5 Quality Sleep Strategies to Feel Well-Rested and More Productive

Ample and quality sleep is one of the most important, and sadly neglected, elements of a sound mind and body. We can spend so much time and energy on our physical fitness, nutrition, and socio-emotional aspects of our lives and completely bypass one of the pillars of health.

We often fall into the trap of foregoing sleep in an effort to “get more done.”

As we’ve all experienced, though, the less quality sleep we get, the less chance we have at being our most productive selves. Yet, quality sleep isn’t so easy to come by, especially in our GO, GO, GO world.

In this post, we’ll talk about why sleep is so important, and we’ll give you 5 strategies for making your sleep better.

You Know Sleep is Important… But Here’s Why You Should Make it a Bigger Priority in Your Life

Just like “eat well” and “stay active” are incredibly vague, but still important, concepts, “get better sleep” can seem amorphous and out of reach without an understanding of what “better sleep” is.

The optimal window for sleep is most commonly between 6 and 8 hours. Some people can do well with less and some need more, but just as in a bell curve, the vast majority of us fit in to that amount. As we sleep, our body cycles through stages from a lighter to a deeper sleep, and this cycles repeats throughout the night (in an 8-hour period, your body should go through this cycle about 4-5 times).

Deep sleep is when we experience accelerated muscle repair, and in children it’s the most important time for physical growth. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is released into the bloodstream, which is good for muscle development and healing.

During this phase, breathing slows, muscles are relaxed, and it’s difficult to wake up from external stimuli.

These cycles are why the length of sleep matters. While naps are great when you are sleep deprived, they can’t fully substitute for the longer periods of sleep we are supposed to get at night.

Our individual sleep needs can vary, so one practical way to determine our specific requirements is to track how much nighttime sleep we get while waking up without the need for an alarm. Sleep experts recommend consistent times for going to sleep and rising in the morning to establish healthy patterns and also to give you a baseline tracking for how much you need.

What Happens When We Don’t Get Enough Sleep

A lot about how important sleep is and why we need it is measured in terms of what happens when we don’t get enough of it.

Slower reaction times (enough that it is equivalent to being intoxicated), decreased memory retention (poor performance on tests), and decreased athletic performance (slower and weaker muscle contraction and increased fat storage) are just a few negative effects of sleep deprivation.

So unless you like feeling drunk, stupid, and less physically capable, you should work on improving your sleep habits 😉

5 Ways to Get More, Better, and Deeper Sleep

There are many tools and strategies you can use to improve your sleep. The following 5 tips have been proven to have a big impact, and we’ve used them successfully over the years.

1. Sleep in Cave-Like Conditions

The best environment for sleep is a room that is completely dark and relatively cool.

Many people think their room is totally dark at night, but you’d be surprised how much excess light you probably have coming in after you turn out the lights.

Do you keep your cell phone in your room? Maybe you have a wireless router, a TV or DVD player, or even a smoke alarm? All of these electronic devices have small, seemingly insignificant LED lights that have actually been shown to disturb sleep quite significantly.

…exposure to light suppresses the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that influences circadian rhythms… [and] even dim light can interfere with a person’s circadian rhythm and melatonin secretion.

(Quoted from Harvard Health)

Even a small amount of light creeping in through the slits in your blinds can tell your body not to enter full-on sleep mode.

So what can you do to fix this issue?

• Remove as many electronic devices from your room as possible.
• For those devices that can’t be removed, use duct tape or any dark towel or t-shirt you have lying around to cover those little LED lights.
• Invest in some blackout curtains to make sure no light is coming in.
• Try using a sleep mask to block out any additional light. You may need to try a few before you find something that feels comfortable, but once you do, it can change your sleep forever.

2. Stop Using Electronics at Least 30 Minutes Before Bed

This tip is closely related to the previous one, as the reason is the same – the “blue light” emitted from electronic screens (including TVs, computers, and phones) interferes with the body’s natural production of melatonin. This makes sleep–and certainly deep sleep–much less attainable.

The earlier you stop using these devices, the better, as the particular light they give off has been shown to suppress melatonin for up to 3 hours.

