The Ultimate Rx for Better Health - Sleep

Are you ready to face one of the most stressful times of the year? Sure you had October to wind down from the all the back-to-school / post-summer routine craziness, and thankfully Turkey Day is still a few weeks away, but are you ready? Really ready?

We've been talking about how to regroup this month and refocus - easy ways to bring mindfulness into your day, and how to eat better for improved memory, healthy skin and general well-being. But let's face it even if we somehow manage to eat well, exercise and take a moment for ourselves, do we feel that much better? It seems like more and more we're finding out that it really all comes back to sleep.

Sleep? Yes, that magically elusive state that most of us get far too little of - especially if you're a mom of young kids. It turns out that it's often much easier to eat well if we've had enough sleep. Our brains, and consequently our memories, are far less foggy when we've had enough sleep. And research has even shown that our bodies repair themselves while sleeping (hello, better skin!).

It's really not hard for anyone who's suffered sleep deprivation to imagine that just a little sleep can cure a lot of things. Perhaps that's why there seems to be a growing focus on sleep in the media. Nearly all of us get too little of it and could use a fair amount more of it.

So take the first step - now before the craziness of the holidays - and give yourself the permission to sleep. Schedule it into your day, just like your workout. Make it a priority. Set yourself a reasonable bedtime and commit to it. Most of the To Dos on the list can bump a little further out, and with a little rest who knows what you might accomplish! Sleep tight!

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