With the world on its knees due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stress and other factors are leading to more restless or sleepless nights.
Lately, I have been asked a lot about tips for a good night’s rest. It’s arguably the most common question I get related to health and fitness besides losing body fat.
Before we get into how to sleep better, let us talk about expectations. Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Not everyone needs eight hours of sleep, it’s not a magic number – some need more and many need a bit less. If you are mentally alert all day long operating at peak cognitive efficiency, then you got enough sleep.
However, if you are yawning, daydreaming, nodding off, or having trouble focusing then you need more sleep. The older people get, the harder it is to get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. If you are over 40 then it’s probably not realistic to hope that you will be able to hit the pillow, sleep soundly all night, and wake up eight hours later.
Here is what you can do to sleep better regardless of your age:
Stop all caffeine, especially at night
That means no soft drinks. No coffee. No tea. No energy drink. No chocolate. Caffeine has a long shelf life and even that morning cup of coffee can be a problem for some. Very commonly what people experience is that they fall to sleep but wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep. When they go to bed, they are so tired that they fall to sleep. The trouble occurs when they wake up at 3 am they are not nearly as tired, and the residual caffeine can easily make the difference between returning to slumber and tossing and turning.
Exercise
Getting tired is a great way to sleep better. In my opinion, cardio is better than weight training which amps you up, but weight training is far better than nothing. Finish your exercise before 6 pm as you need time to calm down.
Stop all supplements
Many supplements contain stimulants that can really mess with your sleep, even if they are not on the label. Virtually anything that is advertised for fat loss will cause sleep problems.
No big meals before bedtime
A big, fatty meal right before bedtime is a real sleep killer. There are a lot of reasons to make your pre-sleep meal small, high protein, and low in calories – add sleeping better to that list.
Mindful breathing
Google “follow your breath”. I hesitate to call this meditation because of all the connotations. Many people can’t get to sleep because their minds are racing about what they didn’t do, what they need to do, and what they should have done. Following your breath is a simple way to clear your mind and get to sleep.
Avoid stress before bedtime
The last hours before bed, do something enjoyable, not something stressful. Before bedtime is a bad time to pay the bills or open mail. It’s a bad time to discuss plans for a wedding. Watching the movie “Exorcist” right before bedtime may not be the best idea either. Some people get all worked up about politics and if that is you then the last thing you need is to work yourself into a frenzy about who said/did what. You know what pushes your buttons, raises your blood pressure, and starts your heart racing – avoid it before bedtime.
