wind down

It's recommended to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. While it's a nice idea, sometimes there are way too many things on ours minds to unwind. Thankfully, there are ways to put your thoughts to rest, allowing you to get some shut eye.

Unplug! Do you really need to check all your social media sites and e-mail right before bed? Close that laptop, and silence that phone at least half an hour before bedtime. You don't need any distractions like pointless notifications, or Tweets, or those humorous drunk texts you occasionally get from a girlfriend, or even worse, an ex. These can wait until morning.

Set a bedtime. Go back to when you were little and your parents shut off the TV, scooped you up, and plopped you into your daybed. No excuses, it was time for bed at the early hour of 7:00. While you don't have to go to bed this early, you should set a goal time for when you put on your PJ's and plop yourself into bed. Soon, you will adjust to the time and start craving ZZZ's at a decent hour.

Herbal remedy: A little tea never hurt anybody. So put on that kettle until it whistles, and pour some of that steaming water into your favorite mug. Drop in a bag of your favorite decaffeinated tea and a little drop of honey. Yum. 

Pose yourself to sleep. Some relaxing yoga poses can help you clear your mind and feel refreshed, leading to a relaxing night's sleep, and a rejuvenated morning. Try some restorative poses. These are three my favorites:

Balasana (or Child's Pose).

Savasana (or Corpse pose).

 

Supta Virasana (or Reclining Hero pose).

 

Sweet dreams.