8 Simple Ways To Optimize Your Sleep
You know that feeling you get when you're on a great sleep schedule? When you wake up refreshed with superman-levels of energy?
Of course you don’t! Most people I work with would never describe their days like this!
Why?
Because for most of us, sleep is often the first casualty when life gets overwhelming.
But as time-consuming as it is, sleep is an integral part of your overall health- from inflammation to weight loss. Sleep helps us with stress, and ensuring we have enough energy to get stuff done during the day.
Here are some tips for optimizing your sleep so you can stop feeling like an energy-deprived zombie and start feeling like Supermom.
#1 Keep your bedtime
You've heard it before, but this is a big one. Getting to bed at a regular time supports your body's natural circadian rhythm so you can enjoy a deeper, more restful sleep. We recognize the importance of this for our kids, why not ourselves?
#2 Allow for nine hours in bed
You've probably heard that 7-9 hours of sleep is a good rule of thumb. And because we're all pinched for time, most of us aim for 7. But we don't account for the time we spend falling asleep, scrolling on our phones, or watching TV. So that "seven hours of sleep" ends up being more like five or six.
If you aim for 9 hours instead, you're more likely to hit that 7-8 sweet spot.
#3 Try to sleep in a dark room
Light at the wrong time is the enemy of sleep. All those little lights in your room mess with your circadian rhythm- from your phone, to your alarm clock, to the power light on your TV or laptop- these all add up and tell your brain that it's time to wake up. So while blackout curtains are great for cutting out street lights, sleeping with an eye mask is a real game changer since they cut out all light. Not your thing? There are also companies that sell stickers to put on all those little lights at night to help you cut down on extra light!
#4 Use earplugs to cut out background noise
If you live in a city and have to deal with traffic, sirens, or loud neighbors it can be difficult to sleep. When that happens, earplugs are your best bet on getting enough R&R.
#5 Get sunlight in your eyes in the morning
Sunlight in your eyes early in the morning helps regulate your circadian rhythm. So when you wake up, go outside for a few minutes first thing. This will help keep your body clock aligned and ready to produce melatonin for sleep later on.
#6 No caffeine after 12 p.m.
The half-life of caffeine is six hours. So drinking it past noon will inevitably impact your sleep. Cut the coffee or switch to decaf later in your day to prevent yourself from a bad night's sleep.
#7 Avoid alcohol before bed
Although it makes you feel drowsy, alcohol significantly disrupts sleep patterns, leading to a night full of poor quality sleep, shorter sleep, and more wakeups. It is incredibly common to experience the “alcohol- to-coffee” cycle each day, where you feel like you can’t unwind or fall asleep without a glass of wine, and then can’t wake up the next day without some coffee- but this cycle CAN be broken, and your energy levels will thank you!
#8 Get daily exercise
Exercise helps with sleep. Aim for just 30 minutes of light exercise a day to get your body ready for rest mode.
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The quality of your sleep impacts the quality of your life. Focus on optimizing your sleep and watch how much better your waking life will become.
Do you have any tips for optimizing your own sleep? Share them below!