Six Tactics I Used To Improve My Sleep
I’ve always enjoyed sleep. Some could stay up for hours looking at content or reading material and say,
“Oh snap I need to go to bed.”
For me, sleep is also a priority for it determines how well I deal with sickness, recover from a workout, or improve my productivity the next day. Given the right conditions, I become a very hard sleeper.
Flashback
I recall one time in high school going to a jazz band competition on the school bus and I fell asleep. If I’m in a vehicle and I’m not driving, the chances of me drifting off to sleep are very high. The rocking of the vehicle is so relaxing. But anyways, one time en route to a competition I had woken up to some of my bandmates staring at me with a mischievous grin on their faces. I was about to ask what they were all looking at till I felt some Skittles in my mouth.
Apparently, I was so knocked out that I had my mouth open and they took the opportunity to throw Skittles into my mouth from a distance to hone their accuracy smh. Waking up from a nice nap, especially during a car ride, can be one of the best experiences a human can have. But in what ways have I tried to mimic the quality of my vehicle sleeping and achieved success?
1 - Floor Sleeping
Getting rid of the mattress was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Certainly, there are risks with floor sleeping but the benefits in my opinion far outweigh the negatives. Falling asleep on a carpet and some blankets is much easier than on the best mattress. Previously, I had one of those Casper mattresses modified for stomach sleepers as I am one. However, I found the floor more comfortable and cooler which in the summer months(especially here in North Texas) allows me to not have my thermostat so low saving me more money.
I believe that to some extent we live a life that is overly cushioned. The cushioning will eventually interfere with our movement mechanics. This might be the reason so many are into foam rolling or other forms of fascial release as parts of our body need more firm pressure points. With floor sleeping, you have a cheap option that you utilize for hours throughout the night.
2 - Evening/Bedtime Routine
Having a set of things you do before bed and things that calm up down will also be of benefit.
Night after night this schedule will become muscle memory and you will start feeling sluggish around the same time without much effort on your part. Incorporate things that will relax you and bring down your heart rate. Reading, looking at the moon, stretching, etc. Think of agitation, anxiety, and adrenaline as your enemies.
I also find it advantageous at times to write down what things I plan to accomplish the next day. This helps you to get all your thoughts onto paper and out of your head. As someone that would describe themselves as a, “Worry Wort,” anxiety with wreck your sleep.
And lastly, limit the amount of light you are exposed to as the hours wind down.
3 - Last Meal Cut-off Time
One of the practices I like to do is to cut off my eating at the latest around 630PM. Going to bed with too much food or no food are the extremes. Having a small degree of hunger I found is best for me to get a good night's sleep. Your body's energies should be devoted to repairing your body during slumber, not to digesting all that food you ate at the party.
4 - Limiting Caffeine
Caffeine or any type of stimulant after a certain time of the day will be detrimental to your beauty sleep. If I do drink coffee I usually try to cut off my drinking of it around one o’clock. These days, I barely drink any coffee, and if I do it's usually decaffeinated. I still like the bitter taste of coffee occasionally but would like to go without the standard level of caffeine.
I’ve found that if I Iimit my caffeine overall and not just have the one o’clock cut-off period that my sleep is much better and my dreams are more vivid.
Modern life drains us in many ways and I don’t believe resorting to any kind of stimulant is the best option. If more of our efforts are focused around quality sleep we might not need caffeine.
Additionally, if you train the right way you create energy and more pep in your step.
5 - Walking
That's right just walking. If you have time I would encourage you to walk throughout the day and while outside. Times around sunrise and sunset are best. Watching the great ball of light in the sky travel from one side to the other better sets our circadian rhythms aka our bodies’ clock. Our circadian rhythm affects multiple things like
Our Hormone Release
Eating Habits
Digestion
Body Temperature
Immune Function
And More
The more disfunctional our circadian rhythm the more disfunctional will be the working of our body.
6 - Turning Off Certain Electronics
A few years ago I had this wild idea in my head to place my phone on the other side of the room as I slept and the result of this was that I slept much better. Now I graduated to the point of unplugging key items like the one that broadcasts the internet in my apartment. When you go against established health narratives and receive benefits despite what mainstream “literature” says nothing can really stop you.
Plus, there’s plenty of evidence on how this stuff affects our biology if you know how to look. I’ve done many health fads in my time and most had little to no effect on me. Mitigating the various fields from the electronics we use every day has been one of the cheapest and most effective. Try it…what do you have to lose?
Wrap Up
Sleep is an important part of what keeps us up and running. I always scratched my head at videos and ted-talks asking why humans need sleep. It should be a no-brainer. Although we might not have power over the length that we sleep we do have power of the quality.
Thank you for making it to the end and comments are below.
Until next time…
