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Get Some Sleep Mini Challenge

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How to get better sleep try these easy tips Get Some Sleep Mini Challenge

Last week we focused on Nutrition and getting diet dialed in. Hopefully you are eating a clean, real-food diet and are getting past any carb flu you could have had.

This week, we’ll be focusing on the second most important health factor (or the most important for some people): getting enough sleep! It seems like the one issue that all health/diet/wellness writers agree on… you need to get enough sleep to be healthy, but yet, many people don’t! I’m yet to hear anyone preaching the health benefits of skipping sleep.

We’ll also be focusing on stress and supplements later in the week, but for now, let’s catch some ZZZZs.

The Importance of Sleep:

It comes down to this: If you aren’t getting enough quality sleep, you can’t reach your maximum health potential. Period.

Not getting enough sleep, or not getting quality sleep can up your risk of everything from heart disease to cancer to diabetes. As if that weren’t good enough motivation, skipping sleep can also help you age more quickly, gain weight and have less mental focus.

Lack of sleep can singlehandedly ruin your health.

It is definitely easier said than done when it comes to getting enough sleep and reducing stress levels. Mark’s Daily Apple offers some suggestions, and here are some of my favorite suggestions.

If falling or staying asleep is difficult, some natural herbs can help.

This week, focus on making sleep  a priority, and optimize your sleep with these tips.

For the next two weeks, try this:

  • Sleep for at least 8.5 (preferably 9) hours a night.
  • Minimize or eliminate blue light after dark (TV, Computer, etc)
  • Sleep in complete darkness where you can’t even see your hand in front of your face (no clock  light, nightlight, etc)
  • Cover windows with blankets or blackout curtains
  • Sleep with the temperature below 70 (68 is optimal) for optimal Melatonin production (Bonus: you save on your heating bill)
  • Be in bed before 10 pm if at all possible
  • Avoid caffeine after 2 pm
  • Drink some chamomile tea or other relaxing drink to help fall asleep if you have trouble adjusting

The Challenge:

Get enough sleep every night this week! Be in bed by ten, sleep in darkness, limit your caffeine, and see how you feel! Let me know that you are doing it below! The prize is a $50 Tropical Traditions Gift Certificate and a $50 Herbal Katie prize pack with some herbal teas to help you relax!

The contest is open for a week and you can enter again each day that you get a good night’s sleep the night before!

Enter below and leave a comment telling me what your biggest sleep obstacle is and how you are going to overcome it!

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Filed Under: Ramblings

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About Wellness Mama

Wellness Mama is a full-time housewife with a background in nutrition, journalism and communications. Her passion is helping others achieve optimal health through a “Wellness Lifestyle.” She has helped hundreds of clients lose weight, increase athletic performance, improve fertility, and overcome numerous health problems and diseases. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, & Pinterest.

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DISCLAIMER: The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003341256237 Revecca Panopoulos-Anthony

    since my body is so acidic it keeps me from getting a good night sleep. there are other things as well, but the acid is my main concern to conquer. i started taking more apple cider vinegar baths at night and drink decaf peppermint tea. i also stopped snacking at night as well.  

  • http://profiles.google.com/cjsiders Cassandra Roy

    I’ve been having problems with this the last week or so as the weather has finally warmed up. My husband has to have it pitch black (I don’t), but that means our bedroom is sealed and there’s no AIR flow. We have a fan on high all night, but all it does is cool the sweat pouring off me. Somehow my husband is fine.

  • Reginablood

    YAY! I love this weeks challenge! Now If I can only convince my 2 yr old!! Ha Ha! Thank you for giving me a good excuse to go to bed early! 

  • Ashley Benson

    I would love to participate in this challenge, but I have a three month old who nurses frequently through the night. I can definitely get to bed by 10 (I generally go to sleep around 8:30 anyway) and do all of the other things…but sleeping for nine hours straight…probably not going to happen with the babe. 

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Definitely an exception! Participate :-)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1312206099 Sherri L. Weymouth

    I’m a teacher and out for summer, so getting in bed for 10 has not been priority.  Going to work on that this week.  I really do need to start now so I can be fresh and ready for August!!  All the other tips are in the bag!  ;0)

  • Tammy

    I already sleep 9 -10 hours a night (if I don’t, I get headaches), but my biggest obstacle is going to bed early. For some reason, my body just resists it. I’ve finally moved my bed time from 1-2am to midnight, but I need it to be even earlier. Sleeping until 9 or 10 just throws the day off!

  • Cathy

    I have trouble being sleepy early enough, but am going to make it a point to get to bed by 10 each night.  Do you think the amount of sleep needed may vary a bit?  I used to need 8.5-9 hours to feel well, but since getting my thyroid straightened out, seem to wake up on my own and refreshed after 7 hours most nights if I slept well.

