In this blog, we will discuss an important topic: How to sleep the right way.
Sleep directly impacts your mental and physical health. Moreover, falling short on sleep can seriously affect your daytime energy, productivity, and emotional balance. Despite understanding its importance, we often compromise on sleep when faced with time demands. (Featured image: Image by Daniela Dimitrova from Pixabay)
Many of us struggle to sleep on time and obtain quality sleep. Therefore, in this blog, we will discuss a few practical and ready-to-implement ideas that will help you achieve timely and restful sleep.
Below is the mind map of ideas in this blog.
You should also read my blog on the related idea of the habit of snoozing the alarm.
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Bedroom Environment
Your sleep environment is a key factor and significantly impacts the quality of your sleep. This is where you spend the 7 to 8 hours of your sleep time. Let us discuss what constitutes your bedroom environment and how it should be.
Less Light
- Brightness inhibits the production of melatonin, a hormone needed for good sleep.
- Your body only secretes this hormone when it is dark around.
- So, you must ensure that the bedroom is dark when you go to sleep.
- The room should only be bright enough for you (or family members) to move around safely if you wake up at night.
- If there is external brightness from the windows, use heavy curtains.
- Alternatively, a simple solution is to use a sleep mask.
A dark sleep environment can support your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle and enhance the overall quality of your sleep.
Quite and Noiseless
- The sleeping environment should be quiet and calm without any noise.
- Common sources of noise are TV sound from the adjacent room and the sound of traffic/horns from the road.
- If you are not successful in putting down the noise, use earplugs.
- Additionally, curtains help to reduce both light and noise, creating a more conducive environment for restful sleep.
Optimal Temperature
An optimal or comfortable temperature that best suits you and your family ensures a quality sleep, as a bedroom that is too hot or too cold can affect your sleep quality.
Comfortable Mattress & Pillow
One main objective of sleeping is relaxing your body. A comfortable mattress and pillow help to achieve this objective.
Let us see a practical example to emphasize its importance. Have you tried to sleep on a bus, train, or flight in a sitting position while traveling? Recall how your sleep was. You would not have been able to sleep comfortably nor achieve deep sleep. A comfortable mattress and pillow in your bedroom can greatly enhance your sleep experience, ensuring you achieve the relaxation and restful sleep your body needs.
Cleanliness
While I am uncertain if there is any scientific evidence supporting it, I strongly believe that tidiness matters when it comes to sleep quality. By keeping your bed and the surroundings neat and clean, and regularly washing your pillows and mattress, you can significantly impact your sleep experience.
Even if any one of the above practices is not fulfilled, your sleep quality may be affected. Therefore, trying out these simple practices can yield observable results, and they are accessible for anyone to implement.
Wind down for the day
This is another important aspect of getting good sleep. Even with the world’s best bedroom environment, you cannot sleep well if worries, anxiety, or stress bother you. Residual stress, worry, and anger from your day can make it very difficult to sleep well. Therefore, you need to wind down and relax before going to bed.
A few options to consider would be:
Time with Family
This would be the first preference and the best thing to do at the close of the day. You and others can engage in discussing and sharing how your day went, sharing some jokes, and participating in any pleasant conversation. Additionally, engaging in a joint activity together with family members is also a good option.
Music
Hear soothing music and calming tunes. Avoid listening to energizing and upbeat music. Slow music with no lyrics can be beneficial for creating a relaxing atmosphere conducive to sleep.
Read Books
You could read a few pages of a good book. Avoid reading titles related to suspense, horror, thriller, and action. Ensure that you read only a paper book and not from any devices. In the next heading, “Disengage from your devices,” we will explore the reasons to avoid using electronic devices before sleep.
Light Physical Activities
You can prepare the bedroom for bedtime. Additionally, you can arrange for the next day by gathering the essentials in one spot.
Activities to Avoid
Avoid engaging in arguments or heated discussions with family or peers close to bedtime. This practice can cause stress, anxiety, and hinder you from getting timely sleep.
Additionally, remember that everyone faces problems, stress, and worries at all times. Therefore, it is essential to figure out a way to handle them effectively. If you are angry with someone, consider forgiving them or, at least, letting go of the anger. Moreover, if you have offended anyone, take the initiative to call and apologize for your actions without hesitation. Your sleep should not be affected by unresolved conflicts or emotional turmoil. By adopting a mindset of forgiveness and resolution, you can contribute to a more peaceful and restful sleep, supporting your overall well-being and mental clarity.
Disengage from your devices
Devices like smartphones, laptops, desktops, and televisions emit blue light. This blue light tricks the brain into thinking it is still daytime. So, we need to reduce blue light exposure in the evening. It is recommended to disconnect from these devices at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
Note: There are many different viewpoints on when you should disengage from your devices. Some recommendations even mention 2 hours before going to bed. More is better! But ensure a minimum of 30 minutes.
