Please see our disclaimer before trying any of the natural remedies that are in several of the 8 Doctors

God created rest on the 7th day of Creation after He had finished making everything in our world. Even from the very first day there was an evening (and a morning), the perfect time to get physical rest. Life is busy; parents work, children learn and play. We all benefit from a restful night of sleep.

Recreation - We usually think of sleep as the main type of rest, but recreation, or re - creation, is so important. Recreation means to renew or refresh. The best types of activities help us recreate our active and outdoor activities. They are much better than some things people do (like watching TV or playing video games). The exercise and fresh air you get by doing things outdoors (hiking, gardening, cross country skiing, swimming, cycling, horseback riding...) help give your mind a break from all the normal things you have to do every day. This will actually give you more energy to get back to the things you have to do most of the time.

Sleep - When we sleep, we grow, repair, refresh, and renew. A 3-5-year-old should get 10-13 hours of sleep per day (including naps). A 6-12-year-old should get 9-12 hours of sleep. For a teen, it would be best to get 8-10 hours of sleep. And for an adult (through 60 years old), 7 or more hours of sleep would be ok.

Sabbath - The Sabbath type of rest isn't the type of rest you might think about. When God told us to rest on Sabbath, he wasn't meaning we should spend the day sleeping in bed. He meant that we should rest from our everyday activities. That means we shouldn't do school, pay taxes, and play games that can take our minds off God. The Sabbath is a day for us to remember God. The bible says that "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." (NKJV, Gen. 2.2-3) That means that the Sabbath is actually HOLY and shouldn't just be ignored! Also, notice it said the seventh day? That means Sabbath is Saturday, not Sunday as some people believe. For more information, please click on this link.

Use a device - It's exciting to watch a video or look at FaceBook and Instagram before trying to go to bed, right? Well, even though it might be fun and give you a good surge of an "adventure" feeling, it's not good for your eyes or your health! The blue light on a screen makes your eyes think it's daytime, making you feel like you want to get up, not go to sleep. It also prevents melatonin from producing. Melatonin is a hormone that helps your brain know if it's day or night. When that isn't functioning, your body doesn't want to go to bed!

Eating - DON'T EAT BEFORE BED! Especially fatty foods! When you eat right before bed your poor digestive system - ! - it has to keep working instead of getting the rest it needs! It also goes against your body's natural schedule. It can actually harm your sleep. Experts say you should wait at least 3 hours after you've eaten before going to bed. That's the time it takes for your body to digest the food you've consumed. If it's not digested, you could be up all night with a stomach ache. And the same thing goes for midnight snacks. No midnight snacks are allowed!

Don't exercise - What?! Are you telling me not to exercise? Yes, I am! Exercising before bed can make you excited, which makes it harder to go to bed. While your body is slowing down for sleep (heart rate decreasing, lower temperature, etc.) it doesn't want to suddenly be jerked into movement by some jumping jacks! Then it would suddenly think, "Oh, it's time to get up!" and would get the body awake again. So no exercising if you want to sleep really well.