Sleep… None of us “get enough” and we all want “more hours in the day”…
I get it, but the fact of the matter is simple – there is only 24, so we got to make what we can of it and as ass-backwards as it sounds to some people… sleeping more is the best way to buy more time.
Yes, close your eyes and shut off completely for longer and you’ll gain more time because of it.
From a math perspective, I understand that this may not make any sense at all. But the truth is in the results, which are seen only by those who invest in their own health and stress management – by sleeping more.
Sleeping more will allow you to function and problem solve better during your working hours.
Sleeping more will allow your productivity to increase significantly, allowing you to get way more done in less time.
Sleeping more will allow your mind to shut off and your central nervous system to recovery, both which will allow you to have more energy and less fatigue in all that you do.
Sleeping more will boost hormones, which will lead to increases in just about everything life has to offer.
Sleeping more will increase longevity of life.
Sleeping more will allow your body to burn more body fat and build more muscle.
Sleeping more will allow for better insulin sensitivity, digestion and nutrient absorption, all contributing to better health and a leaner body.
See the funny thing is… I’ve only just begun with the reasons on why you should sleep more each night and if you’re not convinced by now, email me at [email protected] and we’ll have a debate on it.
But for the 99% of you that are now fully aware of how powerful getting more sleep could be for you and your life, lets do something productive with our time here together and teach you a few things on how you can actually achieve more of that precious sleep you’re missing each and every night.
1.) Stabile Blood Sugar.
You want great sleep? Start eating great food! A stronger, leaner and healthier body will typically have better blood sugar levels across the day and that alone can dictate how you sleep.
But also, when you eat your final meal matters too; “When you eat immediately before bed, it can make your body temperature hard to drop and can make getting into a deep and restful sleep more challenging” – Robb Wolf
On the other end, if your blood sugar drops too low during the night you can wake up due to a cortisol release, which is working to bring our blood glucose back up.
So what’s the best way to go? Play with things and see which works best for you. Some people do really well with a carb heavy meal at night and others not so much. Me personally, I do better off a protein and fat based meal before bed. When I eat a heavy carb meal, I go to bed hot and wired.
The big key here is that we keep blood sugar levels stable, so getting fit is step 1. Step 2 is playing with meal timing and trying to avoid eating too close to bedtime. (If you struggle with your Training and Nutrition, Click Here Now to jump on a Free Strategy Call within 24 Hours)
2.) Get Some Sunshine.
Getting sun on your skin and actually in your eyes during the day does way more than just provide some good ol’ vitamin d. It helps establish a normal circadian rhythm, which for the majority of civilization is way out of whack.
Circadian rhythm is what regulates the hormones for sleep, nervous system and metabolism during your sleeping cycles. Sunlight has a huge effect on this and if you want great, impactful, sleep – you need to have a normal circadian rhythm.
3.) Get Some Darkness Too.
After we get all that sunshine and it’s the later evening, around the time you’re winding down to hit the sack, we need to be in a dark and cool place. Kind of like a cave (I’m not the “Paleo Guy” but it’s not surprising how much we should actually be like our great ancestors…).
Dim the lights in the evening if possible, shut the blinds, use candles, and if you’re ‘wifed up’ already (as in you’re not single anymore or just don’t care how foolish you may look) get yourself some sweet looking blue light blocker glasses – they don’t look sweet, by the way… but they work!
Regardless, the key here is to get rid of too much light – specifically when the sun is setting. This is what allows us to keep that normal circadian rhythm.
4.) Make That Darkness, Darker.
How dark can you get? Shit… lets find out!
But no really, the darker you can make the room you’re sleeping the better. Get some light blocking blinds, turn your phones on the screen so no light is showing, and throw a towel over your alarm clock.
Sounds crazy and a bit anal, but just try this out for a week or two and let me know how much better you’re sleeping.
5.) Limit Technology At Night.
You’ve heard it a million times and you still haven’t done shit about it… I get it, me either. Until I started really digging into what it can do to your circadian rhythm, stress, hormones, recovery, longevity, and a whole bunch of other not-so-great sounding things.
It’s pretty simple though; wear the blue light blockers if you got them, use the nightshift button on your iPhone after sunset, download an app like F.lux that changes the lighting on your laptop according to your location, and at the very least just dim the light setting on your TV’s.
It’s a simple thing that sounds silly, but you’d probably trip out a little bit if you dug into the science behind all this stuff. Instead of you doing that, just take my word for it.
6.) Sleep In A Cool Room.
Sleeping in a hot room just makes things muggy and uncomfortable, so you probably already know that if you sleep in a room that’s a bit colder or has the AC blasting and wrap up in a big blanket, you sleep great.
Well studies have actually been done on sleep quality and they’ve shown that humans will sleep better in a room that’s set to about 64° to 66° F. If that sounds a bit cold for you, bundle up because at the end of the day this is what works best and our goal here is to get better sleep.
7.) Mind Dump.
Keep a notepad or journal by your bed at night (no, not your evernote app on your phone – we’re getting rid of light, remember).
Each night before bed, take out that pad and jot down all your thoughts and to-do’s for the next day. At this point of your day, while you’re lying in bed, there is literally nothing you can do about any of that shit – whether it’s an idea or something for the next day, you’re in bed…. So for now, forget about it.
This is a simple but effective tool because often times these things cause us to stay up, think, stress out and just not fall asleep.
8.) Contrast Showers.
This is a game changer for not only good sleep, but also for stress relief and muscle recovery due to the central nervous system recovering component. It’s also great because this can be an easy go-to for when traveling and staying in hotels – which usually causes shitty sleep.
Here’s what I’d do; 10 seconds of relatively hot water, then shift to 20 seconds of pretty cold water. Alternate back and forth for at least 5 times, but you can go more if you’re really feeling good.
Right after getting out, dry off and wrap up in a big blanket. You’re likely to pass out damn near immediately.
At the end of the day, sleep is a necessity for success regardless of what you’re striving to achieve.
But the number one thing to improve hormones, stress, sleep and life – is always going to be improving your body. This means becoming healthier, more fit, and regularly being physically active.
If you struggle with this part specifically, or the nutrition component, Click Here Now.
And if you don’t necessarily struggle with how to do it, you just struggle with consistently doing it. You need Real Accountability, not More Information. If that’s you, Click Here Now.
