Can't sleep?, Sleeping Tips, and IDLife Sleep Review

Do you have insomnia, toss-and-turn at night, simply can’t sleep, maybe have trouble falling asleep, or even trouble just staying in a deep sleep? Maybe you have all of the above. Or maybe your mind is too active at night which prevents you from falling asleep? Or you're just not tired?

If so, then you are not alone.

I take melatonin to help me fall asleep, which I’ve been doing since 2010/2011. Lately I’ve had to increase the amount of melatonin to help me fall asleep. Unfortunately, it won’t help me STAY asleep and feel refreshed in the morning. Here are some tips and tricks I've used to fall asleep.

Sleeping tips and tricks:

• Eat your last meal at least 3 hours or more before bed (less chance of heart burn at night).
• Have a small protein snack before bed (for example; almond butter, or a handful of nuts).
• Exercise every morning. 
• Read a book/turn off blue light electronics an hour before bed.
• Keep the temperature between 66 and 69 Fahrenheit.
• Melatonin 20 to 40 minutes before bed (helps to fall asleep).
• ZMA (Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate, Magnesium Aspartate and Vitamin B6): supposedly some studies say it helps the body with deeper levels of REM sleep. It didn’t work for me, just gave me a headache before bed. But may be worthwhile to research and look into. See below for what I recommend.
• iOS sleep apps that monitor and track sleep (useful to see how you sleep and when you wake up or move).

All of the above are helpful in getting to sleep. But they do not help with staying asleep. I've been prescribed Ambien in the past, but I disliked how I was forced to fall asleep, it didn't feel natural.

Speaking of Ambien, In 2011, 60 million prescriptions were written for sleep medication. In 2006, 47 million. It looks like we are getting less sleep every year!

What has helped me the most is the following product.

At the time of writing this, I've been taking SLEEP for 2 months. I'll take it about 30 minutes before going to bed. It's a mint flavored strip that you dissolve on your tongue. It'll make you feel sleepy after 20 to 30 minutes (the melatonin). It has a tri–phasic approach to help in falling asleep and staying asleep. So far, it has worked for me!

In all disclosure, I make a commission off of SLEEP, but I have yet to find anything that works as well. I recommend giving it a try. See if it helps with your sleep. SLEEP is by far the best product I’ve tried to date that helps me fall asleep and STAY asleep.

>> Purchase sleep here <<

If you have any questions, please comment below or send me an email.

Are you unproductive and dead tired?

Here are some tips for when you are unproductive and dead tired:

• Drink more water. Being dehydrated leaves you feeling tired and lethargic. Get a 1 gallon insulated jug, fill it half with ice, add water, and take it to work. Try to drink it all before you get home.
• Take breaks. Take a brisk walk every couple of hours. It’ll help force the water into your body and muscles; otherwise it’ll just run right through you.
• Caffeine may give you a temporary boost. For myself, caffeine keeps me awake, but it doesn’t give me tons of ‘energy’. It’ll help fight off sleep, but it has diminishing returns. It helps right before a workout after working all day. Also, drink even more water if you are taking in caffeine as it is a diuretic. I've tried caffeine pills, and a multiverse of energy drinks (some make me queasy or I crash HARD afterwards). So far, the best sustained energy I've had is IDLife's ENERGY. I do not feel queasy or crash afterwards. I take this before my morning workouts (not at night as I would be up all night long!)
• Cut out the artificial light at night and listen to your body when you should go to sleep. Don’t trick your body into thinking its daytime when you should be sleeping. Google "blue light", it can suppress melatonin which can interfere with sleeping. 
• If you need something natural, try melatonin. Or try SLEEP, I take it nightly and it helps me to fall asleep and stay asleep.
• Get at least 8 hours of sleep. You should wake up naturally and not need an alarm. If you do, you are not getting enough sleep.
• Unwind after work. Do not go to sleep immediately after working, try to relax, spend time with your family, read a fun book, or watch a movie, just do something to unwind.
• Eat healthy, take a multi-vitamin, drink Shakeology, and make sure you are getting the correct supplements. My wife and I have a customized nutrition plan through IDLife (utilizes 7,000+ published studies for over 4 million possible combinations for nutritional supplementation). Also, putting junk (refined sugar and processed foods) into your body isn’t going to help you feel energetic. Vitamin D may help if you are a vampire (get some sunshine).
• Schedule more time for “guilt free play”. Find time where you can enjoy life and do not feel guilty about putting off other work.
• Exercise! View All Beachbody Products
• Look at your attitude. Excessive worry, holding onto small things can make you feel fatigued.
• Find something that excites passion in you, that motivates you, that invigorates you, something that gives you strength.

If you are doing all of the above, getting more than 10 hours of sleep a night, and still feel fatigued consult a physician. You may have a thyroid problem, sleep apnea, or who knows what.

My biggest problem area is getting more than 8 hours of sleep at night (9 hours seems to be about right for me). Just an extra 15 minutes of sleep can change you entire day. Exercise and eating healthy help a lot for me as well, I sleep better at night. I’ve been taking Shakeology which helps with my energy levels as well.

Good luck!

Lose Weight by Sleeping More.

Some researchers in France say a Good Night’s Sleep Keeps Obesity Away.

DIJON, France—Men who do not receive a good night’s sleep may be prone to obesity, according to a new study from the European Centre for Taste Sciences. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found study participants consumed 22 percent more calories with an average calorie increase of about 560 after the short night of sleep.

Of course, getting less sleep will lead to needing more food that you need to keep your energy up. And you're likely to go after the unhealthy snacks or comfort food in that state. So get some shut-eye, eat healthy, and continue your Beachbody programs to a new you.

Master the Power Nap!

Every now and then I could use a nap... except it's particularly difficult for me to fall asleep unless I am very tired. Daniel Tenner has an excellent article over at lifehacker on napping. Napping is now sleeping, according to Daniel, "To get the benefit of a refreshing power nap, you don't need to fall asleep. It's enough to relax yourself and let your thoughts drift off, even while remaining mostly awake. If you can do this properly (it does take some practice), you can power nap even if you find it impossible to fall asleep quickly."


Read the full article.