Part 1 – Preparing for Sleep

Sleeping is as much about preparation for sleep as it is the act of sleeping itself. The idea here is to establish a routine to trigger your mind and body into winding down. As always, remember that there will be nights where we have parties, events, or breaks to our routine. This article is simply meant to lay out a brief guide to how to manage our standard schedules. Who knows? You might even learn how to use these tips and tricks to recover more quickly on eventful evenings as well!

Food & Liquids

1. 1. Stop drinking liquids 2-hours before bed
      • This reduces the chances that you’ll need to wake-up and use the bathroom
      • On the flip-side, to help fall asleep, you could drink Chamomile Tea (Again…for best results, at least 2-hours before you fall asleep)

         

   2. Alcohol and Marijuana
      • Alcohol – Dr. Jeff Rodgers points out that the production of adenosine (a chemical in the brain that acts as a sleep-inducer) increases while drinking, allowing you to go to sleep quickly — however, this chemical quickly subsides, making you more likely to wake up. Additionally, I don’t think I have to tell you about the obvious negative affects you’re likely feel the next morning after a night of drinking. 
      • Marijuana – According to Sian Ferguson of Healthline.com People tend to get more “Deep Sleep” when taking in the THC of Marijuana (which is good for restoration of the body), but studies show that it also inhibits R.E.M. sleep (which is important for cognitive and immune system restoration). The jury is somewhat out on the balance of pros vs. cons, but it’s clear that marijuana changes sleep cycles.
      • Occasional use is understandable, but a dependency on alcohol (definitely) and/or marijuana (probably) for sleep seems to be undesirable for long-term sleep habits and optimal benefits from sleep itself.

         

   3. Stop eating about 3-hours before bed
      • Experts suggest the 3-hour window, but trust me, I find this VERY difficult because I usually finish work around 5:30, eat around 6:00 or 6:30, then I’m sleeping around 9:00. In between that time, I like to enjoy a small snack.
      • The reason for this suggestion is because the biological processes of digestion can be very disruptive, keeping people awake and uncomfortable as they try to sleep.
      • For what it’s worth, however, an empty stomach not only removes another factor for sleep disruption, but intermittent fasting has a myriad of health benefits as well. 
        • NOTE: I personally stack these two practices (Stop eating well before bed & Intermittent Fasting) together from about 7:30pm to 11:00am every day. It has made quite a difference in how I sleep and feel – not to mention how it has continued to help me drop a few extra pounds as I seek new personal fitness and body composition goals.

Avoid Blue Light and Other Stimulating Content

Much like the benefits of caffeine, blue light actually boosts alertness, focus, memory, etc., but these are undesirable at night when we’re preparing for sleep. As you approach bedtime, try to:

• Avoid cell phones, tablets & computer screens as much as possible
• Wear blue-light blocking glasses when you do any of the above
• Avoid social media, provocative news, exciting television close to the time of sleep
  • If you haven’t broken (or don’t wish to break) the habit of scrolling through your phone before bed, try ending the night by:
    • Wearing blue-light blocking glasses
    • Watching ASMR videos to fall asleep
    • Using the Calm app, Headspace app, or free YouTube Meditation videos
    • Turning on Do-Not-Disturb/Sleep Mode

Take a Hot Shower/Bath

Humans tend to sleep best when our core body temperature is cooled down. Since our natural circadian rhythms fluctuate the body’s temperature in accordance to what we need to accomplish for the day, a hot shower about 90-minutes before bed has been shown to trigger a “cool-down” mode that aids in sleep. 

Not only does this help with the biological component of sleep, it is yet another habit we can stack together within a larger bedtime routine. Win-Win.

Read a Book

Tim Ferriss recommends reading fiction books before bed as opposed to non-fiction. One benefit of this approach is that it allows you the chance to detach from the events of the day and into another world that the author creates for us. There is something uniquely cathartic to that.

Regardless of fiction or nonfiction, reading is a great practice for bed because it gets your eyes off of stimulating blue-light, sensationalism, and endless notifications designed to keep your attention. Not to mention all of the benefits reading has overall.

Set Up Your Environment for the Morning
REMEMBER: The more activities you tie into the routine, the more your brain will associate each one of those activities with sleep mode. The idea is to form a stronger bond between your activities and the act of sleeping.

Set up a work/read/journal/exercise station for the morning:

• This gives you a specific purpose to wake up at a designated time and produce something beneficial for your life. 
• Additionally, it reduces friction between waking up and being active because all you’ll have to do is go through the motions the next morning. 

Put a glass of water, coffee, tea in the fridge to chill overnight:

• We like rewards for doing things that are difficult. 
• Each night, I make a latte and put it in the fridge next to a cup of water. When I wake up the next morning, the first thing I do is walk to the fridge, pick up the drinks, start with the water, then move to the coffee. 
• Again, this is a reward in the morning because I reduced friction by setting up my environment the night before to foster comfort and action the next morning.

Set out clothes and a blanket to wear for the morning activities (and to warm up):

• There are all types of studies that show that changing our clothes into an outfit that is dedicated to the particular activity we are doing makes quite a difference. 
• Wearing pajamas tends to put us into lazy mode. Wearing a suit tends to put us into work mode. Wearing workout clothes tends to orient our minds for exercise. Turns out that dressing for success actually makes people more successful, confident and productive in the activities they are participating in.

Mentally prepare to wake up and follow a routine:

In addition to physical preparation is the mental preparation to wake up and follow a specific routine. Here are some ideas:

• Affirm to yourself that you will wake up early
• Tell a trusted friend or family member that you are going to do so
• Make visualizing your plans for the next morning a part of your bedtime routine

In a nutshell, when preparing for sleep…make it easy, enjoyable and fulfilling to stay awake and follow through on your activities

NOTE: Feeling like you’re waking up to an organized and relaxing home is an oft-forgotten component to good sleep. It is obviously more immediately enjoyable for us to stay in our warm, comfortable beds, and go back to sleep for longer than needed when chaos awaits us outside of it. 

Because waking up is the hardest part, focus your efforts on creating the best environment and routine that will incentivize you to get out of bed and into your morning routine.

REMEMBER: Methods over Motivation.