Get Some Sleep!

This may not be the first thing you want to read on a MONDAY…but SLEEP.

Sleep, sleep, sleep.

You want a  nap now, don’t you?  I bet you do.  It’s cold out, probably raining or snowing wherever you are (of course!), and after too short of a weekend, you would just like to call it a day and hit the sack.

I hear you.

But…hang in there.

After all, it’s National Sleep Awareness Week, and thanks to Procter and Gamble, I got to attend a mini-conference on all things sleep a few days ago, at the P&G Headquarters in Cincinnati.

Did you even know that P&G is in Cincy?  I didn’t.  I just assumed the titanic company would be headquartered somewhere like Chicago, or LA, or New York.  A BIG city.  But no, quaint and efficient Cincinnati is their home, and has been since Day One.  Why change a good thing?

We had a ball visiting – we were treated to a super fun hotel, called the 21c Museum Hotel in downtown.  Art was everywhere, and so were giant yellow penguins!  A cocktail party with photo opps and BEDS, more penguins, and a fantastic signature cocktail was a great way to kick off our stay, so that we could mix and mingle with the other bloggers from across the country. 

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After the party?  SNUGGIES in our rooms!  Did I seriously post photos of myself in it?  Ummm….well, yeah.  I blame the signature cocktails.

The next morning we were treated to breakfast in bed, then off we went to the P&G Headquarters.  Let me say right off…could this place have been cleaner or smelled any better?  No.  THAT, my friends, was as impressive as a tour through the archives of all things P&G!  (By the way, I took this picture of the façade with my iPhone, then used the Waterlogue App to make it all watercolory.  Cool, right?)

But back to sleep.  Like I said, it’s National Sleep Awareness Week, and if you are anything at all like me, you could use a better night’s sleep.  It’s okay – we all do.  We are so stressed out from work, hobbies, school, errands, bills – it adds up.  But from what I learned at the conference, and from pure common sense – NOT getting enough sleep, and GOOD sleep makes the stress even worse.

I’m not sure why we negate sleep like we do – it seems to fall in rankings to eating well and exercise, but it really should mean more to us.  Without sleep, our bodies can’t regroup, can’t rest, can’t be our best.  The average adult should be getting a good 7 to 9 hours per night…and most of us are far less than that.  I know I get that, usually…but not always.  My husband?  I don’t know how but he survives on about 5 and 1/2 hours.  I couldn’t do it.  All of us are different though, and we all have different needs.

As I write this though, I feel like I could sleep a good three days.  Maybe more.

So, how do we get better sleep?  I know for me it is often hard to fall asleep, which results in tossing and turning.  That’s aggravating.  But the folks at P&G have some advice and some products that could help both of us.

Get some exercise.  Exercise does the body good, and also tires us out.  A tired body sleeps.  So take a hike, take the stairs, do some jumping jacks…just do something, and sleep will more easily find you.

Eat well, and don’t eat late.  We all know this.  Snacking before bedtime does nothing for us.  Try to eat your dinner and then call it quits.

Set a bedtime routine.  Maybe grab a shower at the same time each night, light a candle, listen to some soothing music.  Just be as consistent as possible, and your body will recognize the signals and know it’s time to sleep.

Get comfortable.  Good sheets, good pillows, cool temperature (under 70 or less is best) and a dark room free of electronics (I know, the horror!) will lead to better sleep.  Give it a try!

Block it out.  Have you tried a white noise machine?  I know it sounds silly, but these things really do seem to work.  Even in a quiet environment there’s something soothing about that faint, non-thinking sound.

Soothe your senses.  Smells of honey, lavender, and jasmine are great to encourage sleep, so stock up.  In support of the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Awareness Week™ 2014, March 2-9, P&G Fabric Care is launching the Sweet Dreams Collection, including Tide® plus a touch of Downy™ Sweet Dreams™, Downy® UNSTOPABLES® Dreams™, Downy Infusions® Sweet Dreams™, and Bounce® Sweet Dreams™, which can transform your bedtime fabrics to help you relax so you can fall asleep.  Febreze has a new line of products called that feature these scents.  Sprays, air fresheners, candles, you name it.  They smell incredible – so soft.  Tide, Downy, and Bounce all have a sleepy scent now as well, so toss those sheets and jammies in the wash with the new line and drift off to dreamland.  My favorite of the products?  Downy UnStopables.  I’ve LOVED these things since Day One and can’t say enough good things about them.  They LAST for weeks.  Turns out, as you use the sheets or towels, the soft scent gets rubbed from the fibers and KEEPS on smelling fresh.  Weeks I tell you.  I love being able to open my bedroom door and smelling the clean smell.  Now that there’s a Sweet Dreams scent?  I’m in heaven.

In support of the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Awareness Week™ 2014, March 2-9, P&G Fabric Care is launching the Sweet Dreams Collection, including Tide® plus a touch of Downy™ Sweet Dreams™, Downy® UNSTOPABLES® Dreams™, Downy Infusions® Sweet Dreams™, and Bounce® Sweet Dreams™, which can transform your bedtime fabrics to help you relax so you can fall asleep. (Photo: Business Wire)

 

Still can’t sleep?  Try ZzzQuil.  It’s non-habit forming (I should know!) and really does help.  It’s just for sleep, and I don’t feel that groggy feeling in the morning like I do with other brands.  Sometimes we all need a little help…so why not give it a try?

So…what do YOU do to get better sleep?  Do you have trouble at night?  Have you tried any of these new products?  If so, I’d love to hear what you thought.

And Hey…wake up!  You can sleep tonight…I hope!

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