everyone is as fortunate so here are some tips to help you sleep better each night.

Do something dull-do your taxes, sort the laundry, listen to one of Susan's horse stories whatever is mind numbing to you, do it before bed. Insert your own "honey I have a headache" joke here.

Drink milk-unless of course you are lactose intolerant, in that case no one in a 3 block radius would get any rest. Milk contains substances that cause you to relax and it doesn't even have to be warm, which I find disgusting anyway.

Keep the bedroom dark-even when your eyes are closed you can still be distracted by the light. dim your alarm clocks, kill the night lights and just believe that there are no monsters under the bed.

Keep the bedroom cool and bed warm-the perfect storm for sleeping is a cool, well ventilated room that you need to snuggle into a blanket to get warm in. I keep a window cracked and ceiling fan going at all times, in fact the parts of my body that escape from the blanket end up as cold to the touch as a Banquet pot pie. I believe I am part Eskimo, come to think of it, I do love their pies.

Drink herbal tea before bed-be careful with this one, too much tea can make you have to wake up and answer nature's call which will cut into that slumber.

Use your bed for one thing: sleep-if you like to watch TV or do puzzles, your mind does not turn into the chunk of jell-o it needs to be in order to fade away, they recommend you do these activities in a chair, where I am guessing you will fall asleep then wake up 2 hours later and haul yourself to bed and then wake up and complain that you didn't get enough sleep. Good luck and good resting.