Bruce Blows Up Your Ideas About Sleep

When your day starts in the wee small hours of the morning you tend to become an expert on sleep. While I am no doctor I can tell you what I know about those blissful hours of rest and repose that so many of us crave during the day.

Personally I think most people look at sleep time as wasted time. They couldn't be more wrong. Sleep time is when you set yourself up for a better day. But if you can't fall asleep at night how are you supposed to be ready for tomorrow?

The one thing you can do this afternoon that will help you sleep tonight is exercise. Even if it's a simple walk around your neighborhood or mowing the lawn, the energy expenditure will help you sleep better tonight. Try to do your walk in the late afternoon but don't exercise right before bedtime.

Here's another thing  you can do that will help you fall asleep faster tonight. Do some stretching before you climb into the sack. I am not talking about strenuous before a work out kind of stretching but some simple leg stretches, shoulder curls, hands over your head, kind of stretching. This will help your body align itself and work out some of the kinks that might keep you awake.

If you must have a snack before bedtime choose wisely. I suggest a small glass of milk and an  oatmeal cookie. These foods help your body fire up the sleep inducing amino acid tryptophan. That's the same stuff that knocks you out after Thanksgiving dinner.

Finally here is the biggie that makes all the difference in my London time zone lifestyle. I have a sleep schedule and I try to stick to it. Your Mom was right about that regular bedtime. If your body gets used to hitting the hay at 8pm, then you will fall asleep at 8pm. As someone who has done morning radio for over three decades this is the one tip that will keep you healthy, happy and out of the bars at night.

The folks at WebMD have some other great ideas on how to get a better night's sleep and I  am proud to say that a lot of what I have learned is in direct agreement with what they have to say. Like I told you, I'm not a doctor but I have certainly earned my PhD in sleeping through life experience.