Legal Research

Last week we covered how to productively stay up all night.  This week, some tips from Reader's Digest for getting a good night's sleep.  A few examples from the list of 24:

Figure out your body cycle. Ever find that you get really sleepy at 10 p.m., that the sleepiness passes, and that by the time the late news comes on, you're wide-awake?. . . .If you've noticed these kinds of rhythms in your own body clock, use them to your advantage. When sleepiness comes, get to bed. Otherwise, it might be a long time until you are ready to fall asleep again.

Clean your bedroom and paint it a soothing sage green. Or some other soothing color. . . .The smooth, clean surfaces act as a balm to your brain, helping to smooth out your own worries and mental to-do lists. The soothing color provides a visual reminder of sleep, relaxing you as you lie in bed reading or preparing for sleep.

Drink water before bed, not fruit juice. One study found it took participants an extra 20 to 30 minutes to fall asleep after drinking a cup of fruit juice, most likely because of the high sugar content in juice.

Spend 10 minutes journaling the day's events or feelings after tucking yourself into bed. This "data dump" will help turn off the repeating tape of our day that often plays in our minds, keeping us from falling asleep.

If you have trouble falling asleep or trouble sleeping through the night, you're bound to find a tip or two that will help.  Me? I'm going to stop the late night glass of orange juice!