5 Tips that will help you sleep less and better

Over the past 6 months I have reduced my sleep by 3 hours a night. As a result, my nap has become deeper, of higher quality, and during the day I feel refreshed and energized. I will tell in awesome.club what I had to go through to learn to sleep less and better.

Get up early, go to sleep late… The first half of the day goes by in the blink of an eye, and in the second half you try to get all the unfinished business done. However, the organism has not slept enough, the head hurts and, as a result, its performance is not sufficient either.

So I decided to understand my own sleep cycle and, at the same time, check what is the minimum amount of time I need to sleep well to feel more energized.

Our sleep can be classified into 4 stages, depending on the level of relaxation you are in: dozing (or napping), average sleep, deep sleep and non-deep (fast) sleep.

Without going into details, depending on the phase, our body recovers from the fatigue of the previous day, in a kind of ‘night maintenance’: elimination of toxins, restoration of muscles, etc.

The most important thing is to understand that the deeper the sleep phase, the better we will rest and recover.

Low temperature. Excess heat (in possible limitations) will increase brain activity. Therefore, during the day, the temperature must be high for the organism to function. At night it is important that the temperature stays low, so that the brain quickly falls into deep sleep and stays there for longer. Melatonin, the sleep hormone. It is produced when our eyes are in conditions of complete darkness. It is known by researchers that the peak of melatonin production occurs between 11 pm and 4 am, so during this time it is important to sleep.

Given all this information, I established my own sleep cycle.

If, on work days, I have to wake up at 6 am, then on the weekend I also have to get up at that time. I set my alarm daily so I can’t turn it off until I get up. For this, I advise not to use the ‘snooze’ option. Are you scheduled to wake up at a certain time? Wake up without frills.

For what? The body must get used to falling asleep and waking up at the same time. As a result, the brain will begin to understand that there is an exact amount of time to recover.

It’s simpler (and better) to wake someone up in the fast sleep phase. That’s why it’s important to capture that moment. There are several methods for this:

Use a “smart” alarm clock app. There are many options. I’ve tried Pillow and SmartAlarm, but you can search other apps. These are very accurate tools, but not always comfortable, as the cell phone needs to be in bed to record movement and sleep data. Get up at the same time every day. If it’s easier for you to get up at 6:20 than at 6:00, that means your fast sleep phase is at that time. Experiment by setting your alarm clock at different times. By the way, if you have to wake up at the same time every day, then your brain will automatically get used to it and understand that at 6 am you must be in the fast sleep phase. Wearing a bracelet with the “smart” alarm clock function. Fitness wristbands are cheap, accurate and wake you up with a slight vibration.

Often, the humidity in an apartment does not exceed 25% (which is very little). If there is a shortage of it, then sleep gets worse. The good level is 45%, but it’s even better at 70%.

I bought a simple humidifier, which shows the humidity level and maintains the required percentage.

The best temperature for sleep is 16°C to 20°C. °С It’s quite cold outside where I live, so I just leave the windows open at night. But in the future I will have to buy a small air conditioner.

If there is less light, the faster the melatonin is activated. It means that we will sleep faster and fall into a deep sleep in darkness. Even a light outside the window or a store spotlight can interrupt the sleep cycle. Therefore, it is important to completely close the blinds.

I bought blinds that are made of a thick material. They do not let in light and make the environment darker. Sometimes I even put on eye masks to make sure any light is blocked out.

Exercise increases body temperature considerably.

Any physical exertion in the morning will just seem difficult. For a while, I had to strive for this. Then my body got used to it, but the schedule continued to seem inappropriate to me.

During the day, you also need to make physical effort. I’ve found that exercising 3 hours before bedtime makes your sleep worse, so it’s best to exercise throughout the day, so your temperature rises and your blood flows.

This was my most vulnerable part, as I really like to eat. Coffee, in particular, was even harder to cut out of my diet. So I came up with a challenge.

I hung up a sheet and marked the days I managed to go without coffee.

To sleep soundly, we must say goodbye to alcohol, nicotine, energy drinks and stop eating a lot of heavy and greasy food. Even a simple bread before bed interrupts the deep sleep phase. And if you drink energy drinks, then the cycle is completely over.

Drink lots of water. Trivial, but we always forget that. The body uses up liquid during sleep, so it is important that you have enough. Take a shower before bed. The water must have a temperature of 23°C. During sleep, the body cools down. If the water is too cold, then an adrenaline rush will occur, and we don’t need it before bed. A lot of light. To wake up fast, lots of bright light, preferably sunlight, is needed. So when I wake up, I quickly open the curtains and/or step out onto the balcony. Pillow. I didn’t pay attention to this before, but a good orthopedic pillow increases the quality of sleep considerably. It is beneficial for the neck, back and blood flow. Ask an expert to select a pillow that is right for you.

Following each of these tips, I noticed changes in the sleep phase. I noticed a physical well-being and a greater ability to work the next day.

I compared some indicators before and after starting my routine: the amount of deep sleep phases increased twice (from 1:43 to 2:02). In addition, its frequency has increased.

As a result, I was able to reduce my sleep time from 8 hours to 5 hours. At the same time, I’m less tired, more energetic, and my thinking seems to flow faster.

I’m not a doctor! Therefore, if you seriously decide to study your sleep, change the amount of hours and time you sleep, before starting it is worth going to a consultation with a specialist.

He will tell you if it is safe for you and, possibly, indicate what are the best attitudes for you to have a healthier life.