Ready, Set, Sleep!
A Peak Life® Guide to Modifying Your Daily
Routine to Achieve Great Sleep Every Night
Introduction
You’ve tried every sleep aid in the drugstore and still spend countless nights tossing and turning. Maybe you’ve even been to see your
doctor about the difficulty you have falling asleep and staying asleep.
Fortunately, you’ve found Somnapure®. As you’ve learned, Somnapure
is different from other sleep aids out there. Taking Somnapure each
night is the first step to better sleep.
Thankfully, there is a lot that you can do in addition to taking
Somnapure to improve your sleep that doesn’t require expensive
testing, complicated and uncomfortable devices, or habit-forming
prescription drugs. Best of all, you can start making these changes
today for better sleep tonight!
In this short manual, we will outline the simple changes and additions
to your daily and nightly routines that can help give you the better
sleep you’ve been searching for. Making many changes to your routine
can be difficult, but these steps are meant to supplement your current
sleep regimen. Start with just those steps that are easiest for you to
incorporate and build on your progress over time. You should find
that your sleep improves gradually as you adopt more and more of
these steps for better sleep.
Good luck and best wishes for better sleep from now on!
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Chapter 1
Your Morning
Routine
Tip #1: Obey the Alarm Every Day
What do you do when the alarm clock rings? If you’re like many of us,
you’ll hit the snooze button or maybe turn it off entirely while you
catch some extra sleep. It’s time to kick the habit! Set your alarm to the
time you actually want to get up and then get out of bed when it rings
every morning. You may find that you actually feel more awake than
you used to when you “snoozed” for that extra 15 minutes.
Do you wake up at the same time every day? Again, most of us don’t.
We have one time that we wake up during the week and another
‘(typically quite a bit later) on the weekends. Although “sleeping in”
might be a relaxing way to start your weekend, it is not an ideal
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Chapter 1
Your Morning Routine
strategy for improving your sleep. When we wake up at different times
each day, we confuse our circadian rhythms. Strive to wake up at
about the same time every day of the week.
Tip #2: Get Early Morning Sunlight
Open up those window shades as soon as you wake up! The early
morning is the best time to get the direct sunlight that tells your brain
to wake up and resets your body’s circadian rhythms. Although
opening up the window shades will help, it will be even better if
you can expose yourself to direct sunlight, even on a cloudy day. If
possible, take a brief walk in the morning hours every day to get this
helpful sunlight exposure. Before work and around lunchtime are
popular times to take a quick break outdoors. If you absolutely can’t
get outdoors, you may want to invest in a light therapy box which can
give you the many benefits of UV light from the comfort of your own
home or office.
Tip #3: Take Your Coffee Break in the AM
Many of us can’t start our days without a large, hot mug of coffee.
Don’t worry – we’re not going to advise you to give up the habit! Our
tip instead is to make sure that you restrict your coffee drinking habit
to the morning hours. It can take up to 12 hours for your body to
fully metabolize caffeine, so it is important to avoid it in the afternoon
hours when it may linger long enough to prevent you from sleeping.
So, whether you need coffee to feel truly awake in the morning, or you
simply enjoy it as part of your morning routine, keep at it, but make
sure that you’re only indulging before 2pm or earlier.
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Chapter 2
Your Afternoon
Routine
Tip #1: Get Moving
A little exercise has many benefits for your health, including improving
your healthful sleep. Get your heart pumping for at least 30 minutes
every day, early in your day. This tip can apply to your morning or
afternoon routine, but we advise that you do not schedule your daily
exercise for the evening. Exercise is energizing, and too much too
close to bedtime can keep you awake and alert longer than you’d like
at night. For many people, it is easiest to schedule their daily exercise
around their lunchtime or in mid-afternoon when they are starting
to feel a bit drowsy. If you can’t find a block of time to reserve for
exercise, try to incorporate it throughout your day in ten-minute
intervals. Surely you can find ten minutes for better sleep?
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Chapter 2
Your Afternoon Routine
Tip #2: Skip Naptime
Naptime might be necessary for young children because they have
greater daily sleep needs, but it can wreak havoc on the sleep schedule
for adults. Daytime sleeping can rob you of your ability to sleep soundly through the night later. If you absolutely must nap for energy, make
sure to execute the proper power nap. A power nap should be limited
to just 20-30 minutes and should never occur later than late afternoon
(around 4pm for most people). Sleeping longer than 30 minutes can
make you feel even drowsier upon awakening and interfere with your
bedtime sleep later on.
