Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson - How to Get Better Sleep - Book Review/Summary
7 Tips I learn From Book
I
always thought I knew how to sleep. I
mean... you just lay down, close your eyes and wake up right? It’s Simple and
better to sleep!! Yeah... turns out it's not that
simple. Actually playing video games till 3 am or watching Netflix or even worst
watching endless drama television series like game of thrones, breaking bad, and
waking up 8 hours later, was one of the reasons why I didn't have the energy in
the morning.
I
mean I was sleeping for 8 hours, so I should be good right? No. Sleep doesn't
work that way. It's not about the quantity. It's about quality. In this Article
I'll be giving you 7 tips on how you can upgrade the quality of it. Most of us
view sleep as a no-brainer, so we scrape by with as little as possible. But
sleep can make you lose weight faster, prevent cancer, decrease pain, preform
at a high level and make you have more energy throughout the day. Here are some
consequences that will follow if you don't pay attention to your sleep:
First:
You're grumpy and not fun to be around, relationships suffer, work productivity
declines. You suffer higher stress and that makes you eat more and store belly
fat. You are more likely to become obese, get cancer or get depressed. Most
people don't realize their sleep problems are also a catalyst for other
problems they are experiencing in life.
So
upgrading your sleep should be high on your priority list let me give you my
first tip:
Get
more sunlight during the day.
A
great night’s sleep begins the moment you wake up in the morning.
Your
sleep cycle or your circadian rhythm is heavily impacted by the amount of
sunlight you receive during the day. That sunlight exposure triggers your body
to produce optimal levels of daytime hormones that regulate your biological
clock. Getting direct sunlight, outdoors for at least half an hour has been
shown to produce the most benefit. Too little light during the day and too much
artificial in the evening will negatively impact your sleep at night.
Which
brings us to my second tip: Avoid screens before bedtime. I wish someone told
me this sooner. Cutting out screen time at night is likely the number one thing
you can do to improve your sleep quality immediately. Computers, Ipads, TVs,
smartphones emit blue light that can give you major sleep problems. The blue
light emitted disorients your body’s natural preparation for sleep. I know a
lot of people that watch TV before bed. It may seem like a relaxing and mundane
activity to sit back and watch TV, but parts of your brain are being set off
like fireworks. You're actually putting a stressor on your brain and body,
especially if it's time to be winding down for bed. So breaking the habit of
using your electronic devices before bed can be a bit demanding, but also one
thats worth mastering. Replace your devices with an activity that you enjoy
equally, for example: Reading, music, good company - whatever fits you best. If
you HAVE to use a computer late at night use a blue-light blocker. There's a
program called F. lux that you can install and turns it your computer screen slightly
more orange. I also recommend using blue-light blocking glasses, I use them
myself when I have work to do at night. Please note that even if you block all
the blue light, your brain is firing in all directions instead of shutting down
for sleep.
Tip
3: Be cool. When it's time to rest there is an automatic drop in body
temperature which has a big impact on our ability to sleep. Optimal room
temperature is 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit or 16-20 Celsius. Anything above or
below will likely cause sleep problems. So here's a cool trick: Take a warm
bath 1.5-2h before going to bed. This may sounds counterintuitive, but while your
core temperature will increase from the bath, it will fall accordingly and
level out a little cooler. Even though the room temperature will ideally be
cooler to induce great sleep, this can trigger sleeplessness in some people. The
solution? Wear a pair of warm socks to bed. Test it out and find out what works
best for you.
Tip
4: Go to the bed at the right time. Most human beings get the most beneficial
hormonal secretions and recovery by sleeping during hours of 10 pm to 2 am. Shawn
Stevenson calls that money time. You get the most rejuvenating effects during
this period. If your body is chronically deprived of the regenerative sleep
between those times, then you may still be fatigued when you wake up in the
morning. A study published in the international journal of cancer found that women,
who worked the overnight shift, had 30 percent higher incidence of breast
cancer. So make sure you go to the bed at the right time. To help reset your
sleep cycle, so that you're actually tired when the optimal bedtime rolls around,
make a habit of getting some sunlight as soon as you jump out of the bed in the
morning. This is going to help boost your natural cortisol levels and fully
wake your system up.
Tip
5: Create a sleep sanctuary. Your bedroom should only be used for sleep and
well... sex. Humans are creatures of habit and habitat. The human brain is
always looking for patterns so that it can automate behavior. After a while you
don't have to think what you have to do when you go to a different room in your
home. You just go in there and do it. If you allow your bedroom to be a place
where a lot of random activities take place, then you probably aren't creating
a strong neuro-association to sleep. When you step in to your bedroom, parts of
your brain might light up expecting to watch television, do work on your laptop
or scroll through social media. Your brain is going to do what it's used to,
not what you want to do. One big takeaway should be this: Bringing your office
work or free time to bed is one of the most offensive sleep crimes you can
commit.
Tip
6: Get it blacked out. Did you know that your skin actually has receptors that
can pick up light? If there's light in your bedroom your body is picking it up
and sending messages to your brain that can interfere with your sleep. Red
light has the least power to shift circadian rhythm and suppress melatonin,
that's why it's recommended to use red light bulbs at night. It's not just
about the color of the light, it's about the luminance as well, so if you have
an option, try to dim the light out a bit. So when you go to sleep, make sure
there isn't any light in the room. You shouldn't even be able to see your hand
in front of you, that's how dark it has to be.
Tip
7, my last tip: Calm your inner chatter. There's a great quote that says:
"My bed is a magical place where I suddenly remember everything I was
supposed to do". People hop into bed and then proceed to think about the
when, where who, why, what and how of their life... While they were supposed to
be sleeping. Sounds familiar? This is called the inner-chatter and it's a
result of the stress and untamed busyness of the day. It's important to have a
practice to help you buffer that stress. That practice is called meditation. Researchers
at Harvard have found that meditation alters the structure of your brain,
thickening the regions associated with attention and sensory processing. The American academy of sleep medicine published research showing that meditation
is an effective treatment for insomnia. The study showed that over a 2 month
period, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep quality, and even depression
improved in patients who used meditation. There is a ton of data about
beneficial impact of meditation on work performance, productivity, memory and
focus. So don't forget to take advantage of this valuable resource today! One
of the best times to meditate is when you're already close to alpha brain
waves. This would be as soon as you wake up or right before bed at night.
Alright
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And as always don't forget to be better every single day!
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