How to Get the Most Out of Your Sleep
We all know that a good night’s sleep is important, but all too often we simply settle for “night sleep” and leave out “good”. Maybe it’s because we think “well” we sleep mostly out of our hands, but there are ways to maximize your sleep so that your waking hours are even better.
Set and stick to a schedule
You need a schedule, not just a sleep schedule. You should more or less plan your day for the whole day and focus on building a bedtime habit. Let’s say you need to get up at 6:30 in the morning to get ready for work. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get seven or more hours of sleep every night, so at least you go to bed by 11:30. What you do before 11:30 also counts.
Try relaxing an hour before bed. Seriously, no work letters, no letters at all. Unplug and put away your devices as much as possible. Prioritize your space and make sure your bedroom is comfortable, with soft lighting, comfy bedding, or anything that makes you feel cozy and safe. Try to devote the last waking hour each day to relaxing in your space, be it taking a hot shower, meditating, or having a quality time with your partner.
When talking about your partner, whenever possible, let your family know that you prioritize your sleep schedule and shouldn’t worry about starting an hour before bed, except in a real emergency (or, you know, raising young children). You should also set a daily caffeine limit. No cold coffee after, say, 15:00. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day – even on weekends.
Learn about sleep cycles
Learn about sleep. Of course, this is a basic human function, but it is still complex, and knowledge is power.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has a handy sleep stage guide here , but it’s easy to do, there are two types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and slow wave sleep. REM sleep occurs about 90 minutes after you fall asleep, and REM sleep is divided into three separate categories. The short period when you go from wakefulness to sleep is not REM sleep, and neither is a light sleep before you go into deeper sleep. One period of deep sleep is during slow sleep, and this is when you need to feel refreshed in the morning. This occurs for longer periods during the first half of the night.
What do you do with this information that is not even relevant and meaningless when you are awake? Well, you make a plan when you are awake to maximize the time spent in each cycle.
One simple – and admittedly modern – way to figure out your unique sleeping habits is to buy a wearable device. Devices like the Apple Watch can track your sleep, but keep in mind: wearing overnight means you need to recharge in the morning, so you need to prioritize whether you want the wearable to measure information about your sleep or your movements as you sleep. wakefulness. Take the first one for several weeks while you start a new sleep pattern.
Caroline Crider, who runs scientific communications for the Oura Ring , a wearable health device that tracks biometrics, told Lifehacker that tracking this type of information is useful because it helps people understand their health by arming them with accurate personal information. This device, for example, monitors body temperature, breathing rate, heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep and activity to give users a score on three different dimensions: a readiness score shows how ready they are for the day, a sleep score shows how well they are. were asleep, and activity scores indicate how well they balance activity and rest. Once it recognizes you, the ring will even start giving you “bedtime advice”.
It’s all very high tech and fun, but you can also measure your success with sleeping the old fashioned way.
Write it all down
Try to develop a new habit of recording your sleep each morning when you wake up. Keep a small journal throughout the day. If you wake up refreshed, write it down. If you wake up sluggish, move on to the notes. If you start to get tired every day at 2:00 pm, take a note too. Over time, the pattern will develop and you will be able to see how your sleep actually works for you in general, instead of focusing on the day-to-day fatigue you feel.
Keep track of when you go to bed, how you felt when you retired the night before, and everything important that happens during the day that can affect your peace of mind, from hard training to important life development. Look for patterns, especially on days when you feel fresher and more energized, and then duplicate what you did the night before.
If you live a healthy lifestyle, drink water, eat healthy foods, go to bed at scheduled times, and do whatever else you think you should be doing but still feel tired, talk to your doctor. Bring your wearable journal or your notes and ask what they think the problem might be. Remember that a variety of issues, from your mental health to your thyroid gland, can interfere with your sleep, even if you’re on top of all the factors you can control, so it doesn’t hurt to get a second, professional opinion.