7 easy steps to a good night’s sleep

Getting a truly restful night’s sleep is such a key ingredient in your cellular health and overall well-being. Missing out on even one deep sleep and REM cycle can reduce your vitality for the next day by 50 percent – it cuts your vitality in half! This increases your tendency to develop poor eating habits and overdose on caffeine, and it stresses your brain function, vision, hearing, and basically overtaxes your entire body. Here’s some simple things you can do to get a better night’s sleep and be your best, healthy self:

1. Sleep in a pitch-black room or use an eye mask every night. Your eyes, brain, and body will thank you for it – and you will eliminate those bags under your eyes. Sleeping in a completely dark room helps your hormones help you and is one of the most important things you can do to get restorative sleep.
2. Go to bed at around the same time each night – and get up at around the same time every morning. People with predictable schedules have an easier time falling asleep, staying asleep, and getting up refreshed.
3. Unplug and get outside! Spending more time outside in the fresh air and sunshine – and less time in front of a computer – may be just what you need to improve your shut-eye.
4. Turn off the TV and electronics one hour before bed. The light of your electronics is doing your sleep regulation no favors. Give yourself an hour without gadgets before you go to sleep. That means no checking Facebook in bed!
5. Keep your sleeping quarters cool: If you can turn down the heat in your bedroom at night, your internal clock will function better so you get the most out of your downtime.
6. Invest in a good humidifier to keep the air a little moist in the cold winter months to support your breathing during sleep. Remember to clean it every couple of days so you don’t create the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive.
7. And last but not least, check out the MELT Map for Sleep on MELT On Demand. I created this MELT Map to help you get a better night’s sleep. To subscribe to MELT On Demand, go to: https://meltmethod.intelivideo.com/

Bonus travel tip: Here’s some tips on getting a good night’s sleep on the road: Make sure your pillow supports restful sleep. If you are driving, you can bring your own. If you have allergies and are staying in a hotel, call ahead of time and ask for hypoallergenic pillows. Finally, bring an eye mask! My favorite eye mask – Dr. Mercola Lavender Eye Mask – lives in my suitcase so I always have it when I travel.