Ever since I was young I’ve been someone who needs a solid 8 hours of sleep every night.
Sometimes 8 and a half.
When I was really young, this was a blessing for my parents. A kid who sleeps through the night? Great deal.
When I started LSFW all I wanted was more time.
More time to learn, more time to work, and more time to spend with family. After all, if you work a 12+ hour day, it doesn’t leave a lot of time to do… well… anything else.
I searched high and low for sleep hacks.
“What can I do to teach my body to rely on less sleep?”.
I read books, went to conferences, and talked to industry experts.
Do you know what I learned?
I was asking the wrong question. #FacePalm
I should have been asking “how do I optimize for the perfect night’s sleep so I wake up rested, refreshed, and get more out of my day?”
If you’re someone who doesn’t sleep through the night, feels the mid-afternoon slump, or is relying just a bit too heavily on caffeine to get through the day, here are my top tips and takeaways to help you sleep better and increase energy:
- Keep a consistent bedtime and wake up time – even on holidays (yes, yes, I like to sleep in on the weekends too – although, without fail, waking up at the same time, even on a Sunday morning, leads to a better week).
- Reduce alcohol consumption. There’s a mountain of evidence showing alcohol interrupts your natural sleep cycle. Across the board, everyone I know who’s reduced their intake reports sleeping better, and in turn, feeling better.
- Optimize your room for sleep. Get blackout blinds and/or a sleep mask, put your phone in another room, keep the room temperature cool, try a weighted blanket, try a white noise machine, and check out Breathe Right strips.
- Reduce caffeine. This is the hardest for me as I LOOOOVE coffee. I feel your pain!
- Create a bedtime routine. In addition to a consistent sleep and wake schedule, you need to train your body when it’s time to wind down. A warm shower or bath, herbal tea, and a meditation, stretching, and wind down routine.
I’ll admit, this isn’t as exciting as a new workout program, becoming pain-free after years of aches thanks to a better quality workout, or dialing in nutrition to drop a few pounds of fat before the summer.
But sleep and recovery are an amplifier – improvements here pay off in dividends by making everything else work better.
Not sure where to start, or want to jump in with both feet?
Join Coach Pam’s Rest and Rejuvenation Yoga for a kickstart to improve your energy levels, sleep better, and get more out of your day.
It starts on June 4th, and only runs for 6 weeks.
—> CLICK HERE for more details and to sign up.
Here’s to better recovery for a better day, and better results.
