Happy Tuesday! I am linking up with the Share Our Lives ladies today. Thanks for hosting Jen, Joanne, Sarah, Dara, and Adrienne. I am a day late, but I’ll still chime in.

This month’s topic is tips for falling asleep. I don’t generally have a hard time falling asleep when I go to bed, but if I wake up in the middle of the night it can be a struggle to fall back to sleep. Here are the things that help me fall asleep.

Tip 1 – EXERCISE! I find that when I exercise regularly, I can sleep better. I think this is a two part solution. 1-I am physically tired and my body is ready for the rest. 2-My brain is a little clearer and calmer when I am exercising regularly.

Tip 2 – BREATHE AND COUNT! When I really can’t fall back to sleep, I start counting backwards from 100. I take a deep breath after each number. I don’t think I’ve ever made it into the 60s. I am not sure if it’s because I’m focusing on the counting and breathing or if it’s because I pass out from so many deep breaths in a quick time.

Tip 3 – DRINK! If I don’t take a big drink of water when I wake up in the middle of the night, I will toss and turn for quite a while. It seems counterintuitive to drink water to fall asleep, but it works for me.

Tip 4 – DON’T DRINK! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a glass of wine or two (or three), a beer, or a yummy vodka drink, but they do not lead to great sleep. If I need a good night’s sleep, I avoid alcohol before bed.

Tip 5 – READ! I read myself to sleep every single night. I love that I can prop my kindle up on the covers, keep it close to my face so I don’t need my glasses, and fall asleep without losing my place. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I give myself a few minutes to fall back asleep and then I start reading again. I usually fall back to sleep very quickly. And if I don’t, I get a little more reading time out of the day.

Tip 6 – WRITE! I keep a notepad by my bed all the times. If something is keeping me up, I write it down. If I think of something I need to do the next day or add to my grocery list, I write it down. If there is anything rolling around in my mind keeping me up, I write it down and it makes it so much easier to fall asleep.

Tip 7 – BE TIRED! I say this one with a wink, but if you run yourself ragged you will probably fall asleep pretty quickly. Especially if you write everything down that you’re thinking about. If you go, go, go, when the time comes to get in bed, you will crash. Of course I don’t actually recommend this, but it does work. Ha!

Those are my tips for getting a falling asleep when you go to bed or if you wake up in the middle of the night. What are your best tips for falling asleep? Have a great day full of sunshine and books!