Relax! Calming Exercises to Help You Sleep

We lead very busy lives.  It is important to take time at the end of the day to decompress, calm down from our day and get a good night sleep:

• Meditate

• Creative visualization relaxation - focus on positive - create what makes you happy

• Slow deep breathing

• Take a relaxing walk

• Listen to music

• Write your thoughts in a journal

• Read a good book

• Take a break from technology

• Take time to stretch

When you sleep, your brain restores. Good sleep habits can result in:

• Improved mood

• Increased ability to concentrate

• Better retention of new information

• Quicker thinking

• Improved immune system response

• Enhanced motor skills

QUICK TIPS TO HELP WITH SLEEP:

• Have A Routine. By establishing a set bedtime and waking time, you help to regulate your body's "circadian clock," the internal mechanism which balances sleep and waking. Also, by creating a routine around bedtime you can help yourself get into a “sleepy” frame of mind. This means coming up with something to do every night before bed, whether it's a hot bath, reading a book or listening to music. This routine then becomes a cue for your body that it's time for sleep.
• Exercise. Getting exercise during the day will make falling asleep at night easier, although exercising within 2-3 hours of going to sleep will actually make it harder for you to sleep.
• Timing is everything. Plan ahead so you won’t have to pull all-nighters. Time management and sleep are related, particularly since sleep may be one of the first things to suffer when time is crunched. In the long run, losing sleep only hurts performance. All-nighters are bad for your body and you retain much less information than you would with even 90 minutes of sleep.