A wise man once asked:
(In unison: “Yes. Yes we do.”)
The problem?
If you’re anything like me, ya gotta lot going on. Too much for snoozing to come easily when it should. Between physical therapy clinicals and my miscellany of other interests, I’m busy. Just like you. And, by the end of the day, I’ve got this awful combo of fatigue and a tension that just won’t let me rest. Sound familiar? Of course it does. It’s downright difficult to dial down when your carnal sack’s coursing with adrenaline after a long day. I mean, it totally makes sense. You spend your whole day having to problem solve and stay on your A game. That brain state doesn’t just dissipate on command ’cause your rump hits the couch. So, what do we do? Well, watch an episode of our latest entertainment addiction, obviously (and by “an episode” I mean five to ten), head to bed later than anticipated, and wake up feeling un-wonderful AF – contemplating whether we should visit our doc to request a shiny new Lunesta addiction.
(True story.)
Now, I’ve had just enough awareness to realize I was doing this each night.
But what I was missing for a bit was the willingness to actually fix it. Why? Because I thought it meant forfeiting that one time of night I get to just kinda go brain dead and let my mind be passively delighted by the digital puppet show that is Netflix’s visual buffet. (Ya know – the whole “don’t have too much screen time before bed” thing.) That or having to resort to pharmaceuticals. (Which is something I’d neither advocate nor do myself.) That is, until I found the halfway happy medium that is the holistic remedy aisle in Wegman’s. Now, if you’ve wandered through the various article corridors of this lovely site, you’ve probably seen me mention a few. But, prior to this year, I never really had to put this stuff to the stress test of managing two jobs, school, clinical affiliations, relationships, and a bunch’ve other stuff that’s relevant to me but not to you. You get the idea, though. The legit test is how well something works when sleep’s more elusive than an agoraphobic unicorn.
And, after many eves of employing my body as a laboratory…
Here’s my own soon-as-you-get-home trifecta for a restful cessation to your day.
1.) Some sweet azz rest pellets
These little slumber bullets are the bomb dot calm.
You pop a couple under your tongue, and you’re feeling serene in seconds.
2.) Snooze booze
Okay, it’s not actually booze. At all.
But, if you’re not into the sublingual thing, this stuff works almost even better. See, magnesium’s a known natural muscle relaxer – making this an excellent elixir for tranquilizing yourself after a long day. (Minus any side effects.) The plus? If you’re a non drinker like me, but kinda miss drinking something fruity that erases the brain pain of your day and releases those truculent trap muscles holding your neck ‘n shoulders hostage, this is perfect. The bubbly raspberry lemon flavor turns regular water into hippie champagne. Which, in a way, makes it kinda spiritual for you Christian folks. (Or, ya know, me a sacrilegious heathen for saying that. Whatevz.)
3.) Sleepytime tea
Then again, if you like rest beverages, but carbonation’s not your thing, opt for this hot badboy.
Don’t let the box fool you. It’s not innocuous. But it will knock you on yo azz. Main precaution? Set your alarm before you partake. I shiz you not, within fifteen minutes of sipping a cup’ve this stuff, you’re gonna go from upright and chuckling at the latest “Parks ‘n Rec” episode, to yawning and horizontal on your sofa. So have all your pre-sleeptime ablutions and other chores sorted out ahead’ve time.
And then, finally, if you’re about as easy to put to sleep as a Grizzly Bear on crystal meth, then do what I do. Try all three.
And that’s it. Three easy solutions that’re all over the counter and safe…
So you don’t hafta lose (any more) sleep fretting about potential side effects.