Sleep Smarter, Work Better
Enhance Your Productivity with Quality Zzz's
Today, in 5 minutes or less, you will learn about:
The importance of sleep;
How sleep affects your health;
How does sleep tie to your productivity;
3 things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep.
Hey there! đ
I have been unwillingly added to the 5 AM club. Why? Because for the last 5 days, my 11-month-old has decided itâs a great time to start the day! đ Although I like getting up early to get ahead of my day, 5 AM is a bit too early, even for my taste. Fingers crossed it passes. If not, I will have no choice but to embrace it. Has anyone read The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma? Can you let me know if itâs worth the read? Maybe send me a summary?
AnywayâŚ
We know sleep is critical for our physical and emotional well-being, and cognitive performance. Without it, we canât form and maintain the pathways in our brains that allow us to learn and form new memories. Dr. Sarah James, a sleep expert, explains, "When we sleep, our brain processes and consolidates memories from the day, which is essential for learning and problem-solving." Without proper sleep, our cognitive functions are impaired, making it harder to concentrate and make decisions. In simpler words - lack of sleep has consequences.
So before hopping on the great productivity train, we need to have our foundations in place, otherwise, weâd be riding the train knowing there are missing rails along the track and the whole train could crash. Now, I am not a sleep expert, so I canât tell you how to cure insomnia and other sleep problems, but I can share 3 tips that help me get a good night's sleep. It took me some time to adapt these methods and now I really notice the difference whenever I get âlazyâ or distracted by life and donât stick to them.
đ°ď¸ Sleep Routine
Routines, as boring as they may be, do help us. Whatever you do routinely becomes a habit and good habits make for a good life. Choosing a time for going to bed and waking up, and sticking to it is a great place to start. This includes weekends as well because your body gets used to the rhythm. Donât worry, you can still have nights out, as long as you donât have a night out every night. Everything in healthy balance. Adding other elements to the routine will also help, keeping in mind that simplicity is key and that too many actions for your routine might create unnecessary friction.
đĽ Food and Drinks
No more food 3 hours before bed, and no more liquids 2 hours before bed. Your body works hard to process food, so hard it affects your sleep. If you give it time to finish its work before bedtime, your body can relax and send resources where necessary. Drinking water or tea (or any other drink) before bedtime will fill your bladder, and waking up to go to the bathroom disrupts your sleep cycle.
đ Digital Sunset
Screens and artificial light mimic daylight so they keep you alert and awake. You should limit bright, white lights a few hours before bedtime and avoid screens 1 hour before going to sleep. I usually put away my phone, do some stuff around the house, do my nighttime routine, and read a book. I avoid reading self-development, business, or any other learning type of books because I like to take notes and write down my thoughts while I read, so doing that doesnât allow my brain to wind down, instead, I read fiction or fantasy and most often than not my eyes start falling shut after 2 pages. đ
There are a lot of other tips and tricks from exposing yourself to sunlight immediately after waking up to looking at the sunset because the sunlight hitting our retinas signals our circadian clocks what time of the day it is and whether we should feel sleepy or not. Iâm going to stick to the ones I have tried and successfully implemented in my life, but I do encourage you to look at some other methods, itâs fun trying them out.
In my masterclasses, people often say they can only fall asleep with their TV on. In fact, the American National Sleep Foundation did a survey and found that 58% of people in the US have their eyes on a screen before falling asleep. Having a movie or a TV show in the background can reduce your anxiety before you fall asleep, but it causes sleep disruption resulting in more anxiety and irritability. According to doctors, sleep is essential for the body's repair and recovery processes. Without it, our immune system weakens, and we become more susceptible to illness.
Remember, it takes time and is difficult to implement a bunch of steps all at once, so start by adding just one, until it becomes a habit, then add the next. Not all days are the same, sometimes you will do great and go through your routine with flying colors and wake up feeling fantastic, but sometimes you will miss it, and itâs completely fine. Consistency is great, but persistence is better, so keep coming back to it.
Quote of the week:
"The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep."
- E. Joseph Cossman
Feel free to reply or leave a comment - share your own take, suggest a topic, ask for advice, whatever it is, Iâm here to listen and respond.
Happy Productivity!
-Ance