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" What&amp;#x27;s the first thing you do when you get home from a long day at work? Hit the couch? Eat? The time before bed is precious--we don&amp;#x27;t have enough of it--and how we use it can have an impact on the quality of our sleep. Here are five ways to make your evenings healthier...**** Yep, turn off the TV. Here are five healthy bedtime rituals to try tonight: 1. Tidy up your bedroom before bed. Confession: I can&amp;#x27;t sleep in an unmade bed. I&amp;#x27;m not joking. If I somehow forget to make my bed in the morning, I make it before bed. It makes me feel more organized, which helps me relax. Turns out, there&amp;#x27;s some logic to my anal habit. Messy houses, bedrooms included, can have an impact on our stress levels. 2. Drink a cup of herbal tea before bed. Many health experts believe that some herbal teas, like chamomile, can help you relax. My favorite: Celestial Seasoning&amp;#x27;s Sleepy Time tea with honey. 3. Take a hot bath. I know people who take a hot bath every night before bed and swear that it&amp;#x27;s an instant stress-reducer and signals to your body that it&amp;#x27;s time for sleep. (P.S. Do you pee in the shower?) 4. Read. As busy and stressed as they are, world leaders have been known to read before bed every night--even in war time--because it&amp;#x27;s a great stress reducer and a way to let your brain detach and escape from whatever is troubling you. 5. Write in a journal. This is a practice I gave up several years ago--and I really miss it. There&amp;#x27;s something soothing about writing right before bed. And it&amp;#x27;s healthy! According to Alice Domar, a psychologist and women&amp;#x27;s health expert, it helps your process stressful situations and can help you reach resolution. What&amp;#x27;s your bedtime ritual? P.S. Follow Vitamin G on Twitter! Photo: iStock "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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