By Thérèse Bolat

Can’t focus? Memory fading? No energy or motivation?

Perhaps you need to get some good, restorative sleep tonight. When you sleep better, you will feel better, have much more energy, and see improvements in your mood.

When you are feeling exhausted and run down, one of the first things to address is sleep. Diet, exercise, and stress have a huge impact on energy levels, mood, and focus, but sleep is often overlooked.

For some, sleep comes easily, while others have issues falling asleep or staying asleep. Some fall asleep quickly but awaken in the morning feeling just as exhausted as when they went to bed. There are numerous ways to address sleep issues. The quickest, simplest intervention to improve your sleep, and therefore your energy, focus, and mood tomorrow, revolves around some basic sleep habits.

Reschedule Bedtime for Better Sleep and More Energy Tomorrow

You will sleep better and feel better if you create a habit of getting to bed earlier. Between 9 and 10pm is ideal. Give it a try for 2 weeks and you will notice that you feel significantly more rested in the morning and throughout the day.

If, however, you are used to a 1am bedtime, going to bed at 10pm tonight may not be possible. Instead, gradually adjust your bedtime. Get to bed one hour earlier than usual every night this week. Continue this weekly until you are getting into bed between 9 and 10pm.

Get 8 Hours of Sleep Each Night

Your body needs eight or more hours of sleep per night to feel rested and energized throughout the day. If you are getting to bed after midnight, even is you sleep for eight hours, you may still not feel refreshed. This is most likely because you are going to bed too late. Go to sleep earlier. It’s that simple. If you regularly fall asleep by 10pm, you will sleep better and feel more refreshed the following morning.

Unplug From Electronics and Dim the Lights

Sleep will come much more easily if you shut off all electronic devices by about 8pm. Bright lights, plus the television and computer screens, should not mask the setting of the sun. Those lights interfere with restful sleep. Melatonin, the hormone that helps you fall asleep, increases in production as the sun sets (and the light fades). Screen time and brightly lit homes reduce your melatonin production and may cause sleep difficulties.

Instead of staring at your screen, read a book or talk to someone. Late-night hours spent online are draining your energy, your health, and your happiness. It is a struggle to break free of your smart phone, but so worth it. When you start waking up feeling rested and refreshed, you will understand.

Part II:

Simple Interventions When Sleep Does Not Come Easily – Coming Soon!