How To Optimise Your Sleep
Hustle culture is trying to make you believe that sleep is overrated.
People who are mentally tough can power through.
The result? You’re groggy and unproductive.
Follow these 5 steps to fix that:
1. Determine Your Bedtime
When do you need to get up the next day?
Start from there and work backwards.
But allow yourself time to settle.
20-30mins for reading is ideal.
Most people vary their sleep patterns on the weekend.
But unless you are working night-shifts, consider sticking to the same bedtimes every single day
2. Stick to Your Bedtime
What is keeping most people from going to bed when they are tired?
Artificial lighting:
• your computer
• your phone
• your TV
The blue light those devices emit tricks your body into thinking it’s daytime.
Turn them off 30-60mins before going to bed and switch to a physical book in bed.
You can also use your phone to calculate and alert you to your ideal bedtime.
3. Create an Evening Routine
Be mindful how you spend the last hour before your bedtime.
Choose activities to benefit your sleep and health.
Ritualising your evening will help you fall asleep faster too.
How to transform your evening for great sleep:
Old Way:
• Netflix on TV
• Working on laptop
• Doom-scrolling phone
New Way:
• Read a book
• Journal to reflect
• Meditate to unwind
A solid evening routine will help you reflect on the day and become a better version of yourself tomorrow.
4. Create the Ideal Sleep Environment
Some simple hacks to increase your sleep quality:
Minimise noise
Have blackout curtains
Room temperature cool
Move your phone out of reach
5. Plan for Sleep Quality
Getting a good night’s sleep is influenced by your choices in the day:
• Avoid caffeine at least 6hrs before bedtime
• Don’t drink alcohol, it ruins sleep quality
• Limit drinking water 2hrs before bed
• No big meals right before bed
You could follow all the steps above, but still not get 8 hours of good sleep.
Why? Babies, shift work, noisy neighbours, etc. What should you do then?
Consider power napping. Here’s how