The founder of the Huffington Post appeared in Parade Magazine in a lacy nightgown and satin robe. She wasn’t promoting her popular website – she was promoting sleep. Among her other good habits, the journalism household name puts great sleep as a top priority, and says that her dedication to getting quality shuteye has contributed to her success. While we might not all hope to achieve the level of financial success at Arianna Huffington, we can certainly aspire to her level of health success. From the queen of sleep to you, here are 5 tips for getting great sleep.
Know your sleep IQ.
Do you think you’re great with only 6 hours of sleep? Is that because that’s the most you usually clock. Arianna said she found out through trial and error that she needs 8 hours. She tries to hit the sack by 11pm, but says, “What time I go to bed depends entirely on what time I need to get up.” Try a diary that records your sleep time and your daily activity and mood and see if you can find your sleep IQ.
Embrace tradeoffs.
You may have to watch a special television show on the DVR and you may have to leave a dinner with friends a little earlier than you’d like. But, treat your sleep like it’s important and you may find more energy and smiles in every day.
Get plenty of exercise.
Parade’s survey may have proved it. Sleep (30%) beat sex (26%) of something the responders would like to have the most. Losing 15 pounds beat both (34%), but did responders know that being sleep deprived may drive gaining weight?
Block out light.
Your body responds to light even in your sleep. Turnover and face the light from your clock radio and is it enough to disturb you? Arianna takes no chances. She uses a sleep mask with an extra feature – a cooling, gel pack inside.
Sip some cherry juice.
You may not have heard this one. A glass of tart cheery juices such as Montmorency cherries may improve your sleep because it contains high levels of melatonin – the hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycle. Sounds good – and worth a try!
According to a Parade’s survey, 95% of respondents wanted more sleep and 38% reported getting five hours or less sleep each night. Don't be a statistic—follow Arianna’s example and set your bedtime according to the time you need to wake up. And don't count out the importance of sleeping on a quality mattress. If it's been more than a decade since you purchased your mattress, it's time for a new one!
