Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and....sleepy

It's Monday, which means it's time for my usual satirical view on the end of the weekend. The fact that it's almost closing time (metaphorically speaking) and I'm just now getting the chance to sit down and blog should tell you something. Namely, that there were way too many things that had to be done today to be considered anything even REMOTELY reasonable for a Monday! But that's just sour grapes talking.

Why? Because (oops!) I did it again. I stayed up way too late Sunday night, trying to prolong the weekend (and finish the amazing book I was reading) and was dragging big time when I got out of bed this morning. Which brings me to my topic of the day. Sleep. Rather, the lack of it. And the need for almost all of us to get more. And the fact that that isn't as easy as it sounds!

In theory, going to bed exactly 8 1/2 to 9 hours before you have to get up in the morning should more than set you up for sleepytime success. You can get a full 8 straight and wake up in the morning revitalized and ready to roll, right? Unfortunately, it doesn't always work like that. What do you do if you're the type of person that has trouble falling asleep? You can go to bed at 9:00 all you want, you're still not going to go to sleep until midnight.


So theoretically, early to bed and early to rise isn't going to make you anything but sleepy. The question is, what can you do about it? Personally, I opt for arranging a work schedule that's more conducive to your sleep schedule (if possible). If not, there are some great tips to help you sleep. I find that putting in a hard workout about 2 hours before bed, then taking a hot shower and pouring a hot (noncaffeinated drink) is a great way to stimulate sleep.

And DO NOT give in to temptation and kick on the television! You'll end up staying up too late every time. I strongly recommend a book of short stories.

What are your best sleepy-time tips?