Today we go over some different methods on how to better optimize your sleep. Sleep plays an essential role when it comes to long lasting good health. The right amount of quality sleep during the right time will help to protect your mental and physical health. If you want to improve your quality of life, then be sure to follow the steps that we share with you today.
Keep the room dark – the darker the better
It is important to limit light exposure to promote a healthy circadian cycle. A healthy circadian cycle will optimize the level of melatonin (the hormone that tells your body its bed time) released as well as other hormones that promote recovery while you sleep.
Sleep in a cool room
Your body will work to keep warm and burn calories in the process. How well do you sleep when it is hot? Sleeping in a hot room can disrupt your sleep. The best temperature is around 65 degrees.
Avoid using anything with a back light within 1-2 hours of bed time
This includes Smart Phones, Tablets, Laptops/Computers, and yes TV. These devices as long as anything with LED or fluorescent lights emit Blue light which can disrupt our circadian rhythm and prevent our bodies from releasing melatonin properly. Before bed time it’s important that you make sure to keep it dark.
Keep a regular sleep schedule
Get your body accustomed to going to bed and waking up at the same time. Our bodies have amazing adaptive qualities. Keeping a normal bed time will ensure that our body starts to wind down and prepare for sleep. This will make it easier to enter our sleep cycle and get better shut eye.
Limit your caffeine to before 2-4pm
The actual time to limit your caffeine too is actually up for argument. Generally, caffeine can affect sleep up to 6 hours before bed time. So if you normal time for bed is 10pm, your last cup should be around 4. Yes that includes soda.
Make sure to get between 6-8 hours a night
For actual sleep time recommendations look at this chart from the Sleep Foundation:
As we get older we can get away with less sleep but the minimum is 6 hours with 7-9 being the preferred times.
Prioritizing sleep is one of the best ways to ensure that we get maximum recovery at night. This will translate to better workouts, more muscle, and more fat burned.
To find out more info on sleeping positions check out this great YouTube video series from Dr. Kelly Starett:
Following our sleep recommendations can help you burn calories while you sleep. It’s also important to note that not getting the proper amount of sleep can be harmful and lead to large-scale damage on the other end of the spectrum. Sleep deficiency has been linked to large scale tragic accidents and it’s important to make sure that you get the right amount of sleep as you continue to improve your quality of life.
