Did you know…
‘The general who sleeps the most, wins the war.’
Before you cast me aside as a warmonger, I am sharing a quote I heard that didn’t make a lot of sense when I first heard it.
In our society today, that mentality is not freely discussed or used. In fact, most people subscribe to the ‘I can sleep when I’m dead’ mentality.
People seem to think sleeping less, working more and always being ‘available’ is the way to get to the top of the mountain. And while it is a way, it’s probably not the best. And the less you sleep, the faster you will get to death, I assure you that.
We value hard work and often at the expense of our own health. This always perplexed me, but, I wanted to ‘get ahead’ as well so I followed what I knew. It’s a dog-eat-dog world and if you aren’t climbing you are falling. At least, that’s what I was wired to believe.
Unfortunately for me, it took a lot of falling before I figured out how to climb.
I worked 18-20 hour days in the beginning of building my business on sleeping maybe 4-6 hours that weren’t really restful. Training clients in the morning, studying new practices in the afternoon or training my own body and learning marketing, website design and accounting in the evenings.
I thought I was doing what I was supposed to, sacrificing everything to build my future. I got by for awhile, even took some pretty awesome steps during that time. What I wasn’t doing was refilling my cup and taking a break, at all.
This way of living has 1 ending: Bad…
There was a study performed by an Australian company where they had half the employees continue working 40+ hours a week with the other half required to take 10% of their work week off, or at least 4 hours off.
The results: Those who were forced to take time off actually produced better work, more effectively and efficiently.
Did you get that?
They worked LESS and did MORE!?!?
Fast forward a few years into the business and I, as a person teaching human optimization, had to start listening to my own body for advice and it was screaming to recover.
I was moody and highly irritable after only a few hours awake and this continued to bleed into my life. I even pushed some really good friends away because I didn’t know how to balance everything and work seemed so much more important.
And so, I started a journey to learn how to work smarter and be more productive in less hours overall. I also started to learn more about how to engineer a better nights rest. Mind you, only after being advised by mentors in the field, that had made the same mistakes as I.
When people you admire and trust in your chosen field start talking about sleeping more and how much better there work has become, the ears perk up and I was finally able to ‘hear’ them.
You see, I didn’t realize that lack of sleep was effecting my productivity, my lack of imagination and my ability to process information. All things that are very important. I was putting my head down, ignoring my needs and figured all the ‘hard work’ would pay off.
I’ve listened to and attempted many strategies to sleep better, from top professionals and the following are the ones I personally have had the most success with.
There are others I will try and possibly update the list in the future but here are 7 Strategies to sleep better Tonight!
#1 – 8 hours is ideal, 9-10 is optimal, 7 is barely enough and Napping helps
Get 7 hours every night, AT THE VERY LEAST. However, more often it needs to be 8+ to be at our best and athletes, high stress financiers and the like require 9-10 hours to fully recover and re-charge.
#2 – Turn off electronics at least 30 minutes to an hour before bed and read a book instead.
TV off, Phone off, Kindle off, iPod off because they are over-stimulating your brain. And I guarantee that if you pick up a copy of the laws of your state or a dictionary and read them before bed, you’ll be asleep in 5 minutes or less!
#3 – Blackout Room and Eyes
Your sleep environment should be as dark as possible (think Bat Cave.) No LED lights from alarm clocks or electronics should be visible. Use Window Shades that Black Out the room and get a sleep mask that is comfortable for you. Make sure it doesn’t move all over the place during the night. Even if your eyes are closed, but not covered, then light can get in.
#4 – Room Temperature and ‘White Noise’
Make sure your room is at least 65-70 degrees. To cold or too warm and your body temperature cannot regulate and thus, you toss and turn instead of sleeping like a rock. I also prefer turning a fan on and listening to it whir as I fall asleep…it’s very relaxing.
#5 – Sleep Naked
This goes hand in hand with your room temperature. Sleeping naked allows your body temperature to regulate more naturally versus putting on extra clothes if you’re cold or sleeping with one appendage hanging out of the covers to act as a thermostat if you’re warm. BONUS: You may end up exciting your partner – a lot!!!
#6 – Well-rested tea from Trader Joe’s
My chiropractor recommended this to me a little while back and so I gave it a try. It worked very well for me. It has a good flavor and calming, relaxing vibe. Let the tea bag steep for 3-5 minutes. Sometimes you may need 2 tea bags. Drink 15-30 minutes before bed.
#7 – Zinc and Magnesium Supplementation (Note: Recommendation)
Most humans are deficient in Magnesium and Zinc. These minerals support so many of the body’s functions, including over 300 chemical reactions in the daily moving of our bodies. And especially if you exercise, there is a good chance you are deficient. Magnesium in particular has a very relaxing effect on the body and Zinc supports your nervous system, which is easily excitable and that’s not good for sleeping. I prefer Magnesium Threonate as it is the only form of Magnesium that crosses the brain/blood barrier and I prefer Zinc Gluconate or L-OptiZinc. Start with the smallest doses and adjust from there.
This is not an all-encompassing list and I have a feeling I will be adding more to it soon. And if there is something not on this list that has worked for you, please reply and share.
I wish you a restful night’s sleep, every night!
