More Sleep = Happiness

Oh sleep, I love you so... I miss you most of the time. Monday through Friday we play this game where you are just out of reach... Those full undisturbed 8 or 9 hours I would love to have. That just don't happen.
I've begun reading up on sleep since it's one of my favorite things. It really doesn't take much to make me happy. 

Here's some motivation to get MORE sleep:

• You'll make smarter choices. Not getting enough sleep makes it harder for you to make decisions and you lose self-control. I notice that if I'm super tired I eat way too much food and a lot of it isn't healthy. Candy and more coffee are the usual suspects and that just messes my sleep cycle up for that night.
• You'll have a better memory. Not enough sleep = horrible memory. This is the first thing to go with me. Two weeks ago I was so busy and over-tired that I took the subway the wrong way twice... I've lived and worked in New York City enough to know where I'm going... I just wasn't paying attention and I was super tired. Getting the sleep you need helps memories stay in your mind.
• You'll be nicer. If you get the hours of sleep you need you'll be able to handle stressful situations better and react better than on little sleep. No one likes someone who gets angry quickly and snaps at everyone around them. And I highly doubt no one likes being a mean person. 

Now. How do we get more sleep?? 

Don't drink anything caffeinated after 2:30pm!

Make a bedtime and stick to it! My 'bedtime' is 9:30pm. When I see the clock hit 9:30pm I am in bed. I read a little bit and try to turn off the light at 10pm at the latest.

I also spray our sheets and pillows with a nice lavender spray to help us relax and unwind.

If I really need sleep I'll make sleepy-time tea. It's delicious and the process of drinking hot tea helps me to slow down and get ready to dream.

What are your nighttime rituals to get more sleep?

Thanks for reading,

How I De-Stress & Relax

During the holiday season schedules can get CRAZY. This December seems extra busy with many holiday parties all crammed in to about two weeks. When I start to feel overwhelmed I try to stop, relax and figure out how we can through the week without losing our minds and still have family couch/tv time. Our couch time is VERY important to us. ;)

The first on my to-do list was to get us a bit healthier. So I bought daily multi-vitamins. This makes sure we get all of the vitamins and minerals we need!

I love fresh juice. Juice Press is my all time favorite. I usually try and get a green juice or smoothie at least once a week during the hectic holidays to try and combat all of the germs going around on the subway. No one likes being sick during the holidays.

With parties comes lack of sleep. I love sleeping and need a lot of it, so this is a big one for me. We really try hard to sleep in on the weekends (9am is late nowadays) just to catch up from the work week. If I know we have a big night out ahead of us I'll get in to bed around 8:30pm the night before - read and turn off the light by 9pm. I know, I know... I'm a grandma... But I need my sleep! Sleeping is also when your body can fight off all of those germs!

I'll also try and get to a yoga class. A relaxed mind and body will do wonders for your spirit and your health. The last thing anyone wants to be is grumpy around the holidays. A little sweat will get your endorphins going and help burn off all of those Christmas cookies!


How do you relax and de-stress?


Thanks for reading,