SPoH: Day 11 - Preparing yourself for sleep

SPoH: Day 11 - It is not very often that people think that they need to prepare themselves for sleep.  I remember my pastor giving a sermon once about preparing ourselves for the Sabbath.  What we filled our minds with the night before should prepare us for a day of worship.  Staying up late or watching or listening to something that is not glorifying to God is not preparing our minds or bodies for Sabbath.  When I read this chapter, that is the message that I took from it.  In order to have a good nights rest, Colbert says it is good to prepare yourself.  Here are some things that he suggests:

1) Do some aerobic exercise in the afternoon or early evening. However, you do not want to exercise within 3 hours before your bedtime.

2) Eat dinner 4 hours before bedtime.  You can make a light snack before bed as long as it is well balanced and won't keep you up all night.

3)  Our bodies are designed to release melatonin when it gets dark that naturally makes us sleepy.  If you are having trouble feeling tired or sleepy when you are watching tv or looking at your computer it is because the lights suppress the release of the hormone.

4) Find relaxing/calming activities to do before bed rather than watching an action-packed movie. Take a hot shower or bath.

5) Find ways to appreciate things in your life rather then always worrying about things.  Your worries will keep you up all night when majority of the time there is nothing you can do about them.  Give them to God and when you are able to do something about it, take care of it then.  You will be more refreshed and able to take care of things when you have had a good nights rest.  Reading your bible before bed can help. (Colbert talks in more detail about stress relief later in the book)

6)  Apparently, sleep early in the night is important for cell replacement.  Colbert recommends going to bed before midnight. 9pm or 10pm is preferred for maximum health benefit.  (I've already broken this one tonight.) 

Personally, I am going to be working on not watching tv or being on the computer right before bed time, finding ways to appreciate my life instead of worrying so much, and finding more relaxing activities to do during the later evening hours.  Now I really must go to bed and get some sleep.