Kirkland Shave, Program Director at Mountain Trek, offers sleep seminars and teaches the fundamentals of sleep health and creating a seamless sleep regimen before bedtime. “Humans are genetically wired for cycles of sleep to create hormone balance and optimal health,” he says. Here are his quick fixes to help you sleep.
1. Meditate or read just before bed to silence the anxieties or worries that are likely to wake you up later.
2. Avoid drinking anything caffeinated 6 to 8 hours before bed. “Even a glass of caffeinated iced tea before dinner can throw off your sleep time,” he says.
3. Exercise most days of the week but perform workouts before 6 pm to allow the natural slower rhythms of your body to return.
4. Skip the vino, he urges. Wine relaxes and makes you sleepy but interferes with natural sleep patterns roughly three hours after you drop off to dreamland.
5. As you finally lay your tired head on a posture-perfect pillow, dab a few drops of calming vanilla or rose oil onto your pillowcase and pressure points to help encourage deeper relaxation.
Sweet dreams!