Heath Issues - Four Ways to Fall Asleep Faster

Sure, this may not be a spiritual issue, but I know that so many of my friends are having a hard time falling asleep and even staying asleep. We all know the importance of sleep.  If we don't get enough sleep, we end up not being as healthy as we should be.

Here is a list of problems that can occur with a lack of sleep:
 - depression
 - heart disease
 - immune system breakdown
 - weight gain
 - driver fatigue
 - poor performance at work or school
 - emotional imbalance
 - memory problems


I ran across an article on the Men's Fitness blog and it had some really good points.  I will share them with you here.

1 - Establish an electronic curfew for yourself.  About .30 minutes to an hour before you go to bed, turn the TV off. Put down the phone. Walk away from the computer.  Give yourself a break.  In the article, the author wrote, "A study by Applied Ergonomics showed that the brightness from iPad screens, when set to the brightest setting, can suppress melatonin by 22% which can fake your body into thinking it’s morning when it’s really night."

2 - Eat a good and healthy breakfast in the morning.  The author continues, "People who eat breakfast are smarter. A study of 6,000 students found that the ones who ate breakfast had better grades and higher graduation rates. Breakfast eaters are also 40% less likely to develop fat around the belly than those you don't. Eating a protein-and-whole-grain-packed breakfast as close as possible to your wake-up time will keep you alert and focused throughout the day."

3 - Put down the caffeine after lunch.  I would say never have soda.  If you are a soda drinker though, stop having the caffeine once you hit lunch time.  For those of us who drink coffee or tea - same thing.  Water for the rest of the day.  

If you find yourself getting a little drowsy in the afternoon, that means that you body needs a break.  Do these simple little exercises to wake yourself up:
 - go for a walk
 - do some stretches
 - go for a walk
 - take a 10-15 minute break by doing something opposite of what you were
 - go for a walk

4 - Keep your exercises time to at least 3 hours before you hit the pillow. The author states, "A study done back in 2008-2009 by Oregon State University showed that people who exercised regularly, about 20 minutes of cardio a day, slept better at night than those who didn’t. Just don’t exercise too soon before bed as the rush may disrupt your sleep."

Are there others that you would add?