Avoid the extreme behaviour of watching social media or engaging in chats on your mobile after going to bed. The light from the mobile affects the secretion of melatonin (despite the dark environment in your bedroom), which is needed for good sleep. The sleep cycle also gets disturbed. Additionally, based on the topic discussed in social media, your relaxed state also gets affected.
Shut down rituals
This idea comes from the book “Deep Work” by Cal Newport. It provides a formal way of closing your work, preventing loose thoughts, worries, and pending tasks from running around your mind. By implementing these three simple steps:
- Check if any critical emails need to be responded to (or critical actions to be closed). By doing so, you eliminate anxiety and the need to log in later or receive phone calls from stakeholders.
- Transfer pending items to the next day’s To-do list. This helps ensure nothing is forgotten and promotes continuity when you start your next day.
- Prepare your next day’s To-Do list/schedule.
The above ensures: (1) You need not log in after closing your workday, (2) Your working memory is relieved of pending tasks and incompletions, and (3) Your next day is in shape as you close the day.
As we discussed handling stress in the previous heading, this shutdown ritual helps eliminate stressful work-related thoughts in the evenings and weekends. Transitioning to this shutdown ritual can promote a sense of closure, allowing you to fully focus on your personal time and enhance your overall work-life balance.
Other Ideas
Exercise / Physical activity
Regular physical activity can promote better sleep. However, it is advisable to avoid being active too close to bedtime. Such exercise shortly before bedtime raises your body temperature and heart rate, making it harder to fall asleep.
Avoid Caffeine in the Evening
The most common foods that contain caffeine are coffee, green tea, and chocolates. These drinks/foods stimulate the nervous system. Avoiding these items 3 to 4 hours before going to bed is recommended, as drinking them close to bedtime can make it difficult to sleep. (Reference: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-tips-to-sleep-better#3.-Dont-consume-caffeine-late-in-the-day)
Sleep Schedule
You need to work on a sleep schedule with a consistent time to go to bed and wake up. Decide your wake-up time based on the amount of sleep you need. On average, 7 to 8 hours of good sleep is needed. Determine how much sleep refreshes you and provides a great start the next day.
Thus, you get the same amount of sleep every day. This creates a body rhythm that helps you fall asleep once you get into bed. Try to stick to this schedule even during the weekends, as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can support better sleep quality and overall well-being.
Pre-Sleep Routine to sleep the right way
Your activities during the evening hours can have a significant impact on your ability to fall asleep and the quality of your sleep. To get the most out of all the above ideas, consider building a pre-sleep routine. By building a pre-sleep routine that matches your reality, practicing it daily, and making it a habit, you can enhance your sleep experience.
To make this explanation easier, let’s consider a hypothetical routine for a bedtime of 10 pm.
- Your pre-sleep routine starts at around 6 pm when you drink the last coffee/tea for the day.
- Then, whatever time you close, follow the shutdown ritual – complete all that is needed, so you need not log in again or think about any work-related topics.
- Next, ensure you complete your dinner at least 1 or 2 hours before bedtime.
- Around 9.30 pm (~30 minutes before bedtime), close all your devices and wind down by chatting with family members, listening to music, or reading books.
Set your bedroom environment as discussed in this blog, go to bed, and wake up every day around the same time.
A routine of this kind helps our brain recognize that it is time to sleep. It may be challenging to start with a full-fledged routine, so begin with small changes and additions, gradually incorporating them into your daily habits. Transitioning to a consistent and relaxing pre-sleep routine can positively influence your sleep patterns and contribute to better overall sleep quality.
Time for actions
Now it is time to put the reading of this blog into action that best fits your life.
- First and foremost, decide on your bed and wake-up times, and stick to them every day. This decision is crucial as it determines the time you need to wind up all your devices and the time you lastly take your caffeinated food for the day.
- The next focus shall be on your bedroom environment.
- Next, choose which action best suits you to wind down? Is it spending time with family, listening to music, or reading books?
- Once you are comfortable with this, integrate the shutdown rituals when you close your workday.
By taking these proactive steps and incorporating them into your daily routine, you can optimize your sleep environment and improve your sleep quality. Remember that consistency is key, so stick to your decisions and gradually build a bedtime routine that works best for you.
Conclusion
Mastering the art of sleeping the right way is crucial for your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. By implementing the various strategies discussed in this blog, such as creating a conducive sleep environment, establishing a consistent sleep schedule, managing stress, and avoiding caffeine and digital devices before bedtime, you can pave the way for a more restful and rejuvenating sleep experience. Remember, quality sleep is not a luxury but a necessity for leading a productive and fulfilling life. So, prioritize your sleep health and make the necessary changes to unlock the full potential of a good night’s rest. With small but impactful adjustments to your bedtime habits, you can wake up each morning feeling refreshed, focused, and ready to seize the day with renewed energy. Sweet dreams await!
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