Last week we talked a little bit about how important sleeping is especially for those of us training real hard to run our next 5k or tackle the half or full marathon. Since last weeks post, I began to think about a conversation I had with Mike Silva of Foundation Performance. He mentioned how he makes it a point to dim the lights at home around the same time every night, and eliminate distractions in the bedroom. So with that in mind this week I thought I'd give ya'll a few tips to help get the rest you need to recover. Shout out to the National Sleep Foundation for the help in writing this! 

Routine Routine Routine

The first item on the National Sleep Foundations list is go to sleep and get up around the same time everyday. A routine seriously helps get you to sleep quicker, its mental just as much physical, just seeing those lights dim gets those eyelids feeling a little heavier. Christine and I will have ourselves a cup of Sleepy-Time Tea before bed and maybe its all those sleepy herbs but just having that cup signals hey Eric get to sleep! "Sticking to this routine helps regulate your body's clock and could help you fall asleep and stay asleep longer" - National Sleep Foundation

Just a note when they say "everyday" they mean everyday including the weekend, keeping a routine is key and if you sleep for 12 hours on Sunday cause you can you're disturbing that rhythm and routine.

Eliminate Distractions

Ideally that cellphone of yours is in a room far far away from you while you sleep. The very act of looking at your cellphone in your bedroom blasts your eyeballs with bright lights that say "hey! Don't go to bed! We've got things to do!" Avoid peeking at your phone and if possible put it away, most phones these days have a Do Not Disturb mode so take advantage of that if you use it as an alarm clock. The last thing you need is to get an email or text from your boss at 2am and immediately respond to it! Most of the time those things can wait!

Side note, if you have adorable puppies or kitties maybe they sleep in their own room? They can be a big ol' distraction while you're trying to sleep. 

Invest in You

Mattresses are expensive period end of story, but with good reason. You spend about 1/3 of your life sleeping, thats a very long time. Make sure you take care of yourself and invest in a good mattress and pillow. If you've got a good one and you've had it for a while make sure to replace that sucker every 9 to 10 years. Sleeping on an old Mattress ain't no fun. Sleeping on a super old mattress can cause back pain and I'll tell ya what sleeping while your back is barking at ya ain't easy I'll tell ya what. 

Chill out with Tea not ALCOHOL

This one is quick and to the point you may feel like that beer, wine, Scotch etc...makes you go to sleep quicker but when that buzz wears off in the middle of the night you are likely to wake up more frequently. 

Exercise Regularly

This one I think y'all have nailed down pretty good, but it is an important one for sure. The good news is you don't really have to crank out a 10 spot everyday to get a good sleep just adding a few minutes a day can help you get to sleep.

Side note: Try to avoid exercise close to bed time, as you might imagine exercise gets that heart rate up and gets your body revved up, if you have trouble sleeping make sure those workouts end a few hours before bedtime. 

I hope these few tips get ya to sleep a little easier. 

Cheers,

Eric