Thought for the Day

If you don't get a proper nights sleep, if you have problems sleeping chances are your ability to deal with stressful situations is not good. Or you make a situation more stressful due to your lack of sleep.

Adults need seven to eight hours sleep each night. And, when we are deprived of that sleep it is more difficult to cope with day to day issues.

Here are some tips to help you sleep better and hopefully by resting better you will find stress relief:

- watch your caffeine intake. Coffee, tea, and pop all have caffeine and caffeine will keep you awake. Stop drinking these beverages at noon. If you want to drink them then buy the decaffeinated ones to drink in the afternoon or early evening. Note, chocolate also has caffeine in it, so you should avoid eating chocolate in the evening.
- Allow yourself some wind down time. Do not keep working in the evening and then go to bed. Allow some time for relaxation before you go to bed. This will help your mind to calm and will help in getting a good nights sleep.
- Do not sleep in a warm room, keep your bedroom at a cooler temperature than the rest of your house.
- Do not eat before going to bed. You should eat 2 -3 hours before turning in.
- If something is bothering you, or remembered something you were suppose to do, write it down and forget about it. Lying there thinking about something you can't do right now will only frustrate you and keep you awake.
- Alcohol does affect your sleeping patterns. You may find you go to sleep, but you will also find you will wake up in the middle of the night.