Pillar of Health #11 - Get Adequate Rest/Sleep

Did you know that just two minutes of quiet rest with your eyes closed after two hours of work can do wonders for reducing your stress and increasing your health? Getting adequate sleep is super important as you undoubtedly already know. Sometimes stress, anxiety, pain and lifestyle habits can interfere with getting enough sleep. Get your circadian rhythm into a regular cycle by going to bed at the same time every night. Getting some exercise every day, even in the evening, will dramatically help you sleep better. Alcohol consumption can often lull you to sleep, but several hours later may have the opposite effect keeping you up in the wee hours of the night. Reduce caffeine intake especially after 2 PM. Getting more natural light during the day like not wearing sunglasses for 20 to 30 minutes while out and about has been shown in studies to trigger your body to produce more melatonin at night. 

If you tend to have a racing mind before bed or even in the middle of the night, write down all of the things you are trying to figure out. Once you have taken a few minutes to write it all down, it tends to slow the mind and bring you into a feeling of relaxation that makes it easier to fall asleep.

And if you have been working on the other pillars of health, your increase in sleep will happen naturally.  Sweet dreams!