Sleep!!!!!!!

My sleep data via www.mylark.com

I had an email the other day from someone who's having trouble sleeping.  I sent her a few suggestions but got to thinking that others could benefit from this as well, so here goes.  And because I get a little shit from a few folks about how wordy I am, I'm keeping this list short and sweet (relatively).  If you're so inclined, click here for a more complete Trish-like post.

First off, the only reason I'm a expert of sorts on the issue is because I have major problems with sleep, so I've tried pretty much every trick in the book to fix them.  But take my words at face value, because I still have issues.  I just know what has given me a little benefit or none at all.  These are the things that help.

My bedroom at night.

1. Don't eat crap.  Eat real food. 
2. Go to bed at the same time every day.  Yes, even if it's Friday night.
3. Wake up at the same time every day.  Yes, even if it's your day off.
4. Sleep in a cave.  This is what my bedroom looks like at night -->
5. Make sure your blood is healthy.  Check Vitamin D.  Check indications of Zinc deficiency.  Check hormones.  Check all.
6. Kill the TV, computer, phone etc. a few hours before you hit the sack.
7. Sedate your animals (I'm only kidding here.  Just wear ear plugs and keep them OUT of your bedroom, not just because they're gross, but because they're noisy troublemakers)
8. Create a bedtime routine that includes reflection/meditation/prayer or reading.
9. Get lots of sunshine and exercise.  Seriously.  I think it's completely retarded that people can live in California and not get these two fundamentally important pieces of the health puzzle that relate 100% directly to #5 above.  You pay a pretty penny in sunshine taxes to live here, so take advantage!  It is inexcusable to be Vitamin D deficient if you live in this area. (Soapbox over.)
10. Experiment.
11. Every once in a while, throw out the rules, relax and just be.  No guilt or punishing behaviors.  Just go to sleep, late, early, whatever.  Just relax.

There are lots of other things I've tried and will continue to try, short of smoking crack.  If you'd like more history, examples of trial and error, or other tips from someone who's tried just about everything, click on the links above for detail or send me a message.  The single most important thing for me aside from clean eating is consistency in bed/wake time.  My sleep improved "dramastically" when I did a month-long challenge where every minute I missed my bedtime/wake time earned me a burpee penalty.

So much for short and sweet.  If you're having trouble sleeping and are ready to try things out, please keep me posted.  Drop a comment below and let me know about your progress.