You seem pretty squared away, so this probably doesn't apply to you, but since you brought up "sleep", I'll toss in my two cents.
We are living in a medication nation. And I'm not saying all medicine is bad or unnecessary, I'm just saying that we - as a society - are entirely over-medicated. Very popular today are sleep medications, and they are turning out to have very dangerous side effects because they are being misused...they are being used in place of fixing the underlying issues that are causing the sleep problems in the first place.
There are plenty of internet articles that detail out how to sleep better/more:
No caffeine after noon.
No electronics within an hour before bedtime.
Go to sleep and wake up the same time every day.
Make your room as dark as possible.
etc., etc., etc.
And all those methods - the natural remedies and addressing the underlying issues - should ALWAYS be tried before medication is ingested that forces the body to do something it doesn't want to do. But for most Americans in the "go-go-go" culture, it's just easier to pop a pill or two, down it with a socially acceptable glass of wine, and keep go-go-going.
Now, all of that aside, here's the thing I figured out as I have been through years of poor sleep, insomnia, and depression. I've never gone to the doctor for sleep issues and taken a prescription pill, but I've certainly tried to medicate myself so I can get some sleep (read: drinking). The secret to being able to sleep at night is really simple, it just isn't easy. And it certainly isn't mentioned in any "How To Sleep Better" articles, because no one wants to actually talk about it or come across as accusatory.
The very FIRST thing each person should do is examine him or herself. If you can't lie down at night and be at peace with the person you are, with the decisions that you made that day, with the actions you took, with the actions you didn't take...youwillhavetroublesleepingatnight. And we can ignore this most paramount pieces of the foundation of "good sleep", but we can never escape it. We cannot escape ourselves. (Believe me, I have tried.)
Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that each of us lives every single day with the courage to passionately stand firm in the faith of our core convictions. And when we live our days this way, we can lay our heads down at night and be at peace with ourselves...with who we are as human beings at the most basic of levels. Our minds don't race because of what should have said or done, or shouldn't have said or done. We can lay our heads down...and sleep.
Sorry for the hijack/rant.
-PM
M:12y - BD:12/11 - D:6/13 - 4Ds
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -MLK Jr.
