Oh to sleep like a baby.

In the previous blog we talked about my Mantra no 2 – the importance of sleep, and how we should get 7 hours of deep sleep.

I have never taken any sleeping pills. I don’t suffer from jet lag. I sleep like a baby. Between 12pm and 5 am is my deepest sleeping time. You could come into my room and drop a glass bottle and break it into thousands of pieces. And I won’t stir. Does that sound like a dream…….You can do it too !

So what is it that I do to get this sleep.

Below are some habits that I am sharing. These I found have helped me tremendously.

1) Eat my last meal before 8pm. When I am travelling overseas, I eat at 6:30pm. In India I try and eat between 7pm and 7:30pm . Along with my meal I have a glass of red wine and some cheese – and end the meal with a few bowls of curd. These foods are my stress busters. Find the food that elevates your mood. But eat at least 3 hours before your bed time. If there is a late conference call at work, I will eat my dinner at the desk itself. I also drink 2 cups of green tea after dinner – it helps me feel lighter after the meal, and prevents acidity and heart burn that one can get sometimes after a heavy meal.

2) Exercise daily and in the early morning. I am an early riser, and my work out is finished by 8 am. It took me time to figure out my ideal time to exercise. Couple of years back I used to work out anytime of the day when I could take out the time. Last 4 years it has been very disciplined at 6.45am. I found working out in the evening kept me restless when I went to bed. I also figured out, if I go a couple of days without exercise, it affects my sleep.

3) Don’t take any stress or unfinished conversations to bed. They say a good laugh and sleep is cure for all ailments. But to get a good sleep one needs the mind to be relaxed and clutter free. Express your feelings through the day. Keep your relationships in a state of completeness every day. And wake up to a fresh new day.

4) Find the sleep posture that suits you. I sleep on my right side curled up. If sleeping on the back works for you, then you should do that. And most important is the mattress and pillow. I sleep on a firm mattress and , a thin firm pillow .In fact in hotels which have thick fluffy pillows, I find it difficult to sleep and ask them to provide ‘my right’ pillow.

5) Stay busy and active through the day. I work and am on the move the whole day. Even my holidays and days off are filled with activity. I can’t sit doing nothing .And I don’t sleep during the day at all. I have never taken an afternoon nap. By the time it’s 10:30 pm, my eyes are shutting and I am ready to sleep.

6) The 30 mins before bedtime, don’t do anything that consumes physical or mental energy. I read a bit of a book that I have started, listen to music or watch an episode of a show on Netflix. Find out what helps you unwind and do that before going to bed.

7) Dreams – I find that they put me to sleep. I make myself dream – about anything, from relationships, to travel, to work related. It’s like watching a film in your mind. And sometime during the dreaming I just fall into a deep slumber.