Tip #3: Practice De-stressing
With so many changing demands and hectic schedules, it can be
difficult to relax during the day, let alone when we’re lying in bed at
night. When possible, practice relaxation techniques throughout your
day. The less stress you bring home with you at night, the less you will
have to deal with when you are trying to fall asleep.
Here are a few relaxation techniques to try. First, focus on your
breathing and nothing but your breathing. Set aside 5 minutes to
just concentrate on breathing slowly in and slowly out before you
return to the task at hand. Second, try a visualization exercise when
you are feeling extra tense. Think about your favorite, calming place
for 5 minutes. Meditate and focus on that place and one activity you
do in that place. Third, relieve tension with a quick muscle relaxation
technique. Start by clenching and unclenching your different muscle
groups several times. Then stand up and stretch and shake out your
limbs before returning to work.
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Chapter 3
Your Evening
Routine
Tip #1: Skip the Nightcap
Sure, alcohol can make us feel more relaxed and drowsy, but does it
actually help us sleep better? Today the experts say “no.” Alcohol can
affect the proportion of sleep spent in the “REM” sleep stage which is
the most restorative sleep. It can also increase the likelihood of snoring or sleep apnea and awakenings due to a full bladder. If you’d like a
calming drink before bed, opt for warm milk or chamomile tea instead.
Tip #2: Make Dinner a Smaller Meal
Think about how you feel after you’ve eaten a huge meal, like
Thanksgiving dinner. Pretty sleepy right? Well, the truth is that experts
advise you to avoid eating large meals before bed as they can actually
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Chapter 3
Your Evening Routine
interfere with your sleep. Big meals can lead to heartburn, gas, or
indigestion that can keep you lying awake at night or wake you up
before your alarm. Lying down after a large meal can also cause other
physical discomfort that can keep you awake. Instead, try to avoid
scheduling large meals close to your bedtime or eat just until you are
no longer hungry.
Tip #3: Don’t Succumb to After-Dinner
Drowsiness
Just like waking up, it’s very important to go to sleep at the same time
each night. Some days you may feel tired earlier than your typical
bedtime. It’s often tempting to just head straight to bed early on those
nights; however, you should resist. Giving in to drowsiness early can
confuse your body’s circadian rhythms and lead to an early or middleof-the-night wakeup. It can also throw off your sleep schedule for
future nights that week. If you’re feeling drowsy, get up and change
activities. Sometimes simple movements around the house are enough
activity to refresh and recharge us until bedtime.
Tip #4: Mind Your Bedtime
Just like your morning alarm, you should be obeying an evening alarm.
When we’re not feeling drowsy, we can be tempted to stay up just a
little while longer. It’s also easy to get distracted doing work, playing
games, or watching a favorite program before bed and lose track of
time. However, you should make your bedtime as big of a priority as
your wakeup time. Set your alarm clock to ring at your intended bedtime each night as a reminder to try to get the most regular, consistent
sleep as possible.
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Chapter 3
Your Evening Routine
Tip #5: Cut Back on Liquids
Waking up to use the bathroom is one of the most frequent reasons
sleep is disrupted. The problem is compounded when you are unable
to fall back asleep upon returning to bed. The easiest way to reduce
this problem is to ensure that going to the bathroom is one of the last
steps in your routine before bed. Also, you should reduce the amount
of liquid you drink in the 2-3 hours before you know you will head to
bed. This may require you to push up your dinnertime a little earlier.
Finally, note again that any beverages consumed in the afternoon and
evening should be caffeine-free.
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Chapter 4
Your Bedtime
Routine
Tip #1: Take Somnapure® Every Night
Somnapure® is designed to help you sleep better every night, but only
works as intended if you take it regularly. Even if you’ve been sleeping
well for a week, don’t stop taking Somnapure. Doing so will upset your
body’s newly enhanced sleep patterns and risk thrusting you back into
nighttime turmoil. Also, don’t expect Somnapure to work immediately.
It can take several weeks for your body’s natural sleep patterns to adjust to the potent ingredients in Somnapure. Keep taking Somnapure
every night and modify your other sleep habits with the help of this
guide and you’ll be on the fast track to better sleep in no time.
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Chapter 4
Your Bedtime Routine
Tip #2: Turn Off the Tube
Watching television is one of the most popular pre-bedtime pastimes
for many of us. It can definitely be relaxing, but the complicated plots
and action sequences of many popular programs can also be
energizing and emotional. The same can be said for video games. We
recommend that you turn off the television an hour before bedtime
to give your body and mind adequate time to prepare for sleep.
