Inside: Mama, are you struggling to get good quality rest at night? There are a few things you can do TODAY to get better sleep TONIGHT. Here they are:

I had been glaring at that cobweb for days. Ok, Ok. It wasn’t days. It had been weeks.The spider's sneaky trap was getting bigger and bigger and I hated looking at it. It was nestled between the panes of the window above the small picnic table my boys ate off of in the kitchen. The web rippled every time air filtered through the tiny cracks in the edges of the glass. It was driving me crazy. 

But for some reason, days and weeks passed and I did nothing about it. I would look at it, groan, and tell myself I would get to it later. 

Until one day I finally grabbed a chopstick, wet cloth, and ripped that sucker away from the glass and down through the bottom of the open window. It took about one minute to get the job done. 

One minute! After weeks of looking at it and hating it. Why had it taken me so long? I knew the outcome I wanted, I knew what I needed to do, but I just couldn’t make myself move to do it. 

We are like that in so many areas of life, aren’t we?

And getting to bed sooner, sleeping well, and waking up before the kids are some of those areas. Even though we know those things are healthy, both mentally and physically, it feels hard to actually take the steps right now to do them. Life gets in the way. We wish and we want, but we don’t take action this second to make what we wish come true. 

So right now I want to give you three very practical things you can do today to get better sleep tonight. No excuses! If you do all three and it still doesn’t work, shoot me an email and let me know. I’ll be happy to admit I was wrong and I’ll re-think (and re-write if necessary) this post. 

But for now, give these three a try. Today. Don’t make any more excuses. Stop and do what it takes to get the sleep that you need. 

3 Things That You Can Do Today To Get Better Sleep Tonight

1. Get lots of sunlight (especially in the morning)

Also known as - get outside! Even if it is a cold day, you can bundle up and bear it. Why is this so important? We were created to be outside. We were made to be in the sun and to be exposed to the natural elements. And science has shown that when our bodies are in sync with natural light (we are up and active when it is light outside, and winding down when it gets dark), we tend to sleep better. 

Plus, the anecdotal evidence is there as well. You know when you are at the beach, in the sun for 80 percent of the day? Don’t you always feel more sleepy and ready for bed? The exposure to sunlight suppresses the production of melatonin (the hormone that helps you sleep). So when that sunlight is gone, your body starts increasing production and you get sleepy. 

So mama get outside, open those windows, and get some sun!

2. Exercise during the day

Now I know we all want to skip this one. We are tired, we’ve been running around all day, and can’t we just rest on the couch for a few minutes?? Yes. After you get a quick workout in. Mama it doesn’t have to be long! These 20 minutes YouTube workouts will do the trick. 

Intentionally moving your body and getting your heart rate up will do several things for you:

• Exercise helps reduce anxiety and stress (and it’s about time you stopped lying in bed awake for hours at night worrying!)
• The rise and subsequent decrease in your body core temperature after a workout makes you sleepy (but try to get your workout in a few hours before you go to sleep. That way your body’s temperature has enough time to go back down before you get in bed).
• Aerobic exercise (cardio) increases the amount of “slow wave” sleep (or deep sleep) that you get.

So get to moving mama! Don’t put it off until tomorrow. Today - right now if you are alone and have the time - get up and do a quick workout. If you don’t do it today, you probably won’t tomorrow, either. 

3. End your day with a cup of tea (and a good book). 

This one might be the easiest (unless for some reason ending the day with a hot beverage repulses you - but if that is the case you might have something bigger to worry about..:) ). 

I have a thing for tea. I have gotten to the place where I enjoy tea even more than water (that might be a bad thing…). But the right tea, enjoyed at the right time, can do wonders for your sleep. The type of tea will make a difference, so check out this list of 6 teas to help you sleep better at night.

Couple your cup of hot tea with a good book, and mama you are setting yourself up for an earlier better bedtime and better sleep. 

Not a reader? That is Ok. You can become one 🙂 The first step is finding the right book: fiction or nonfiction? Memoir or fantasy? There are books out there on every topic and for every preference. You just need to find something that interests and entertains you. 

To Get The Change You Want, You Have To Take Action

It’s time to stop saying and wishing you could get better sleep - it’s time to take the steps to do that. Make time today to:

• Get outside and get lots of sunlight.
• Exercise and move your body (mind over matter, mama!).
• End your day with a cup of hot tea and a book.

No one is going to clean that cobweb up for you (dang it!). We are all adults now. You have to decide to make the changes and take the steps to get the results you want. So put your big girl panties on, and today do what you have to in order to get the kind of rest your body and mind need. The people you love the most will be thankful for it.

I’m rooting for you!