Tips for a good night’s sleep
Each time I witness that my day was unproductive or that I wasted my time procrastinating, I observe and track every little thing I did during the day and the night before. I came to the conclusion that me feeling unmotivated, lazy and sleepy was most of the time, the result of the not-so-restful night I’ve had. As it’s frequent that I experience troubles to fall asleep or that I wake up several times during the night, I started to write down every little things I tend to do during my day or night routine. Here, I came up with 9 things to do/avoid during your night routine in order to spend better nights and feel more rested and productive on the following morning.
No caffeinated drinks (including tea, soda or any energy drinks) 4 to 6 hours before bed. Caffeine is a stimulant, known for diminishing the quality of sleep and delaying the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Caffeine builds up throughout the day and can stay in the system for up to 12 hours so it’s better not to have any past lunchtime and have decaffeinated coffee after dinner. Same for nicotine, have fewer cigarettes during the four hours before bed, and don't have any 30-45 minutes before bed.
Stop working at a decent time (let’s say 5/6pm if possible) and spend the rest of your evening doing things that will allow you to wind down, like taking a bath, reading.... You can also cook dinner or do the dishes, those are excellent ways to let your brain breath and to focus on the moment while feeling productive in the end.
No screens 1 hour before bedtime. Blue light also represents a threat and interferes with the release of melatonin. Normally, melatonin begins to be released in the body a couple of hours before bedtime, and it reaches its peak in the middle of the night. Blue light-emitting devices mess with your sleep in a way that it takes you longer to fall asleep, you tend to have less REM sleep (the moments of the night when dreams occur) and you can wake up feeling sleepier— even after eight hours of shuteye.
Have a light meal at least 2 hrs before bed time. Your digestive system continues to work even when you’re asleep. During this time, the tissues in this area grow, repair, and rebuild themselves. However, if you had a large meal immediately before going to bed, you’re not giving the digestive system adequate time to rest, and your digestion will continue while you’re asleep. As a result, you may wake up with heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux, or other unpleasant sleep-disrupting symptoms.
Try to avoid exercising (one hour) before bed. A too vigorous training where you can barely think clearly after can mess up with your sleep. So it’s better to hit the gym in the morning, before your work day or if you absolutely cannot, try to moderate the intensity of your workout.
Relaxation is key. Obviously you cannot sleep well if you feel stressed. Once in the dark, your brain will automatically overthink. Try to relax and slow down your thoughts by meditating (try guided meditation if you can’t stay focused on your breath) or listening to ASMR noises.. For those who feel particularly disturbed by ASMR noises, I suggest to replace it with nature or rain sounds (my fav playlist on Spotify: Fall Asleep by Filtr Ireland). During your night routine, you can also take a bath with essential oils that have calming and soothing properties (such as lavender oil, for ex).
Lightning and temperature. Our biological clock works with lightning and the lack of it means that it’s time for our body to rest. Darkness is the signal our brain’s waiting to release melatonin, also known as the « darkness hormone ». Avoid being exposed to too much lighting right before bed and try not to sleep in the same room as devices on « sleeping mode ». The room temperature is also an important parameter. In order to sleep well, it should not be too hot or too cold, between 60/67°F (16/18°C). One of the side benefits of sleeping in a cool room: it will make it easier for you to breath.
Try to use an alarm clock that is not your phone. When we wake up in the middle of the night, we are all tempted to look at our phones to see how much time’s left before our alarm rings. For the same reasons as in number 3, you won’t be able to go back to sleep easily once you’ll have checked your phone clock.
Last but not least, get your stuff ready the night before (bag, outfit, breakfast, etc.). You won’t be rushing in the morning and it will let you time to manage eventual mishaps.
