This article is the 4th in the 6-part series, Lifehack
Challenge: Become An Early Riser In 5 Days.
Whenever I see a toddler or small animal sleeping in a
ridiculous position, a little part of me gets terribly
jealous. Not because I want to be a small child or a furry
kitten. Because I want to enjoy that same sort of rest!
I had a lot of trouble sleeping a
few years back. Through a lot of experimentation and a bit
of help from some very cool experts, I was able to take
charge of my sleep and learn how to not just sleep, but find
true rest.
At first glance, most of the tips listed below will
seem familiar to you. They’re straightforward, simple ways
to get better sleep. It’s okay if you’ve seen them before.
The question is, have you actually put them into practice
since the last time you saw them?
Hmm?
If not, let’s have another try and maybe get some better
sleep tonight!
1. Learn your sleep position
Your “sleep position” is the position you always move into
right before falling asleep. If I’m not very tired I’ll
spend some time on my back, stomach, or other scenario until
I feel like sleeping. Then, as soon as I feel like sleeping,
I move onto my side and get down to sleeping business. Once
you know your sleep position you can move into it
immediately once you get into bed. Take a few deep breaths,
relax, and your body will assume that it’s time to sleep and
you’ll be drooling on your pillow in no time.
2. Create a sleep ritual
Not unlike your
morning ritual, a sleep ritual is a few things you
always do before going to sleep. Do you brush your teeth
(you should be), listen to a bit of some favorite song, or
stretch for a few minutes before bed? Figure out what helps
you relax and make a habit of doing those things every time
before you plan to sleep. You’ll soon find it’s easier to
rest, even in circumstances that otherwise might have kept
you awake, because the rhythm of your sleep ritual has
lulled you into a relaxed state.
3. Build a sleep cocoon
Please don’t start spinning silk and wrapping yourself up to
sleep. If you can actually do that, your problems are much
bigger than a simple lack of sleep! (Do spiders sleep?
Anyone?) What you should try is creating a “cocoon” of
silence and cool darkness that makes it easier for you to
sleep. Experiment a bit with earplugs or noise-cancelling
headphones to counteract the loud neighbors, air
conditioning or a fan, and a blackout curtain to keep the
street lights from keeping you awake at night. You know your
situation best. Now optimize it so you can sleep better!
4. Experiment with naps
You could take an extreme and try polyphasic sleep (been
there, really hard to get started, kinda fun once you’ve got
a groove going) which is only naps. I’d recommend something
more along the lines of a quick cat nap in the afternoon
when you’re feeling tired. Napping doesn’t work for
everybody. In fact, it might make it harder for you to sleep
at night! The easiest way to find out if an afternoon nap
will work to help you get the best rest is to try napping
over a weekend and see how you feel afterward. Keep it under
30 minutes long and you should be able to avoid the
bewildering effects of longer naps. There’s always the caffeine
nap, but that might conflict with the next tip.
5. Skip the late-afternoon caffeine
If caffeine can affect you for up to 8 hours after
consumption, what are you doing sucking down coffee at 8pm?
Skip the caffeine in favor of a tall glass of water and a
few minutes of aerobic exercise. You don’t need to put on a
purple leotard and dance in the hallway. A few flights of
stairs in your normal clothes should do the trick.
6. Maintain a sleep schedule
“Get up at the same time every morning and go to sleep at
the same time every night” says the Mayo
Clinic. Seriously? Life rarely allows such a luxury as
that! If you’re not one of the few who can arrange their
schedule around sleep, do your best by keeping your sleep
and wake times within an hour at each end. For example, if
you can get to bed between 11pm-midnight and wake up between
7am-8am, a few minutes given or taken each day shouldn’t be
a problem in the long run.
7. Go directly to bed when you’re tired
You know what happens when you start to feel tired and
decide to stay up for just a few minutes answering emails:
you get a second wind and end up watching Youtube videos
until 3am and paying for it the following day. Enough! If
you’re within an hour of your normal bed time and you’re
feeling tired, go to bed and try to sleep. Anything else is
a waste of your time and future productivity.
8. Have clean bedding you love
“Love” might be too strong a word. It’s hard to find anybody
other than a mattress salesperson who sounds passionate
about a mattress. That doesn’t mean your bedding doesn’t
matter though. The clean part, which results from laundering
your sheets and pillowcases, matters very much though. Who
doesn’t like the smell and feel of freshly clean sheets?
(Put your hand down. That’s gross.) Take a look at your
pillow, too. If it’s old and the filling is clumping up, it
might be time to treat yourself to a new one.
9. Exercise early, don’t eat late
Two tips in one? What a deal! There are some who can
exercise right before bed and not have it affect their
sleep. If you’re one of those, good for you. If not,
consider exercising when you get up in the morning as a
healthy way to get your day off to a running start.
Exercise, amazingly enough, can also work well to fight off
the fatigue you
feel after sitting in an office chair all day. Turn away
from the coffee and get moving! You might associate eating
with feeling sleepy because of the “carb coma” you get after
a big meal. Take a break from the late-night stuffing and
focus on relaxing instead. Perhaps a glass of wine? That’d
be nice.
