Consume Alcohol with Caution
"While alcohol may help you fall asleep, it will disrupt your sleep during the night as it metabolizes — fragmenting it and leaving you unrefreshed upon awakening," explains Cralle. That said, if you do decide to have a drink, she advises having it earlier in the evening (think happy hour time — or, at least three hours before bedtime). Staying hydrated with a glass of water will also help.
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Try Not to Bring Your Worries to Bed
"Get into the habit of writing a to-do list, which includes jotting down things you worry about," Cralle says. She says that some people refer to this as a "brain dump" — and it can help prevent that pesky racing mind that can keep you awake at night (we all know the feeling).
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Conduct a Bedroom Audit
"Your bedroom has two purposes — sleep and romance," Cralle tells TotalBeauty. When you add other items (such as exercise equipment, televisions, home office supplies, clutter), she says it becomes a multi-purpose room that is not conducive to sleep. Since clutter is distracting, she notes that it's important to remove as much as possible in order to get a good night's sleep. Time to Marie Kondo!
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Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
"The damage to your body that is the result of insufficient sleep cannot be reversed with makeup sleep during the weekends," stresses Cralle. Though popular in concept, she explains that weekend catch up sleep actually does a number on your body clock, basically resulting in a permanent case of social jet lag. By contrast, she says that the healthiest sleep schedule is one that provides sufficient sleep every night of the week — which for adults means seven to nine hours per night.
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Schedule Sleep
Along those lines, be sure to carve out time in your busy schedule for sleep. "Sleep deprivation leads to health problems and so much more," Cralle explains. As she put it, it's imperative to prioritize sleep by scheduling sufficient sleep every day of the week and making that your first health priority.
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