  • Dana

    This is an area that I am SO trying to work on. Actually I could sleep all night if my two children would stay asleep. I can fall asleep no problem. I can fall back asleep when someone wakes me up, no problem. I just don’t want anyone to wake me up! In four years my four year old has only slept through the night about 60 days and none of them have been in a row. He had night terrors for a long time but that seems to have gone away. It stopped when we took him off his medicine for his allergies. He also has ezcema (triggered by milk) and his doctor says it is normal for kids to have a hard time sleeping with that since it sometimes feels like they have bugs crawling on them. So, he just still wakes up and now so does my two year old. ****sigh**** One day they will sleep all night and continue on. I just know it. ;)

  • Aepick01

    My biggest challenge is staying asleep once I am asleep. Our 6 year old has been having bad dreams and wakes us up at least 4 times a night!

  • http://twitter.com/steviesun steviesun

    I’m not picking, because better sleep is a good thing, just throwing into the ring for consideration – what about those of us who experience for example darkness of less than 8 hours? The sun is due to set where I am about half 9 tonight and it’s due to rise before half 5 tomorrow. I live in the far south of England, night is far shorted in scotland and places like scandinavia!

  • AmyA

    Sleep is my biggest challenge.  I honestly don’t think I’ve had a full night’s sleep since I started having kids – 15+ years ago!

    I find that I am awake well in to the night trying to finish up all those little things that didn’t get done during the day.  And then my 2.5 year old will wake me up once or twice a night.  And I get really bad during the holidays, trying to finish up last minute gift projects for everyone.

    Going to take the challenge this week and be in bed by 10:00 every night.  Hopefully, the little kiddo will participate in the challenge, too!

  • anne c.

    I’m a night owl and don’t work during the summer so I’m out of whack right now on a good sleep cycle. I feel like I do get 8 hours though and feel refreshed in the morning

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1600570577 Deidrean Sanders Barrett

    I sadly have no excuse for not getting better sleep. I just really like having my me time once the kiddos are in bed. I tend to get caught up in whatever crafty thing I’m working on at the time. I have already made the resolve that I am going to work on better sleep habits. So tonight I will be making every effort to be in bed at a normal time. 

  • Karen

    My biggest challenge is just getting to bed early enough.  I have a hard time winding down from the day, so I’m thinking of no computer, tv, etc after dinner time may help.

  • Melissa Shirley

    Nine hours, wooo!  I thought I was doing good with 7.  I managed to get those seven hours by liberally applying diluted magnesium oil on my entire family before bed time.  I won’t say they enjoy this ritual, but we all stopped waking up at random hours throughout the night.  One miracle at a time.  I will be turning off all electronics after 8 pm this month–we’ll try it, who knows, maybe my hubby will become a more avid reader.

  • Stacie Post

    My main sleep obstacle is my 18 month old son! He’s getting some molars right now so ge’s been waking up 1-2 times a night to nurse. It’s hard to make myself go to bed early, because as a SAHM I cherish the “adult time” at night with my husband. My goal is to make it to bed by 10 PM. My body needs this!

  • Stacey

    My biggest obstacle is wanting to enjoy my alone time after the kids go to sleep. I like to read, surf the web and before I know it… I’ve wasted a couple of hours! I will commit to turning off the computer at dark and catching some zzzz’s!!

  • fitadrienne

    my sleeping has gotten much better. it’s not great. I’m 9/10 in bed by 11. It’s rare that I go to bed earlier than that. Instead of staying up late on Fridays I’m in bed around 11. So that’s progress. I used to stay up until 3. I take magnesium pills before i go to sleep and that helps a lot. i still wake up a few times a night. I don’t know how to fix that.

  • LM

    My biggest hurdle is always wanting to watch one more tv show or read one more chapter in my book. I’ve always been a night owl no matter how early I have to wake up.

  • Jessica Kessel

    I got eight last night but being pregnant is my biggest obstacle right now!  I get up at least once a night to use the restroom and some nights roll around  fitfully!  Maybe I will try some of the all natural supplements to see if they help me stay asleep! 

  • http://tinyserenity.blogspot.com/ Nicki

    My biggest sleep obstacle would probably be staying asleep.  I have no trouble going to sleep, but I wake up constantly roll over and usually can go back to sleep fairly fast but the constant waking up just leaves me so tired.  Not quite sure how to overcome it.  Will try to black out the 2nd window, the other window already being blacked out by aluminum foil.  I use f.lux on all my computers.  Technology gets shut off by 9.  Hubby and I get ready for bed and just lay there and chat til we (I) doze off or read.  There’s no lights in the bedroom except some sun in the morning which is likely the cause of being awake well before the 6am alarm.  We don’t have a TV or any electronics in the bedroom.  I take magnesium in the evening.  I’d love to be able to get a good night sleep.

