There are always new developments in the fields of fitness and the maximization of human potential and performance. Yet somehow, the most basic elements of human survival are overlooked. We lead demanding lives. Most people work at least 40 hours a week. On top of that, some of us go to the gym or exercise at home. We have family commitments and social time with friends. We stack ingredients as high as we can in our lives, and yet do very little to recharge our batteries.
One of the often sacrificed elements of our lives is sleep. We not only reduce the amount of time we spend sleeping, but also the quality of that sleep to satisfy the many other parts of our lives that we consider most important. The flaw in that thinking is the fact that depriving yourself of quality sleep is a surefire way to ensure that your performance in other areas of your life declines steadily and often precipitously.
Before we share some ways to get better sleep in the future, we should consider a bit of history. Man used to live in caves. Man used to be at the mercy of the sun to provide him with light and heat. Man is not a nocturnal creature. With these facts in place, we can now examine his sleeping habits.
We all know the eight hour sleep rule. What most people don’t realize is that the added stress of strenuous physical exercise or a demanding job will increase the amount of sleep your body requires. Trying to impose a number of hours of sleep is actually not a good thing. You must wake up when your body is ready.
You should also remove as many modern distractions from your bedroom as possible. Here are some tips that, if followed, will make you sleep like never before:
1. clear your mind. Before you go to bed, write everything on your mind in your journal. Getting it out of your head and onto paper clears the way for you to sleep better. Take a deep breath before you sleep and you’ll be on your way!
2. Make your room as dark as possible. She closes the blinds and the curtains. Remember, we used to sleep in caves, so your room is your cave. Make him feel like one.
3. Turn everything off. Actually, you should unplug it. Unplug the TV, alarm clock, and anything else in your room that has power. These electrical currents interfere with your ability to enter a deep sleep; without you noticing.
These three steps will make you sleep like never before. There is a fourth, and it may be the most important, so I separate it all together. LEAVE YOUR CELL PHONE IN ANOTHER ROOM! There’s no reason to keep that thing with you unless you’re on call for your job.
Combining these four sleep tips, going to bed earlier, and allowing your body to wake up naturally instead of being jolted, will improve your sleep exponentially. With improved sleep comes better performance in all other areas of your life!
