As I sit here this morning and write this post I feel a little sleepy. I got home late last night and had to get up bright and early to start my day. That is often the schedule I keep when I visit the Disney parks; I close down one park just to be at the opening of another park the next day. There is so much to see and do that I don’t want my family to miss anything. It is hard to have a good time when people in your group are sleepy, though. In fact sleepy people quickly turn into grumpy people.
It is possible to get a good night’s sleep even in an unfamiliar place and with limited time. Below I give 5 ideas that will have you joining Sleeping Beauty for a few hours. I’ll be using these ideas tonight to catch up on my sleep.
5 ways to get a good night’s sleep after a long day:
1) Sleep in a dark room. Turn off the TV, and shut the blinds. Your body naturally wants to sleep if it believes it is nighttime.
2) Keep the room at the right temperature. If the room is too warm or too cold it can be hard to fall asleep. The best temperature is cool, but not cold.
3) Don’t go to bed stuffed. Only Winnie-the-Pooh should feel stuffed. It’s fun to eat great meals on your Disney vacation, but try to plan your last large meal a few hours before bedtime. It’s hard to sleep when your stomach is busy digesting.
4) Clear your brain. Are you thinking of all the things you have to do tomorrow? Trying to remember it all can make it hard to sleep. Do as much as possible before you go to bed and make a list of what needs to be done when you wake up. It is easier to fall asleep when your brain isn’t working overtime.
5) Keep your routine. When you are at home do you do certain things before you go to bed? Try to do the same things on your trip. Do you brush your teeth, apply lotion, or sleep with a special stuffed animal? Keep any bedtime habit that helps you sleep.
It’s hard to enjoy the Disney parks when you are exhausted. I hope these 5 tips help you get a good night sleep. Sweet dreams.
Goofy Tip: One of the things that keeps me awake is the fear that I won’t hear my alarm, or that I’ll sleep through it, or that a mischievous sprite may turn it off during the night. To remove this fear I set two alarms and even arrange for a wake-up call. This may seem extreme, but it helps me sleep and that is what’s important. What keeps you up at night? Find the solution, even if it is unusual and get some much needed sleep.