To know me is to know how much I love to sleep. How much I prioritize my sleep. And to know how much I want you to focus on your sleep.
Because sleeping is one of the best ways to get energy outside of food, and it will help you recover faster so you are able to lift more weights, and also you are going to be a happier person if you are sleeping enough. We’re just gonna call for what it is: I. Love. Sleep.
Thankfully, my love of sleep is also backed by science. Current research suggests you should be aiming for between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Getting less than that can lead to a sleep deficiency. Sleep deficiencies are linked to excessive daytime sleepiness, but other symptoms include depressed mood, higher injury rate, high blood pressure, and poor memory or concentration.
*If you think you have a sleep disorder like Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, or miscellaneous other things, go to a doctor.
But if you’re not a great sleeper or struggling to get that much, try these tips out.
3 Tips to Sleep Better
1: Set a bedtime and a wake-up time that you’re going to aim for each day.
A schedule will help your body set its circadian rhythm and you’ll get used to going to sleep and waking up at a regular time. Yea, I know that some of you are youths and still staying up late on the weekends, that’s fine, but it can impact your sleep during the week, so do with that what you will.
If you’re still thinking of 10 pm as “too early” but you want to wake up at 6 am, maybe consider a reframe. The more you think of something as “too early” the harder time you will have turning your brain down to go to sleep at that time.
2: Set a bedtime routine.
Setting up a pre-bed routine that starts at least an hour before bed can make it so much easier to go to sleep at a set time.
Things like dimming the lights, low stim TV instead of video games, taking melatonin, decreased phone usage, and a night time snack can all be things that can be in your bedtime routine.
Setting up a routine will make it so you can go to bed whenever you want to because your body will start to recognize the signs of turning down for the night.
3: Stop scrolling in bed
Making bed your place for sleep (and sexy time) will make it so your body knows, once you get into bed, it’s time to sleep. Scrolling on your phone in bed will continue to stimulate your brain making it harder to go to sleep.
You don’t have to make all of these changes at once, that’s a surefire way to quit immediately. Just like with anything else, start small and work your way up. Choose one tip to start to implement and then gradually add in the rest as time goes by.