Tip #3: Choose a Favorite Relaxing Activity
You know best what calms you down and takes your mind to a
restful place. Some popular recommendations include taking a warm
bath, reading a book, or listening to calming music. You may even
do all three! Particular scents, like lavender, chamomile, and passion
flower can also help you ease into sleep. No matter which activity you
choose, we recommend you turn off distractions from electronics (like
your cell phone and your email) and dim the lights.
Tip #4: Don’t Stress if You Can’t Sleep!
Sleep shouldn’t be an immediate consequence of getting into bed. It
should take about 15-25 minutes. If you’re falling asleep sooner, this
is probably because you are not getting adequate sleep each night.
However, if it takes you longer to fall asleep, don’t worry. Stress and
anxiety over the amount of sleep you’re losing will only make it more
difficult to fall asleep. Instead, get out of bed and try to do a relaxing
activity (like reading a book) until you feel tired enough to try sleeping again. Avoid turning on many lights or engaging in mentally taxing
tasks (keep that cell phone and computer off!). Return to your bed
only when you feel ready to sleep again.
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Chapter 5
Long-Term
Changes
Tip #1: Quit Smoking
Do cigarettes help to calm you down? Although you may feel calmer
during or after smoking, nicotine actually has a stimulating effect (similar to caffeine). At minimum, we advise that you avoid smoking before
your bedtime (or if you wake up during the night) for this reason. In
general, smoking causes less time spent in deep, restorative sleep. This
may be because the mild nicotine withdrawal that occurs during the
night may cause sleep disturbances. Quitting smoking entirely is the
best way to remove the impact of smoking on your sleep patterns. You
may experience additional disturbances to your sleep initially when
you cut back, but over time, sleep quality should improve as your
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Chapter 5
Long-Term Changes
body restores a healthy balance.
Tip #2: Lose Weight
As people gain weight, especially in the area of their necks, they
increase their risk for sleep-disordered breathing, especially conditions
like sleep apnea and snoring. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which the
person experiences abnormal, unintentional pauses in their breathing during sleep. These pauses may last a couple of seconds or even
a couple of minutes! They disrupt the quality of sleep and can occur
without your knowledge. With the incidence of obesity on the rise in
the United States, there is also a rising occurrence of reported sleep
apnea. You can reduce your risk for sleep apnea as well as several other
medical conditions that can interfere with the quality or quantity of
your sleep by achieving or maintaining a healthy weight. Many
individuals find that their sleep improves more and more as they
approach a healthy target weight.
Tip #3: Upgrade Your Bedroom
When was the last time you bought a new mattress? How about
pillows? Is your bedroom temperature-controlled in both the hot and
cold months?
Many of the steps required to make a bedroom optimal for sleep
require considerable investment, which is why we are listing them as
long-term changes. However, an investment in better sleep is truly an
investment in your own health and quality of life and should be taken
very seriously. After all, you will spend about a third of your life asleep!
Experts advise that you should replace your mattress every 8-10 years.
Make sure you test and try out multiple mattresses to find the one
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Chapter 5
Long-Term Changes
that is most comfortable for you. An unsupportive mattress can cause
muscle stiffness and back or neck pain. An overly firm mattress can
put extra pressure on pressure points and cause your limbs to fall
asleep before you do! You should also choose a mattress that will be
large enough to accommodate both you and your sleeping partner.
Movements from a sleeping partner can be disturbing to sleep and a
larger bed can help reduce the impact on your sleep.
Pillows also should be tested out before they are purchased. The
human head weighs more than 10 pounds and requires enough
support to keep the neck and spine aligned. A pillow that is too
soft can cause neck soreness and stiffness. A pillow that positions
the neck too high can interfere with breathing. Finally, test pillows
in the position in which you actually sleep before you make any
purchase decisions.
The ideal heating and cooling system for your bedroom will allow
you to set an average temperature of between 65 and 72 degrees at
your bedtime. There is some variation from person to person for the
temperature at which we are most comfortable for sleep, but this
range can help our bodies prepare for sleep better. Intermittent breezes
and street noise from an open window can interfere with sleep, so we
recommend that you make your bedroom the first room you install
an air conditioning unit in for the summer. In the winter, you may
want to add a radiator or space heater to the room, or open another
vent if your bedroom is far from your heating source.
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Conclusion
Achieving great sleep is an ongoing project for most of us. You should
congratulate yourself on reading this complete manual and making
sleep a top priority. Great sleep is critical to health and quality of life,
and the steps you take today to improve your sleep can have
important short- and long-term benefits.
We find the daily changes outlined in these routines to be the most
helpful to set you on the path for better sleep every day. Fortunately,
you need not follow all of these tips perfectly from day one to improve
your sleep. Incorporate them gradually into your routine and you
should find yourself getting better and better sleep each night.
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