Having a routine is essential. Everyone has one.

Whether you wake up, turn on the morning news, and brew yourself a coffee or you sleep in leaving yourself 15 minutes to leave the house in the AM, this is your routine.

Have you ever revaluated your sleep routine?
How you fall asleep, how long you sleep, and how you wake up affects everything from your stress levels to your eating habits.

Sleep doctors recommend a laundry list of things to help you have your best sleep. Keeping tabs on these things can help you maintain a better routine in the awake hours and be more productive during daily tasks!

• Have a calming sleep routine: Step 1, put your cell phone away. The backlighting from your phone will keep your brain awake long after you put the phone down. The best pre-bedtime routine is a calming one. One that will let your brain and body wind down from the day you had.
• Exercise: Yes, this has everything to do with how you sleep. Studies show that people sleep significantly better and feel more alert during the day if they get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week. You’ll feel healthier going to the gym weekly and be more alert during the day after sleeping better.
• Avoid caffeine: I know, we struggle with this rule sometimes too. Not only should you avoid your usual coffee too late in the day, but alcohol and nicotine also interfere with your nightly sleep cycles. Take the challenge! Avoid those temptations for a week or two and revisit your sleep cycles. You’ll find that you’re most likely sleeping long and uninterrupted, which will make you less sluggish during the day.
• Maintain a schedule: If you wake up every day at 6am, you know that your body clock begins to sync with your actual alarm. Maintaining a schedule for waking up and falling asleep keeps your circadian rhythms in sync. When this rhythm gets interrupted, you’ll find yourself staring at the ceiling on Sunday night trying to fall asleep.

Creating better habits to promote a better sleep can increase alertness as well as overall mood!

Develop a routine that works for your and easily falls into the normal day-to-day activities of your life. You deserve to sleep better & feel better overall.