5 Tips & 5 Giveaways to Improve Your Sleep

We bought a sound machine for my newborn daughter who shares a room with us. One of the sound options is a light rain shower and since we started the sound machine for her I sleep better too!

I finally realized that my 2 fur babies were disturbing my sleep. It wasn't easy to make the decision to ban them from my bedroom (at least while I'm sleeping) but I'm getting MUCH better sleep now.

My bedtime ritual starts with a shower where I use a shower cream or gel with a relaxing scent. My current favorite is Mama Mio OMega Shower Cream. Then I'll slather on a lotion with a calming scent note in it like lavender or vanilla. As a life-long insomniac who can't take most sleep aids thanks to interactions with medication I swear by a cup of Sleepytime Tea from Celestial Seasonings and a pair of thick socks on tough nights. If comfort is an issue I also recommend a down pillow, my chiropractor made me buy one because my old pillow was not only not helping my neck injury heal but not helping me get comfortable fast enough. When in doubt a little Diphenhydramine (ie. Benadryl) is what my neurologist has me take. My husband likes to run a fan for the noise but I find noise hard to sleep with so we compromised with an app on my iPad that makes brown noise instead of white (I never even knew there was such a thing before the app) which doesn't bother me as much.

After years of insomnia, I found a miracle product. Mercola.com sells a sublingual Melatonin spray that WORKS. Hallelujah. I have recommended it to many people who have had great success with it. For some reason, it is the only melatonin that worked for me.

in order to sleep, i have to have my memory foam mattress topper!! it is so comfy and soft..i still can sleep without it, but my best sleep is with it!!

I do about an hour of crossfit in the evenings... and that usually does the trick!

I LOVE my sleep number bed! It has been the best investment I have made! I sleep like a baby now!

I take a bath in Johnson's bedtime bath which I also use for my kids. I also apply aromatherapy sleep lotion by bath and body works and take melatonin.

I like to give myself 5-10 minutes to give myself a foot rub with a good foot cream to help me wind down and get ready for sleep. I also always sleep with a fan for the subtle noise it makes.

All of the suggestions are good ones, I especially love the book and lavendar and use most of them to promote sleep on a regular basis. It's tough enough getting a full nights sleep but bathing too close to bedtime just wakes me up so that's left for the am and a brisk shower.

I found that I get an excellent night's sleep when I spray a lavender linen spray on my pillows. It is such a calming and relaxing smell. The spray doesn't stain the linens and leaves a pretty smell that seems to last all night long. If I can't fall asleep even with the spray, I normally get up and read a book for a few minutes until I start to feel tired again. Also I found that stretching before I go to bed seems to help me relax and feel more sleepy.

Warm bath with a glass of wine and soft music and dimmed lights.

I love my tempupedic mattress. I am sure you have other reviews about this so I will add my review of my new latex pillow. I am a side sleeper and this is firm, soft, and holds it's shape for a longgggggg time. It also stays pretty cool at night. I bought one for myself a while ago and went back to get my husband one and they were sold out for weeks. I guess the word got around.

My sister gave me a beautiful hand crafted angel with lavender in it. It's always at my bedside. I like a nice warm bath with lavender oil to help me relax. A nice cup of chamomile tea and some soothing music gets me ready for a restful night. I used to fall asleep with the tv on, but no more of that. I realized how much better I slept when there was a storm and I lost power for several days. Sleeping without the tv on was great. I made a playlist of my favorite "chill out" music and put it on my MP3 player. Put my earphones on and I'm good. If all else fails, I try and find a Jennifer Aniston movie...that ALWAYS bores me to tears, making me good n drowsy! =-P

I never thought I'd have trouble sleeping, but menopause really wreaked havoc on getting a good night's rest !! After over 7 years of hot flashes and the sleep problems they cause, I'm not sure there are any magic "cures". I do my best to relax in the evenings, and sometimes enjoy a cup of hot chocolate shortly before turning in. If I find I really can't fall asleep, I end up on the sofa and let the electronic sleep machine (a.k.a. the television) put me to sleep.