Sleep is as important to our health as eating, drinking and breathing. Maggie Feinstein, LPC, Director of the the 10.27 Healing Partnership, Pittsburgh’s new resiliency center, recently shared some tips for getting a good sleep:

Good sleep often takes practice.  In times when sleep is not going well, it is important to practice a new hygiene routine.

1. Go to bed at the same time each night and rise at the same time each morning as much as possible.
2. Stay in bed only long enough to feel rested, then get out of bed.
3. Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, dark, and relaxing environment, which is neither too hot nor too cold.
4. Bed is for sleep and sex! Remove all TVs, computers, and other “gadgets” from the bedroom.
5. Avoid large meals before bedtime.
6. Take a break from forming new thoughts for 1 hour before bed. Good time to turn your phone on airplane mode, avoid facebook or texting.  Crossword puzzles, drawing, candy crush, Sudoku or reading are good activities.  Take a relaxing bath or shower, even good time for cleaning or preparing for the next day.
7. Get out of bed if you have been awake for more than 30 minutes. Try above activities.
8. Exercise during the day.
9. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and drugs during periods of bad sleep.
10. Get cold. Fan, cold shower, wash face with cold water, etc.

Mindfulness Apps

Calm

Sleep, meditation, and relaxation are in your hands with Calm, a popular mindfulness app. These guided meditations are perfect for complete novices through seasoned practitioners, and you have your pick when it comes to how long you can dedicate to the app each day.

Stop, Breathe, and Think

Stop, Breathe, and Think is your daily mindfulness app that also prompts you to input how you’re feeling. Select your mood when you open the app and it will suggest the meditations, yoga sequences, or acupressure that could serve you best in that moment, from deep breathing exercises to body scans to visualizations

Headspace

Headspace is a cutely designed guided meditation app and so much more, with targeted meditations led by a former monk on sleep, happiness, productivity, mindful use of technology, and dozens of other topics,

Podcasts

1. Sleep With Me: A Sleep Inducing Podcast
   If Ben Stein’s famous Ferris Bueller’s Day Off teacher droned on for an hour, it’d make a great episode of Sleep With Me, an odd little podcast that never fails to make me drowsy. In each episode, the narrator delivers meandering, stream-of-consciousness monologues in a monotone that recalls the most boring teacher you ever had.
2. Game of Drones: The Game of Thrones Sleep Aid
   Hosted by the same guy who narrates Sleep With Me—he goes by “Scooter”—Game of Drones operates under the same concept, only all episodes are related to HBO’s hit series. And while it may seem impossible to make such a bloody, action-packed show sound so boring, rest assured, Scooter’s analysis does just that.
3. The Daily Meditation Podcast
   If your sleeplessness results from stress or anxiety, you may want to check out Mary Meckley’s podcast, in which she offers short, guided meditations.
4. Meditation Minis
   Looking for a way to calm down before you turn out the light? Chel Hamilton’s podcast may do the trick. Episodes last about 10 minutes and take listeners through relaxing meditations about work, health, and, yes, sleep.
5. On Being
   “As if the guests aren’t interesting enough, her voice alone is transcendent,” Molly Ringwald once tweeted about this podcast. And she’s right: Each week, host Krista Tippett offers smart and well-crafted interviews with scientists, thinkers, artists, and others.
6. Welcome to Night Vale
   I adore this popular storytelling podcast, and I find its offbeat tales of conspiracies and small-town strange occurrences can help me wind down after a crazy day. (Listen again the next morning during your caffeinated commute, and you’ll discover all sorts of details you missed.)
7. The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
   Adam Green updates his podcast daily with cool detective tales (Philip Marlowe and Dragnet among them).
8. Deep Energy 2.0: Music for Sleep, Meditation, Relaxation, Massage and Yoga
   The title says it all: If voices keep you awake, look for a podcast that omits them, like this one.

Maggie Feinstein, LPC, is Director of the the 10.27 Healing Partnership, Pittsburgh’s new resiliency center, located on the top floor of the JCC’s Kaufmann Building in Squirrel Hill. Here you will find behavioral health resources, wellness classes, educational programming and other types of emotional support.

Contact: Maggie Feinstein: [email protected]  or 412-339-5416

For more information: https://1027healingpartnership.org/