While for most of us, it seems unrealistic to get those eight hours of sleep, it’s important to make an effort toward a least getting more sleep.  Here are a few tips to help catch more z’s and drop more lbs.:

• Stop eating at least two hours before you go to bed.  Eat a satisfying dinner, and limit your snacking afterward.  The more you can load your calories earlier in the day, the better off you’ll be.
• Get into a bedtime routine.  Just like you start winding your kids down before you put them into bed, you need to give yourself a chance to relax before you hit the sheets.  Shut the tv off earlier and read yourself a nice bedtime story or take a nice warm bath.  Just work it into your routine.
• Cut out the caffeine earlier.  All those stimulating chemicals like caffeine and cigarettes will keep you up at night.  Try to limit them to earlier hours.  Alcohol can also mess with your sleep, so try to keep your imbibing to a minimum in the later hours.
• Ramp up into it.  Start going to bed a little bit earlier each night.  Even 15 minutes earlier each night for a week will get you under the covers for almost an extra two hours of sack time.
• If you have serious trouble getting to sleep at night, see your doctor.  If you experience lack of sleep for long periods of time or it interferes with your daily life, it’s time to go see your physician for help.