  • Emily

    My biggest challange is simply getting everything done in a timely manner! I work full-time so by the time I get home from work, make dinner, clean the kitchen, work out, take a shower, etc. it’s well past ten pm. Maybe if I plan meals more in advance or select food that takes less time to prepare?

  • Linda

    The hardest thing about going to bed early is that after the kids are in bed, that’s my “me” time.  I catch up on stuff that I have trouble getting done when the kids are around and I feel like I need some down time to relax before I go to bed. 

  • Linda

    I plan to overcome it by trying to break that habit.  It seems strange to go to bed right after we put the kids in bed! 

  • Azcardsgal

    I have been getting alot of sleep lately!  My ac is set to 70 degrees at night, but it stays at about 74 degrees, thanks to the 115 degree weather outside(AZ).  This stinks, but as long as the doors stay open, we get air flow.  I slept 10 hours last nite!  WooHoo!!!!

  • Breckfisks

    So need this…Squash my vampire ways!

  • Krhohn

    We just purchased a new mattress, so I think that is definitely going to help. I’m also going to try to go to bed about the same time each night, to get on a regular sleep schedule.

  • Kristinfriesen

    My biggest sleep obstacle is free time. I am home with the kids all day so getting things done is difficult and doing things for myself is impossible. When they go to bed all I want to do is read, watch adult TV, paint my nails, take a bath, and spend time with my husband. We stay up way too late every night because we get wrapped up in activities that we don’t get to do during the day. How do I make time for all the things I want to do?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I completely sympathize on this one! Getting to bed is my biggest struggle. I’m a night person naturally, so it is my most productive time too. One thing that has helped me is to try to make sure all the stuff I “have” to do is done before the kids go to be: dishes, laundry, etc so that I can do the stuff I want to do in the few hours after they are in bed and still get to bed on time.

  • Jen K

    I’m trying to buckle down and get enough sleep this week. It’s a struggle, I have foil on my windows but somehow the streetlight still shines in! I’m going to try a blanket tonight. 
    My 10 month old sleeps in the same room (until my sister moves out in a month or so) and wakes up from bad dreams or hunger I think. He has been a lot better at sleeping since I got rid of the nightlight and computer in the room though! 
    My biggest struggle is that, once he goes to sleep, I want to get stuff done or just relax and read a book until 3am :( . I’ve been taking Magnesium which has helped, except if I don’t go to bed as soon as I start feeling sleepy then I end up being restless and wakeful the rest of the night. Also, a couple nights this week I’ve been unable to sleep because of severe cravings. Not sure if it’s from the breastfeeding or what but it sucked!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Great tip on the foil… I’m going to share that one! Are you doing anything to balance your hormones? If so, the cravings could be a temporary reaction while things even out.

  • Michellepagliuca

    Kids waking up in the middle of the night and pretty much everyone in my house snores so loud I could sleep in the basement and still hear it.

  • Amie

    I think my biggest obstacle is no matter what day it is and what time I go to sleep I still like to get up super early in the morning (we are talking 4am!).  I have just gotten used to that being my “me” time.  So even if I only get 5 hours of sleep, I will still get up. 
    I am not sure how I should or will overcome this obstacle. 

  • Bayjessi

    I already cut out the caffeine…now I just need to work on going to bed at 10! Challenge accepted!

  • Bayjessi

     I forgot to mention my sleep obstacle. I get too busy and then I don’t want to stop until it’s done. I need to work on leaving things until the next day.

  • Samantha

    My biggest obstacle for deep sleep at night is falling asleep in the chair watching TV then at some point waking up to move to the bed. I will work on going to bed when the kids are in bed for optimal sleep.

  • Melissa Rain

    my biggest sleep challenge is getting to bed before 10pm. the sunset here isnt until after 9pm (mst) so my kids play until then. then to get them washed up, dressed and in bed, its 10pm. usually i am in bed by 11pm. on the bright side, they wake up later in the morning, so we are getting in 8-9hrs. of sleep each night.

  • Venusroze

     I get at least 8 hours sleep (almost consecutive as I have a 6 month old who still night nurses). I’ll work on getting that last hour, I bet it will help me wake up more energized. I love the idea of zero light… I’m going to cover up the modem lights and turn the alarm clock around – it’s on the other side of the room so we shouldn’t see any light from it.

  • paula

    My biggest challenge is staying up too late on the computer. Overcome it??? Hmmm….

