Stop Tossing and Turning: Advice to Get your Best Sleep Ever

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From the Editors of Las Fabulosas

These sleep tips will help you optimize your nightly rest so you can be productive, mentally sharp, emotionally balanced and full of energy all day long.The cure for sleep difficulties is often found in your daily routine. Your sleep schedule, bedtime habits and day-to-day lifestyle choices can make an enormous difference on the quality of your nightly rest.

• No caffeine after your morning cup of Joe. The precise cut-off time varies depending on when you go to bed, but it takes anywhere from five to nine hours for caffeine to fully leave your system.

• Keep your bedroom cool. Overheating is one of the main reasons people wake up. The ideal bedroom temperature is somewhere in the mid 60s. Also sleep in pajamas made of natural fabrics, such as cotton, since they breathe better.

• Lights off for all technology — including TV, smartphones, Facebook, and any other screen — prior to bed. This may be a hard one, but it’s very important to help you prepare for sleepy time.

• Enjoy a cup of chamomile tea before bedtime, and use a little lavender oil on your pillow: both are proven to relax the body.

• If you have trouble sleeping, take long, deep breaths. The sound of inhaling and exhaling can lull you to sleep.

Robyn Moreno   is a proud Latina of Mexican-American heritage, and has co-written, and co-edited two Latino-centric books: Suave: The Latin Male, a fashion book about Latino style icons, and Border-Line Personalities: A New Generation of Latinas Dish on Sex, Sass, and Cultural Shifting, an honest and irreverent anthology about life as a modern Latina.