I have never been a good sleeper. I am more Princess and the Pea than Sleeping Beauty. It takes me forever to fall asleep and when I finally do get to sleep, I don’t want to wake up. For years, my sleep rhythm could be summed up as: once awake, my body didn’t want to return to sleep and once asleep, my body didn’t want to return to awake. But after the birth of my second son, Hayes, I found that I could no longer go to sleep at all! My cycle had become stay awake and tired, try to sleep, repeat.

Photo by Jen Gotch

I tried EVERYTHING. Natural. And not so natural. And a low-carb diet worked better than any supplement, pharmaceutical, glass of wine or deep breathing. Now, I don’t propose a very low carb diet, which can leave you weak and dreaming about biting into a giant cake that commands Eat Me. But a low sugar, low glycemic diet can work wonders. Eliminating refined sugar and processed foods also really helped my energy during the day and relaxed my temperament.

My tips to become a Sleeping Beauty:

• Choose a low sugar, low glycemic diet like Tim Ferris’s Slow Carb Diet
• Keep your room a cool 67-69 degrees.
• Use a sleep mask to block out any light and help your body produce melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep.
• Use a fan or white noise machine to block out any offensive noises and help soothe you to sleep.
• Enjoy a warm magnesium drink like Natural Calm.
• Use your bed for two things only: sleep and sex! When you go to bed, your body gets a powerful cue: it’s time to sleep (or have a little fun)!

Restoration and repair occur internally during deep sleep. It really is your “beauty” sleep! What helps you sleep like a princess?