MUST READ; Ways To Set Yourself Up A Spectacular Night Of Sleep

Clearly, sleep is at the center of whether or not you have energy (your leaden lids may remind you of this). But here's a cooler way to think of it: You have a highly effective energy-drug factory in your brain. In order to manufacture a max dose, you simply need to get sufficient, better sleep.


"Sleep is the only time when your brain can produce ATP, a substance that stores and delivers energy in cells," says Robert Rosenberg, DO, an Arizona sleep specialist and author of Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day. When ATP's at its peak, you're more focused and less likely to feel fatigued or punked by brain fog.
Follow our dawn-to-dusk regimen to capture the cellular magic. If after 2 weeks you're still having trouble falling asleep or are waking up not feeling refreshed, then it's time to call in reinforcements: A sleep specialist can help get to the root of the problem.

6:30 AM...Let the sunshine in. 
 Open your blinds to suppress sleepy-time melatonin and elevate brightening cortisol by more than 50%.
6:35 AM...Make your bed.
Who knew making your bed could raise chances of a good night's sleep by 19%? The simple reason: It creates positive vibes around bedtime.
6:45 AM...Hit the road.

  Going for an outdoor power walk is like sending a strongly worded letter to your circadian clock. You'll detail the need for your body to feel more alert now and put in an order for drowsiness tonight. Your internal clock will heed the demands, especially if you stroll in the sun. (Add weight loss to the beneficial walking mix with this walking plan—you can lose up to 22 pounds in 8 weeks!)

12:00 PM...Cut off the Coke.

 Cutting off coffee, tea, dark chocolate, and soda at this point is so draconian. But remember the goal (ATP! ATP! ATP!) and the fact that, for many people, caffeine can last for hours in your system.
2:30 PM...Sleep on the job.
If you're one of the lucky types with an office door (or one of those mythical company nap rooms), now's the time to take advantage. Aim for 20 minutes, max: Naps of that length keep you in light, non-REM sleep, so you won't wake up groggy.
6:00 PM...Eat a light dinner.
Opting for a hefty dinner can trigger acid reflux, a surefire way to toss and turn through the night. Save the pigging out for lunchtime (or, even better, never) and keep your evening meal simple: a lean protein like chicken or fish with a side of veggies or salad.

 9:00 PM...Power down.

Sorry, the electronic curfew thing isn't going away. No TV, computer, or smartphone within 90 minutes of lights out. (Yes, that includes backlit e-readers.)
Even if you're sleeping as much as usual, starting your night with blue light from a screen risks making it less restful: A recent Harvard study showed that people who read from a screen before bed found it harder to wake up in the AM and feel alert, even though they slept the same amount. The reason? The blue light emitted by e-readers suppresses the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin.


9:30 PM...Bedtime snack, anyone?

The fast train to Zzzzsville is fueled by small snacks, like a handful of whole wheat crackers with peanut butter or cereal with almond milk. The nuts contain tryptophan, a building block of the sleep chemical serotonin, while the carbs make the tryptophan more available to your brain.

9:45 PM...Turn down the temp.


crank the bedroom AC. Body temp hits a low around 5 AM. If the room's too hot, it may interfere with the natural dip and make you restless. Most people sleep the best at around 68° F.


10:15 PM...Break out the lavender. 


Lavender isn't just a schlocky gimmick. It's been shown to lower heart rate and blood pressure, which relaxes you. Folks who sniff it before bed sleep deeper and feel more vigorous in the morning.

10:30 PM...Turn on some white noise. 
If you don't have a white-noise app, switch on the fan. Background sounds like a car driving by or a door closing might not wake you up fully, but they rouse you out of the deep, restorative sleep your body needs to stay energized.


Time to call the sleep specialist?

 

 If you feel weary and foggy no matter what measures you take, you might want to get checked for sleep apnea, a condition that causes your breathing to pause for seconds or minutes several times a night. It's an especially common cause of fatigue in women going through perimenopause. (Many assume their night awakenings are a result of hot flashes, when in fact they have sleep apnea.) In one 2012 study, 56% of women ages 45 to 54 and 75% of women 55 to 70 had sleep apnea, compared with 24% of women ages 20 to 44. Studies show that people who let the condition go untreated have less gray matter in their brains, especially in areas that control executive function, working memory, and attention span.