7 Ways to Get Better Sleep TONIGHT!

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I like to think of myself as a pretty okay mom on most days, until...I have a couple of bad nights of sleep. Then, the MOMSTER comes out full force and our family knows that nothing will be right until Mom gets some sleep. It's not pretty.

Sleep is so critical to our well-being. Not just to keep us from turning into a MOMSTER but because poor sleep has been linked to a number of chronic diseases like obesity, depression, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

I know you are Supermom, but without good sleep hygiene, you aren't going to stay Supermom for long. You probably have a to-do list as long as my arm but you won't get very far without taking care of yourself first. Let's talk about how you can take 7 easy steps to get better sleep TONIGHT!

7 Steps to Get Better Sleep

Many of these steps you can implement right now, and you can reap the benefits right away. So, what are you waiting for?? You are going to sleep like a baby you did before having kids, starting tonight!

1) Magnesium

Magnesium is my absolute favorite supplement to recommend to almost everyone! Why? Well, for starters, most people are deficient. Second, people respond so well to this "magic pill" that they can't believe no one told them about it sooner.

Magnesium is an amazing natural sleep aid when taken before bedtime. Dr. Mark Hyman calls it "The Most Powerful Relaxation Mineral Available". I take it every night about 30-60 minutes before I want to sleep.

The best form to look for when taking this supplement to get better sleep is Magnesium Glycinate. It's both easy to find and won't break the bank. Also, magnesium glycinate is the easiest form on the digestive tract (i.e. least likely to cause any sort of laxative effect!)

I like the tablets over capsules because you can take about half the amount of pills and get the same dosage. Can't swallow pills? No worries, try this powder form (buy on Amazon) that tastes great and goes down so easy. Btw, kids LOVE this the taste and it can help them get better sleep as well! (If they sleep better, then you sleep better!!)

Start with about 400mg of magnesium glycinate at nighttime. If you don't feel any effects after the first night, increase the dosage by adding 200mg as a morning dose (in addition to the night dose of 400mg). You can increase your morning does to 400mg the third day if you didn't notice any difference in your sleep or relaxation. Many people have to start with a moderately high dosage (600-800mg in total per day) at first until their body becomes more replete with magnesium. After a couple of weeks or months at this dosage, you can try reducing to 400-600mg but still aim to get the same benefits.

Read more about Magnesium here.

2) Electronics: Off & Out

You may have heard of a little thing called "blue-light"...well, it's actually not a little thing at all. Our main source of blue light comes from the sun (along with other types of light) but we are also exposed to blue light from electronic screens like laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. As you can see, blue light is everywhere.

The problem with blue light is that we are meant to only be exposed to it during daylight hours. Modern technology has extended the hours we are exposed to blue light right up to our bedtimes (or even beyond if you keep the TV on all night!) Being exposed to blue light can excite our brains and keep us alert when we should be winding down and calming our brains for slumber.

So should we avoid all blue light? No! Having a healthy exposure to sunlight, especially the blue light waves, during the daylight hours can elevate your mood, boost cognitive function and alertness(yes please!), and help regulate your circadian rhythm (this is a good thing). However, blue light exposure after sunset, especially in the hours before bedtime can wreck your chances at optimal sleep.

There is a way to fix this!!

Most electronic devices these days have the ability to turn off blue light emissions. You can see how easy this is to do on an iPhone:

swipe up on your main menu screen to access this screen

then press and hold down on the "sun" or brightness icon to get this menu

Now you can turn "Night Shift" on which will reduce your blue light exposure after sunset. On a MacBook, it's just as easy to do AND, you can select the option for the night shift to automatically turn on sunset to sunrise! I love when techy stuff is so easy!!

go to system preferences

choose "Displays"

click on "Night Shift"

you can customize further or manually turn the night shift mode on here

BTW- for all the PC and Android users, if you need help accessing your version of night shift mode try searching on YouTube, there are thousands of tutorials!

Even though you have your blue light exposure sorted now, studies still show that turning OFF all screens about an hour before you want to sleep is best. That's a good reason to go find your library card.

One more thing to consider with electronics...TURN OFF ALL NOTIFICATIONS!! I mean, really, if you are wanting better sleep don't you think that this is the first thing to do? You can respond to Twitter and Facebook in the morning. And don't be tempted to text your response to a friend in the middle of the night, it can wait! To remove all temptation, I just put my phone on airplane mode. Ain't no one messing with my sleep!

