Sleep is critical to self and health improvement. If you want to look good, feel good, and perform well, sleep MUST BE A PRIORITY. Sleep quality is hard to improve, and for most people, sleep quantity is even harder.
How much sleep do you need? Most people need 7 hours at a minimum. Most folks also experience diminishing returns at 9 hours. So as far as Pareto (Burrito) is concerned, the sweet spot is 7-9 hours of sleep a night. The addition of a 20 minute nap can be very beneficial as well, if you can muster it.
You need to make sure your window for 7-9 hours is open. If you only allow yourself 5 hours for sleep, you’re not gonna get 7 (please tell me you understand that). Batch as many bedtime and morning tasks as you can during another part of the day to help ensure you maximize your potential window for sleep: 9:05
Do stuff that makes you tired. Exercise, manual labor, standing at work, taking the stairs, playing with kids…all that stuff adds up. Not only will you burn extra calories during the day (NEAT), but you’ll wear yourself down for faster, deeper sleep: 13:15
Alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, but your quality of sleep suffers (the trade off isn’t there). Cut back on your drinking, and better sleep will follow: 18:45
Consider supplementing with melatonin. It isn’t a cure all, but I find that it gives me that little push I need to fall asleep sometimes. I take 1-3 mg a couple times a week: 23:15
“Guaranteed” 7-9 hours of “sleep” each night
I have three go-to behaviors that work wonders for getting me to nod off. Like millions of folks, I still have trouble falling asleep, whether it be due to worry, excitement, pain or discomfort. The moment you realize that you’re not gonna fall asleep any time soon, get out of bed and engage in one or all of the following. Count the time that you spend on each activity as “sleep”. Yes, I realize that it’s not really sleep, but healthy changes aren’t magic; they come from healthy behaviors. If you’re like me, you’re body will eventually catch on, and you’ll start getting ACTUAL sleep as a result: 24:20
– Brain dump, Todo lists, and Journaling: 26:35
– Self myofascial release (SMR) and stretching: 29:23
– Cold showers: 35:36
Resources:
“How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” book on Amazon (affiliate): https://amzn.to/2Y2M1xq
“Why We Sleep” book on Amazon (affiliate): https://amzn.to/2zc2Xt4
“Becoming a Supple Leopard” book on Amazon (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3cxrtCs
Melatonin Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST4cE1JydJg
Restless Legs Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPM_Yx2eZIo
Cold shower video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwD367nbepM
Sleep tricks video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZysBQf5pvAM
Sleep tricks video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwWfH1njGIY
Brain dump video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE13RzWYte0
Tenets of Fitness Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5qdOub4cAE
Mobility exercises on my site: https://threestormfitness.com/mobility-exercise-table-our-newest-tool-for-a-better-moving-you/
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Finally, a script… Yay.
Hi Rob,
What are your thoughts and opinion about L-Theanine and sleep?
Must be nice đź‘Ť my friend