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5 Ways to ....Get a Better Night's Sleep (3/1/2010)
Family Fun March 2010
When you change your clocks for daylight saving time, don't forget your body's internal timepiece: the hypothalamus. To help reset it, try logging extra time in the sun, especially early in the day. Even eating breakfast near a sunny window can make a difference.
Studies show that cool kids sleep better. In fact, the ideal temperature for sleep is between 61 and 66 degrees Fahrenheit. But according to the author of a Swiss sleep study, having warm feet can help you fall asleep more quickly. The found that tucking them in with a hot water bottle at night can do the trick.
The bright light emanating from computer and TV screens can disrupt normal sleep patterns by sending the wrong message ("It's still daytime") to the brain. The solution? Turn off all electronic media at least one hour - preferably two - before bedtime.
Patricia Murphy, a sleep researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, believes that a relaxing soak or a warm shower about 60 to 90 minutes before bedtime can make you fall asleep faster. Her theory: the rapid drop in temperature after getting out to the tub helps your body adjust its internal thermostat to a more sleep friendly temperature.
Kim West, author of Good Night, Sleep Tight and Founder of sleeplady.com, offers this recipe for relaxing into a good night's sleep: make a sleep sandwich with you child as the filling and his bed and pillow as the bread. First, have him lie on his be, then message his body as you add pretend condiments. Top with the bead pillow and press gently but firmly on his limbs and torso.
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