  • Jessica Kessel

    Went to bed last night before 10pm, just can’t help waking up when hubby leaves at 530am…:( 

  • Jessica West

    Having a toddler who is a terrible sleeper makes getting a good night’s sleep very difficult for me. I’m in bed before 10pm, because I have to try to get as much sleep as possible before he wakes up in the middle of the night. The worst nights are when he wakes up at 2-ish and just can’t fall back asleep, for hours. If it’s not that wakefulness, he sleeps through the night but then is ready to go at 4am. We’ve been struggling for months, and it is getting a teensy bit better, but it’s still not solved. I’m hoping totally cutting out grains for him (which we’re working on . . . ) will help.
    Hopefully I can post back here about a few good nights of rest this week! Any tips on helping him sleep would be good, though I’ve read so much and tried so many things, nothing’s worked!

  • Holly1414

    My biggest obstacle is staying asleep – or getting back to sleep! I’m usually in bed by 10 or 10:30 anyway, and up around 7, but only end up logging about 5.5-7 hours. I’d love to black out the windows, but can’t afford to run the AC 24 hours, so I’ve been using a sleep mask instead. We have no electronics at all in the bedroom, save our cell phones. Unfortunately, my 5-year old gets up to potty around 2:30 on most nights, which wakes me up because I’m a VERY light sleeper, and I typically end up tossing and turning for a couple of hours before I finally doze off…just in time to get up and make breakfast. I’m exhausted! Any suggestions would be welcomed!!

  • Sammyripp

    I used to need 10 or 11 hours of sleep in order to not feel sleepy and fatigued the next day, but with healthy eating habits, I am feeling well on a normal 8-9 hours of sleep. I am usually in bed by 10, but my challenge is that my mind is racing, so I don’t fall asleep for an hour or so. I’ll try reading so that I can de-stress.

  • amy

    I was a terrible sleeper for the longest time, along with kids who were “wakers ” one woke up every night at 11:30, the other at 4:00 on the dot. They always got back to sleep very quickly…not me. I think I was severely sleep deprived for years! Then my wonderful family of 4 lived in a 32 ft 5th wheel for 15 months while building a house. We all went to bed at dark. There was no tv. No staying up late for the adults because we were (1) exhausted from work & building ourselves (2) didn’t have an extra room to hang out in. Now I try to keep same routine with kids going to bed and me following right behind. And Running helps, not much tv, going to bed and waking at the same time everyday. And I don’t use an alarm clock!

  • http://www.loveandbacon.com loveandbacon

    My biggest sleep challenge is getting to bed at a decent time… especially now that it’s summer and light outside for so long.  I have to wake up at 5:30am to get ready for work, so for nine hours of sleep I have to go to bed by 8:30pm. Blergh. It’s difficult to want to (and fall) sleep when it’s still somewhat light out. Especially since with the husband’s schedule, we usually don’t eat dinner until 7-7:30.

    So I think I will have to force myself into bed at 9:30 so I can get at least eight hours. Maybe I’ll “unplug” and read a real book for a bit to wind down and prepare for bed, instead of Facebooking or catching up on TV shows.

  • Alexandra

    The day before the sleep challenge started, I began to improve my sleep schedule on my own.  ^_^  I’m going to bed hours earlier than normal.  I also convinced my husband to turn off the living room light that shines into our room.

  • Linda

    I did sleep for 9 hours, but I didn’t get to bed before 10.  Does that count?  ;)

  • Alexandra

    I’m also putting my new adopted kittens on a feeding schedule so they’ll stop nibbling on my nose at four thirty in the morning.  lol

  • Ashleigh LaGraves

     I definitely want to try this. I have been having terrible insomnia the past 3 weeks.. sometimes I am even awake for days!! This could be just what I need to get back on track.

  • Breakofday7

    My biggest obstacle is a recently weaned 2 year-old who is learning to fall asleep on his own =0).  My plan is to implement a consistent nighttime routine.

  • http://twitter.com/YoHippyChick Jillian Navejas

    Sleep challenge?  Nice.  I think I’ve got teh sleep dialed in.  I put up blackout curtains about 6 months ago.  I have no LED (other than that smoke detector!) and no electronics in my room except for my cell phone which I use as an alarm clock.  I sleep about 9 hours per night.  Sleeping in the DARK has made a huge difference!

  • Arla Nummelin

    We have started drinking a cup of Calm (lemon flavored) before bed. The kids (aged 18 -32) love it as much as we do. It’s a magnesium drink found at the healthfoodstore.
    Another note: My husband and I trained our 2nd child to sleep through the night as soon as we got home from the delivery. Really helpful for both my baby daughter and me!