To Sleep, Perchance to Dream...

Ahhh…  deep, restorative sleep. 

This little guy makes it look easy, but it seems to evade us more and more as we get older.

Here are a few things that I have uncovered in my quest to sleep better:

Melatonin, of course.

Valerian Root.     (My mama used to call this The Poor Man's Muscle Relaxer.)

Skullcap.

Various essential oils.

No caffeine.

A small snack before bedtime.

White noise.

A chilly room.

A dark room.

Binaural beats.

Various natural sleep supplements.

We don't ever want to go the Rx route, if at all possible.  And we would just use OTC sleep aids with diphenhydramine in them (Benadryl), which work great, but that drug has been recently linked to developing dementia.  (Well, all anticholinergic drugs have been, unfortunately.)  So, until the science is clear about that, we avoid taking it as much as possible.  (Sometimes, though, ya just have to make an exception!)

Two things have really made a difference, and I wanted to share them with you.

I read a blog written by an orthopedic surgeon that suggested adding 2-inch memory foam to our beds.  She said we lose our body's natural cushioning as we age, and get bonier and pointier, which gets less and less comfortable in bed while we sleep.  Adding this foam to your current mattress can help with all that.

We bought this one:  Memory Foam Topper   (There are others, of course.)  We really love it, and even added a pillow top cushion on top of that!  (You may not want to.)  But that way we don't overheat from the memory foam, and it makes the bed even more luxurious and cushier.  We got this one:  Mattress pillow topper 

(BTW, I did have to buy a new fitted sheet, a deeper one, to accommodate all this new stuff.)

The other thing is:

Magnesium.  

But not just any magnesium.  It turns out that magnesium citrate is great for going to the bathroom, but it's magnesium glycinate that you want to help you relax. 

We take two pills 30 minutes or so before bedtime, and it has really and truly helped me, especially, so much!  I have had trouble falling asleep my whole life, and have dreamed over the years of finding an "Off Switch", as it were.  I may have finally found it.  (Here's a link to the one we buy:  Magnesium on Amazon )

Yes, the magnesium pills are not on the small side, and you all know how I feel about taking pills, much less horse tablets!  LOL!!  But these are truly worth it.  (Don't forget to use the Pill Glide spray to help with the huge pills!)

I am always looking for more things to try, because there's no substitute for a good night's sleep.

Sweet dreams!!

XOXO,

Lucky Dog

♥