It was only a few years ago that allot of people talking about high performance were singing about how less sleep was better, 5 or 6 hours a night was the goal and many people were trying it, some for months on end, you could spot them a mile away with their blood shot eyes, slurring their words while talking about how they’ve never felt so good.
The ‘experts’ who generally had no training or qualifications were promoting it, I won’t say names but I do remember being part of a group where the leader would upload daily videos about his lack of sleep and how much benefit it was having on his business.
The reality is something different, as you probably already know, sleep is as important as air, if you don’t get enough you will become ill, humans are built to sleep and no supplement or pair of red tinted glasses are going to change that.
What we can do, however is improve our sleep, get a deeper snooze that put’s us into REM longer so we wakeup feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. I’ve been experimenting with different techniques to improve sleep, I base the recommendations on measurable results
- How awake do I feel the next day
- How good is my sleep based on the sleep tracker APP
- How many times do I wake up throughout the night
- How long does it take to fall asleep
These factors can depend on other factors, such as stress levels, noise polution and other influences, to get around this I only perform tests when I feel good. From my experiments I found the following 7 techniques the best.
Hot bath
A hot bath is a great way to relax the body and mind.
The more relaxed you are before bed, the less active your mind will be, making it easier to drift off into a deep sleep. Usually when we lay in bed thinking about things, it’s because we haven’t allowed our body to calm down. This is a mistake, every night you should have a wind down strategy. By the time you get into bed, you should already be ready to sleep, going to bed wide awake isn’t a good idea.
Magnesium
One of my favourite sleep supports is Magnesium, it will help you get into a deeper sleep for longer, meaning when you wake up you will feel more refreshed than ever. Magnesium is a mineral which plays a role in many functions, including muscle and nerve function, regulating blood pressure and supporting the immune system.
From my experiments, it became clear that I would consistently get a deeper sleep after taking magnesium before bed.
L Theanine
My experience with L Theanine has been turbulence. I had taken L Theanine for a few years, and it did help with focus on a daily basis. It was always a very suttle effect and I found taking it before bed helped with a deeper sleep.
I changed from the tablet to powder form, and I had a completely different effect.
The powder was more potent, I noticed within an hour that I felt slightly dizzy, it was very subtle and only noticeable when walking.
I thought this was a one off, and so kept taking it and had a similar effect each time, when I upped the dosage I was extremely relaxed, more than I wanted.
Its important to try different brands of the product to see which agrees with you, but it can help you get a great sleep.
Meditation
I meditate every morning, but I also do it again before bed. I noticed that meditating for even 10 minutes before bed improves sleep quality and helps you fall asleep faster. I highly recommend everyone tries this.
Yoga
I have used Yoga before bed when I’m particularly up tight and have allot on my mind.
I found Yoga is very good for relaxing and getting ready to sleep.
Music
If you find yourself in deep thought while trying to sleep, it can help to block out those thoughts with some calming music. If you have a favourite track that makes you tired, then start playing it when you go to bed and see if it helps, I find it works very well for me in getting me to sleep faster.
Natural Sounds
This solution is similar to music, playing natural noises can be very calming. I personally find rain makes me relaxed and fall asleep faster. Strangely enough, fire also has the same effect. It’s important to try different noises to find what works best for you.