If you’re anything like most people living in the modern world, though, stepping away from all electronic devices 3 hours before bed might not be so realistic (though I think everyone would benefit from trying it every once in a while). So what should you do?

• Many phones now have a “nighttime mode” under screen settings. This will adjust the light on your phone automatically during the hours you set it to.
• Another option is to install a light adjusting app on your devices. One staff favorite is called f.lux, which is an app that will automatically adjust the lights on your device so that the screen does not emit blue lights, those lights that are specifically harmful to your body’s melatonin production.

3. Go to Sleep and Wake Up at Around the Same Time Every Day

You don’t have to follow this rule rigidly but when you get into the habit of going to sleep at around 11pm every night and waking up at around 7am every morning (for instance), your body gets used to this. When your body adapts to this regular schedule, you’ll find yourself naturally getting tired at around 11pm every night and waking up at around 7am every morning.

This means less forcing yourself to go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning. It will happen more rhythmically and naturally.

Falling asleep and waking up are the parts of the sleep cycle that people struggle with most, so getting in the habit of following a fairly regular sleep schedule can be very beneficial.

For more on building habits, click here.

4. Wind Down (Physically and Mentally) Before Bed

I am not suggesting you attempt to enter an hourlong, trancelike state before bed every night, but some simple meditation techniques can be very helpful with ridding yourself of any anxieties or thoughts that may keep you from falling into a deep sleep easily. Especially when paired with gentle physical activity.

Try using this simple meditative technique along with this Evening Stretch Routine. After just a bit of practice I bet you will experience a much more restful sleep.

• First start in a comfortable position–choose sitting or lying down–close your eyes and just observe your breath.
• Some teachers have you count, while others ask you to regulate the breath in some way. I’ve found it’s best just to “watch” your breath and concentrate not on controlling the inhale and exhale but simply to observe it.
• After a few minutes, start the Evening Stretch Routine and see how you can continue this mindful breath with the gentle stretching.
• It will be difficult at first, just like everything that’s worthwhile, but keep at it. Don’t force it, if it becomes too difficult let it go keep stretching and try again when you can. Over time you’ll find yourself moving through the routine with much less intrusive thoughts.
• The key, and I cannot stress this enough, is to not strain. You can’t force yourself to relax! Keep at it everyday but if in a session you find yourself working too hard to concentrate, it’s best to bag it and try again later.

Ryan’s also been using an app called Headspace for a number of years now, and he recommends it for anyone wanting to get started with meditating. There are many apps available now, so definitely try out a few and see if any of them help you with falling and staying asleep.

5. Take Supplements as Needed

Sometimes, even after implementing all the suggestions above, people still struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep. This is when the use of certain supplements can be valuable.

Each of the following supplements can have different effects on different people, so don’t be surprised if you try one of these supplements and get different results from someone else. Some of the most commonly used supplements for sleep include:

• Melatonin–Like I mentioned above, melatonin is really important for regulating sleep-wake cycles. While you should optimize your environment for melatonin production, supplementing with melatonin before bed can also help with this regulation.
• Magnesium–This is one of the more common nutritional deficiencies in the Western world, so you may do well to take this supplement anyway. In some people, it can have a calming or sedative-like effect, so it’s best taken before bed.
• Valerian–This supplement is known to help with anxiety and sleep issues.

These are just a few things you can try, but they are all available over the counter at any health foods store (or online), and they’re relatively cheap. For a full list of supplements that can help with sleep quality, click here.

Overall Health Must Include an Emphasis on Sleep

Don’t nullify the hard work and effort you put towards your workouts and diet with poor sleep habits. Getting a good restful night’s sleep is just as important as nutrition and exercise for optimal health.

In fact, because most of the body’s natural recovery happens when we are sleeping, training hard without getting enough quality sleep is disruptive and can not just hamper your progress but actually set you back.

If you’ve struggled with sleep over the years, the 5 tips we shared in this article are a good way to put you on the path to better quality sleep. Implement these strategies and see how you feel after a couple of weeks of sleeping in a more optimal environment.

Pair these strategies with our Elements program to start improving the way you move and feel, and you’re likely to see a big impact on your mood, cognition, exercise performance, and of course, energy levels.