Came across this today, and loved it! This is a topic that comes up on a daily basis within Interactive Counselor!!

I call it Busy Brain Syndrome! Where either you can't fall asleep at night (even though you're SO tired) or you wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep, because your brain starts racing! I know this happens to me, and impacts so many other people, so I thought I would give some tips/tricks for you to try (and I mean try for a week, not just one night).

- Try brain dumping before bed! Before you crawl into bed, sit down and write down (yes WRITE, not type in your phone) all of your stressors and things that are on your mind that could potentially prevent you from falling asleep. Make a list of things you NEED to get done the next day, and things that you WANT to get done. This will help you prioritize tasks for the next day, one less thing to stress about the night before!

- Don't read self helps book before bed! I LOVE it when people use multiple sources to try to better themselves like self helps book and podcasts. However, doing these things doesn't wind your brain down, it actually makes it more active! A thing you do not want to do before bed!

- Routine, routine, routine!!!! This is key! Do the same thing every night before bed, which will trigger your brain and body to let it know it's time to get ready for sleep. Sleep is a skill! I learned this when a wonderful woman taught me to sleep train my son---and the basis is routine and consistency! I have adapted this to my own sleep habit and I know if I miss a step, I don't sleep as well. Develop a routine that is doable every night and stick to it!!!!!

- Take time to do something relaxing and mindless. Have a hot shower, a bath, read a book that you enjoy!! Slow down at the end of your evening, take some deep breaths and relax.

We challenge you to do some (or all) of these tips consistently, let us know how it helps you! There are MANY other things you can do, but we find these are some of the top things that make the most impact on your sleep, the quickest!

Sweet Dream Tonight!!!

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