Too Busy for Your Own Good (58 page)

Take a class on guided imagery or relaxation.

Use products containing lavender or chamomile or find some bedtime music with a tempo of sixty to eighty beats per minute.

Lower the temperature of your bedroom, take a hot bath, and turn off night-lights, including clock radio and phone lights.

Wearing socks warms your feet and legs, allowing your internal body temperature to drop, signaling to your body it's time for sleep.

Use spongy earplugs to block out distractions.

Block your bedmate's snoring. Discuss with your partner how his or her snoring keeps you up and affects the quality and quantity of your sleep. Together, explore treatments and ways to prevent it. If it's the dog, put Fido in another room.

Put the kids to bed earlier. They need more sleep, and you can reconnect with your partner.

Have sex. Studies at the Kettering Medical Center in Ohio found the big O a fast-acting, healthy alternative to medication.

Being the granddaughter of mattress makers, I'd be remiss if I didn't encourage you to get a good mattress along with the right pillow, comfy linens, and natural blankets. Always on the lookout for a way to improve our sleep, my husband and I bought one of those “space-age” mattresses that mold to your body. The first night, after reading for our standard fifteen minutes, we leaned over for a good-night kiss before we turned out the lights only to discover we were
stuck
in what felt like warm bread dough! We replaced the mattress even though it gave us a good laugh. (And who couldn't use more giggles in bed?)

While it's important to eat well and work out, what is even more important is to make peace with your body—be happy with what you've got. This one act can save your health and
your money. When you're not trying to look like an air-brushed, photoshopped celebrity, you'll start to treat yourself better.

Change your ideals and find some new heroes or heroines.

Minimize reading fashion magazines. Those aren't
real
women or men, only handpicked human coat hangers barely out of their teens.

Don't watch makeover television shows. Plastic surgery doesn't always solve self-image problems, and it should not be held up as the ideal solution to physical imperfection.

Get a uniform that's “you.” Wear clothes that you look great in, toss your fat wardrobe, and forget the skinny jeans.

Get a hairstyle that allows you to “fix it and forget it.”