Desperately Seeking Seven

Any fitness blog, article, magazine, etc you can find will advise you that, to get the most out of your diet and exercise efforts, treat your body to at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

I am struggling with this.

It's been this way for a while now. Months. I can't recall exactly when it started, because my memory is not what you might call 'tack sharp' right now.

In the past, I was the kind of person who could (& would) fall asleep with little prompting. I've never been a night owl and even in my college days found I was more productive with an early schedule than late.

But these days, I go to bed and my mind just won't shut off. Granted, I have a fairly stressful job. And there are days when I head to bed and find myself rehashing the issues of the day. But that is not always the case. Sometimes it's just a song racing around my brain. Sometimes I make to-do lists for the next day. Sometimes I just lay there and count as Wonder Dad breathes.

I had hoped after kicking my caffeine habit that my body might find it easier to drift off at night, but that just hasn't been the case. And now I am tired. Seriously tired. For the first time in weeks, I want a Dr. Pepper. My mind is foggy and I have zero energy. But I know, even if I were to slip off to bed, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

So I guess this is my plea for help. Tips for getting back into a good sleeping groove would be most appreciated. I don't want to resort to chemical assistance though I do have some melatonin supplements somewhere in the house. But if you have some suggestions, pop me a comment. I'm starting to get desperate.