3) Dark, Darker, Darkest

Now that you have reduced your exposure to blue light, it's time to talk about all the other light. Studies have shown that even small amounts of light exposure can affect our body's ability to produce melatonin. (Melatonin is a critical hormone for good sleep!)

Get the alarm clocks with LED lights out of the room and remove or cover (with duct tape?) any small lights from speakers, TVs, power cords, etc. Night lights - do you really need them?? Try blackout shades if you have street lights or other building lights outside your bedroom window. Some people even find that moonlight is stimulating and will keep them awake!

Hint: blackout shades can sometimes keep little ones from waking at sunrise!

Bottom line: create a "cave-like" environment in your bedroom to get the best sleep possible.

4) Is it "Too-Quiet"??

Most people can't sleep with a marching band outside their bedroom. On the other hand, many people can't sleep if you can hear a pin drop.

I'm one of those people who wakes up to every. little. sound. This all got even worse after having children! When my kids were babies, I did everything to help them sleep better (because I do NOT do well with poor sleep!) One of the best things I found was a white noise machine (we use this one) for each child's room. When our family would travel and all stay in the same room we would bring one of these machines. I quickly realized that I needed one in my room...permanently! And I have never slept better!!

There is such a thing as having a room be too quiet!

5) Pen & Paper

Are you someone who once an idea or a nagging "to-do" creeps into your head you can't go to sleep anymore? Does it keep you awake in the middle of the night?

This one is easy, all you need to do is get that idea or thought out of your head and on to paper. Keep a small notebook and pen by your bedside. As soon as those pesky little lists of things you forgot to do today or things you have to do tomorrow creep into your brain just purge them from your brain ASAP and get them on the paper! Got big dreams? Those can wait until tomorrow as well. You will dream bigger and better after a night of good sleep.

6) Move more

Hands down, this is the #1 recommended way to improve sleep by many sleep experts. Even small amounts of exercise and movement during the day can vastly improve your sleep. The caveat here is that some people get stimulated from exercise so don't work out heavily in the four hours or so before bedtime.

Sitting is now the new smoking for our health. Apparently, the negative effects are far-reaching...even into the depths of our sleep patterns.

So, move more and get better sleep...it's that easy! One of my favorite ways of fitting in a quicky (unfortunately I'm talking about a different kind of movement here!) is to stream yoga at home. You can get a free 14-day trial with my favorite online yoga streaming and try it out for yourself! Read more about how much I love this online yoga here.

7) Meditation

Meditation is seemingly the answer to everything these days. Sleep is no exception. We have crazy busy lives with to-do lists as long as our arms. We work hard and we play hard. But your poor brain didn't get the memo that all this busy brain-stuff is supposed to stop at bedtime. It needs a little bit of help.

Enter meditation. It really doesn't matter how you like to meditate, it all seems to work in pretty much the same amazing ways! Some people like to take quiet walks in the evening, some like relaxing with quiet music, and others prefer a guided meditation.

For me, I love having someone tell me what to do so I use Headspace. There are hundreds of choices out there so do a little searching to find what works best for you. The results will be amazing. I have been blown away by what a 10-minute meditation before bedtime can do for my sleep!!

Are you ready to try 7 ways to get better sleep TONIGHT??

Yes, that's right. Making these changes can actually help to improve your sleep starting tonight! I recommend trying at least 2-3 of these options but if you really want to be sleeping the best you can implement all the suggestions. (FYI- these all work well for the kids too!!)

I would love to hear from you how these 7 ways to get better sleep tonight have worked for you or your family! Leave a comment below and maybe you even have an 8th suggestion??

Sleep well,

BONUS: Essential Oils have been added to my nightly routine in the form of a diffuser over the past 6 months and holy moly has it helped! With added stressors in our family life lately, I feel like I am still even keeled and getting restful sleep due to my favorite blend - Serenity!

Get your diffuser and essential oils and see for yourself!! #lifechanging

MORE READING: If you want to read more about how to incorporate some more movement into your busy mom schedule AND get a moving meditation at the same time, read How to Stay Balanced When Mom Life Gets Crazy!

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