b' Get rid of the clock in your bedroom and listenthat help with mind noise include cognitive to meditation sounds for sleep.behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy, guidedLimit news time or reading that causes animagery, meditation, biofeedback/neuro-increase in anxiety one to two hours beforefeedback, breathwork, tai chi, gentle yoga, and bed.progressive muscle relaxation. You can createDont miss your sleep bus. For example, if youa simple personal ritual with a warm bath, start to get tired around 8:30 p.m., go to bed.journaling, prayer, and aromatherapy. Lavender If you push through, youve missed yourand ylang ylang essential oils may also help bodys natural sleep rhythm.with sleep. Feel free to use a combination of In developing a good bedtime ritual, it maytherapies and techniques to create a ritual also help to think about turning down thethat allows you to feel relaxed. volume in your body, mind, and environment.EnvironmentBody noise Make sure your bed is comfortable. The Body noise can come from foods you eatambienttemperatureshouldbecool.You (acidic, sugary, caffeinated), and activity (tooshould feel psychologically safe, which may much too close to bedtime). It can also comemean you need night lights in certain places from medications that are meant to decreaseor need an alarm for your home.fatigue during the day, or are meant to helpIt is important to talk to your healthcare with pain or spasticity, but instead give youprovider about your sleep. In addition to those daytime sleepiness. So, you take long napsthings already mentioned, issues with thyroid and therefore arent sleepy when you shouldfunction, anemia, and cardiovascular or be later at night. To develop better medicationrespiratory disease can affect sleep. You may management, have a discussion with yourneed a sleep study to completely evaluate healthcare provider. your sleep problems. Restorative sleep is one Mind noise of the keys to health when living with MS. It affects your ability to pursue other healthy Mind noise can be muted or dimmed bybehaviorslikeexerciseandnutrition,to thinking of letting go of something to get tomanage fatigue, and to do things that you sleep. What can you let go of? Perhaps yourenjoy throughout the day. Take steps towards worries about tomorrow, or things that didnta good nights rest and discuss sleep with go as planned today, to start. Some therapiesyour healthcare provider. 9msfocusmagazine.org'