Finding the Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

Grumpy, hungry, feeling lethargic during the say?  The solution might be a better night’s sleep. And a really good night’s sleep can make you feel like you just found the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Think about all the factors that can interfere with a good night's sleep — from pressure at work and family responsibilities to unexpected challenges, relationship issues or illnesses. It's no wonder that getting quality sleep can be challenging.  And although you might not be able to control all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep. Start with these simple sleep tips.

Get bright sunlight in the middle of the day. At night, try and stay in a dimly lit environment. Having a comfortable place to sleep and having a bedtime ritual so that your brain can prepare to go to sleep are also good. Trying to go to sleep at the same time every night and keeping a gratitude journal can also improve your sleep.

And when social events or holidays like St. Patrick’s Day where alcohol is often part of the celebration, consider skipping or limiting your intake this year. While alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night with night sweats, nightmares, headaches, and dehydration.

Keep protein to a minimum at bedtime. While protein can be an essential part of our daytime fare, it can be a poor choice for a late night meal as protein-rich, high-fat foods are harder to digest. Instead, indulge your craving for carbs. Carbohydrate-rich foods complement dairy foods by increasing the level of sleep-inducing tryptophan in the blood. So a few perfect late night snacks to get you snoozing might just be a bowl of cereal and milk, yogurt and crackers, or bread and cheese.


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