Top 10 Sleeping Tips for Optimizing Your Night

Sleep directly impacts your health and ability to function during the day. It is the essential to life, yet we don't always take it seriously. Work, obligations, technology, diet, and stress often get in the way and affect how well we sleep. 

During the night, your body enters periods of deep sleep for regenerating and healing and REM sleep for dreaming and consolidating memories. This rest is necessary for optimal health and well-being. Having good sleep is one of the most important things you can do to improve the way you feel.

You are in control of how well you sleep. Your nightly ritual should make you feel energetic and ready to kick some ass!

The Best Sleep of Your Life

Here are 10 sleeping tips for having the best sleep of your life and feeling superhuman:

1. Wind down 1-2 hours before bedtime. Avoid TV and work. Let go of the stress of the day. Read, listen to music, meditate, take a soothing bath, etc.
2. Healthy Diet. I believe an ideal diet is one that consists of whole foods, including vegetables, healthy fats, and good protein; avoiding dairy (except butter), sugar, wheat, and processed foods. Nobody eats perfectly. Just being aware of what you eat and making better choices can make a huge difference. Feel better to sleep better.
3. Limit stimulants and depressants. Drinking alcohol may make you feel tired, but it can prevent you from reaching deep sleep. Also, no caffeine (coffee or soft drinks) after lunch. 
4. No eating 2 hrs before bedtime. Having a stomach full of food makes your body work harder when it's trying to rest. Limit liquids to avoid getting up to use the bathroom.
5. Go to bed early. Go to bed before 11pm if you can. That's when your body starts to dump all the toxins it accumulated throughout the day. Staying awake during this time can cause them to get backed up. No bueno. 
6. Pitch black room. You shouldn't have any light in your bedroom. Black out the light from your windows, alarm clock, etc. You shouldn't be able to see anything at all. If you can't get it that dark, try using an eye mask as an alternative.
7. Keep the room temperature around 65 degrees. If you are too hot or too cold, you won't sleep well. My thermostat is set to 65 degrees. Experiment to find out what temperature gives you the best sleep. 
8. Sleep for 7-8 hours. Undersleeping and oversleeping can both be detrimental to your health. Your body only need 7-8 hours. Make a conscious effort to get the sleep your body requires.
9. Keep electrical devices away. This includes clocks, phones, computers, TVs, etc. The frequencies they emit may be invisible, but they can impact your health. Also, constantly looking at your phone or clock during the night can stress you out and lead to insomnia.
10. Don't snooze. I admit, this is the hardest one for me. I used to snooze 5-10 times before finally getting up! I always felt groggy because I would wake up and fall asleep many times in such a short time span. Set your alarm for when you need to be up, then get up the first time.

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