Are You Getting 8 Hours of Sleep? (Day 22 of 30)
Want to improve your productivity, concentration, and overall health with just one magic bullet? 😉
It’s called 8 hours of quality sleep on a regular basis!
My husband and I are fanatics about trying to get 8 hours of sleep every night for our mental and physical well being! 💤 The science is so compelling it will blow your mind! 🤯
My clients often complain about not getting enough sleep and when I inquire about what they are doing to get a handle on it they usually say nothing (or mumble something about cutting back to 3 cups of coffee from 4 a day!).
Invest six hours of your time and listen to Dr. Peter Attia’s three-part podcast series on the benefits of sleep with Dr. Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology at Berkeley. I promise you will value your sleep at a whole new level afterwards. They geek out on all the health benefits of sleep and risks if you don’t get enough. Increased risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia is what landed me on this podcast to begin with and that was just the tip of the iceberg (think ability to make memories, and huge impact on our reproductive, immune and cardiovascular systems, etc). Here are the links:
You can also read Dr. Walker’s book entitled "Why we Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams." In it he explains “how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood, and energy levels; regulate hormones; prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, obesity and diabetes; slow the effects of aging; increase longevity; enhance the education and lifespan of our children; and boost the efficiency, success, and productivity of our businesses.”
After listening to the podcasts and reading parts of the book here are our takeaways for a good night’s sleep. Draw your own conclusions, but this is what we are working on implementing in our lives (and we see the benefits!):
Get 8 hours of sleep per night. Example, 10 pm - 6 am.
Go to bed at the same time every day, 7 days a week. Example, 10 pm. Yes, even on weekends!
Wake up a the same time, 7 days a week. Example, 6 am. Yes, even on weekends!
No alcohol
Ideally no caffeine (certainly not after 12pm) - we cut it out completely
No eating a few hours before bed
No sugar (especially in evening)
No tea in evening
Ideally no naps as it throws off your sleep cycle, but if you do have to take one make it short and not after 3 pm.
Exercise and movement daily (but don’t over do it)
Meditation (morning, meditation snacks through the out day, wind down before bed)
No electronics 1-2 hours before bedtime
Use orange lens glasses to protect against blue light at night (I notice this makes a difference when I remember to use them. We bought Swanwick glasses)
Place mobile phone in other room - do not check it at night (if it has to be in the room with you only check it while standing up)
Wind down before bedtime
Block out all light in bedroom
Reduce noise (I can’t remember if this was in the literature or just my thing 😉)
Temperature 68-69 F (cool) (suggested range 65-68)
Hydrate throughout day, reduce after 4 pm
Sleeping pills don’t help with sleep quality
If struggling to fall asleep, get up and do something else. You don’t want to associate not sleeping with your bed. Sleep = bed.
*** Please note - I’m not a doctor. I’m only sharing my takeaways from the podcasts and what's been working for us. Please discuss all changes with your doctor first. Also, I have no affiliation with Dr. Peter Attia, Dr. Walker or Swanwick. We just love their podcasts and their cutting edge research. Follow at your own risk.
✨See you tomorrow for Day 23 of 30 lessons learned from 2019!
#sleep #lifecoaching #30daychallenge #lessonslearned