The World Series, or How to Sleep Like a Champion!

We are baseball fans, its what we do in St. Louis.  They call us Cardinal Nation, and when our beloved Birds make the post season the town goes red!  So Go Cards!

So how do we sleep like champions?  Sleep is one of the most important things we do every day that influences our quality of life from the beginning, to the end of it.  When we are babies, nature and parents make sure we get enough sleep, when we grow older we some times make decisions that affect the amount of sleep we get.  Those decisions can determine how long you will live, and the quality of your life.

First set a schedule for sleep.  Make sure it is the same hours all 7 days of each week.  It doesn't matter if you want to wake up early and go to the gym, or read the paper, but keep that schedule.  Occasional variations are OK, but occasional would be less than a couple times every month.  We would suggest to take your waking time and subtract 7 to 9 hours to arrive at a bed time.  Regardless of when you arise, make sure you have plenty of quality sleep time.

Second, make sure your room is sleep friendly.  What is sleep friendly?  Sleep friendly is a room that screens out external light.  It is a room that is at a good sleep temperature.  And it is furnished with a great sleep surface (like Comfortaire, its what we do...).  Consider the wall color by choosing a color that is restful.  Make sure that there are no light sources to interrupt your sleep, like cell phones, computers, TVs and the like.  Make sure the sound level is conducive to sleeping.  If you live on a noisy street consider heavy drapes or a white noise device to filter out the noise.

Third, consider what you sleep in.  Make sure it is louse fitting and comfortable.  This includes the bedding.  Natural materials like cotton are a great choice. 

Fourth, make time to snuggle.  It is something we all need to be a complete human.  But it should not interrupt the amount of time we are in sleep mode.  It is one of the two things that should occur in the bed room.

Fifth, take time to wind down before your bed time.  Avoid stimulants, or depressants that would impact your sleep.  The Cardinals, when they won the Wild Card Game, had champagne, but most of it went all over the room! 

These five things can make you a sleep champion, and although there is no big blingy ring for being a champion, you might find yourself more productive when awake.  Productivity should find your wallet getting fatter, so splurge on the bling yourself!  Oh and hey St. Louis... Its OK to watch the Cardinals, this will be the one off variation, OK?

Sleep Well!