Back To Buddha: Sleep Deprived?

I am. I don't have insomnia but I am a long sufferer of just not being able to fall asleep. Whether it's from stress, anxiety, too much on my mind, or my husband snoring, I sometimes toss and turn for hours and hours before I finally doze off. My girl over @ livit luvit suffers from sleep deprivation and I know many of you feel our pain. When I finally fall asleep I am usually awakened by a noise, any noise will do. Jason loves telling a story of how he was getting ready for work one morning and he accidentally dropped a penny on our bedroom carpet. Any normal person would sleep right through this...but not me. As soon as the penny hit the carpet I jumped out of bed and started yelling. Apparently I have very sensitive hearing!

One of the most important factors in helping me sleep is our bedroom environment. I have black out shades, a tempur-pedic bed, low lights, soft pillows, aromatherapy, and a slew of homeopathic helpers (see below). The problems arise when I am on vacation or visiting with family. I know you've all been there, especially around the holidays- sleeping on a cot, pull-out couch, or even a 20 year old twin bed. For me, there's nothing worse than waking up with a sore back, stiff neck, and 2 hours of sleep. My answer is always Get a Hotel Room! You will thank me in the morning, trust me. The $100 a night you spend on room will be well worth it. And your family will be happy you aren't mrs cranky pants in the AM.

Here are my picks for help catching up on your zzzzz's.

Melatonin. My saviour! I recommend starting with 1mg and see if that works. If not, step it up to 3mg and that should knock you out for 6+ hours. It is a non-habit forming, drug-free supplement you can find in any drugstore. Any brand will work.