Do you want to live your best life? Do you ever feel like you’re falling a little short?
If you are not getting enough quality sleep, then you are cheating yourself out of your full potential. You are not living WELL.
I’m not talking about just spending more time in bed. We’ve all heard those claims that modern society isn’t getting enough sleep, and that we’re falling short of the recommendations. There are hundreds, probably thousands of articles that talk about going to bed earlier so you can log the “recommended” 7-9 hours per night. And you may have skimmed through some of those articles thinking there might be some other nugget of useful information that would actually be possible in the real world.
Because we’re busy! We’ve got so many responsibilities to juggle, how can you keep up with it all without making some kind of sacrifices here and there? And the first one to go is usually sleep. We all need it, and we all tend to shortchange ourselves in this area, because it’s the easiest thing to cut. No one’s going to notice the lack of it except for you.
But what if the answer doesn’t necessarily mean more time in bed and less time for all those other things you want to do or have to do? What if there’s a way to hack your sleep, so that you get the absolute highest quality sleep possible? What if there are multiple hacks, so you can pick and choose what works best for you?
Today is your lucky day! There ARE multiple sleep hacks that you can use to improve your sleep—because it’s not just about quantity, it’s about QUALITY. I’m obsessed with really amazing sleep because I know it improves my mood, productivity, outlook, health, etc. I crave a good night’s sleep like chocoholics crave chocolate.
Top 10 Sleep Hacks
So, after extensive (and I’ll admit, obsessive and nerdy) research, here’s my top 10 hacks for getting the absolute best sleep of your life.
1. Have a regular sleep schedule
It’s probably the simplest hack. And I know, you’ve heard it before: go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. The reason that this works is that you’re setting yourself up to ride the wave of your circadian clock. The human body moves through a roughly 24-hour cycle every day. We’re pretty adaptable creatures, meaning that we can compensate for changes and differences in this rhythm, but why waste any of your precious energy fighting your biology? Figure out what your regular wake up and bedtime should be, and just stick to it. Yes, even on the weekends. Once you’re getting high-quality sleep, you won’t need to sleep late. You’ll wake up feeling energized and ready for fun. You’re going to get your precious weekend hours back, instead of wasting them trying to “catch up” on sleep!
If you’ve been sleep-deprived for years, or don’t follow any kind of regular schedule, it’s probably going to take a week or so for your body to get the new programming message that THIS is bedtime and THIS is wake time, but the next few hacks can help with that, so read on!
2. Get exposure to bright light in the morning
This is critical. Within two hours of waking up, you need to get exposure to bright light. In a perfect world, you would wake up at the right time, without needing an alarm clock, and be able to go for a short walk in a peaceful, natural, sunny location. Think morning walk on a tropical beach or sunny hike in the hills. It’s not a perfect world though, and we don’t all have access to such amazing locations as a part of our daily routine. So, why do we need to hack this problem, and most important, HOW if we don’t live in the perfect location?
Getting exposure to bright light in the morning helps to “reset” your circadian clock. It confirms to your biology, “yes, this is MORNING. This is when I should be AWAKE.” It will help you to be alert and ready to take on the day. It sets in motion the biological processes that need to happen during the day and sets in motion the “timer” or “countdown” to the hours when you will be resting later on.
Exposure to bright light also improves mood. It’s thought that bright light triggers production of serotonin in the brain, so when you use this hack, you’re not only resetting your circadian clock, but you’re giving yourself a boost of good mood hormones too.
But how to do it? It can be as simple as sitting at a sunny window while you drink your morning coffee or getting outside for a short walk. If that’s not an option, consider getting a bright-light therapy lamp to place on your desk for the first 20-30 minutes of your workday.
3. Avoid blue light and bright light in the evening
This is the flip side of the bright light coin. As your day winds down, you’ll want to limit your exposure to bright lights and the “blue light” emitted from screens (TVs, computers, smartphones, tablets, etc.) There is blue light everywhere! The problem is that blue light prevents your body from producing melatonin, which is often referred to as the “sleep hormone” because of its role in the sleep cycle. Natural sunlight has plenty of blue light in it, keeping you awake during the day. So you’ll want to eliminate it from your evenings, but since most of us aren’t willing to break the electronic-device-habit, how do you hack it?
Either wear some blue-light blocking glasses in the evenings, install a blue-light filter app on your devices, place a small piece of black tape over indicator lights on electronics, or all of the above! EASY! If your eyes are protected from blue light, then your brain will be protected, and your body will be ready to sleep when bedtime rolls around.
4. No alcohol or heavy meals 3-4 hours before bed
I know, this is a tough one. You probably don’t like this one very much or appreciate me bringing it up. I’ll admit, I’ve struggled with this one too. I mean, it’s been a long day, you’re finally done with work, and now you just want to pour yourself a drink and relax. Or you’re finally home after a long commute, but you still have to fix dinner, get the kids to do their homework, feed everyone, clean up afterward…and a glass or two of wine helps make that happen.
I get it. I know. Been there, done that.
You are not alone. But you are robbing yourself of the truly deep, wonderful sleep that your body needs to be able to wake up and do it all over again tomorrow. So, my encouragement to you would be to just try it. Just try this one hack. If this means you’ll be breaking a habit that you’ve had for years (like me!), then my advice would be to go easy on yourself. You are going to face challenges, like having trouble falling asleep without the sleepy buzz of alcohol. You might have to replace those drinks with something else, like flavored seltzer or herbal tea, and if you overdo it, you’ll be waking up in the middle of the night to pee (thus ruining your glorious sleep). Don’t beat yourself up over it, just do your best to try again tomorrow. Keep trying. Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither was this bad habit, and neither is the fabulous, restorative, deep sleep that you deserve.
Why avoid alcohol and/or heavy meals? Both mess with your metabolism, which prevents your body from going into the “rest and repair” state that is kind of the whole point of sleep…so, when that alarm goes off in the morning, your body simply hasn’t had a chance to do what it needed to do to clean up after the day and get ready for tomorrow. You do not wake up feeling refreshed or energized or ready to take on the day, and the cycle repeats itself. You come home from work exhausted and pour a drink to take the edge off. And so on.
So, just try taking a break from that cycle. How long? Only you will know. I’m still experimenting with it, and I’ve heard anywhere from 3 days in a row to three weeks in a row or more is needed for your body to clear out the accumulated toxins and to truly optimize your sleep. I’ll have to update this later after more research!
5. Caffeine only in the morning
Caffeine is another touchy subject, isn’t it? I mean, if you’re not sleeping well, the go-to remedy is to reach for caffeine in your favorite form. I’m not saying you should eliminate it—personally, I love my morning cuppa. This hack isn’t about elimination so much as it is timing, so that should be a relatively easy hack to tackle.
Caffeine hangs around in your body for hours and hours and hours. So when you reach for that mid-afternoon boost in the form of caffeine, you’re not giving your body enough time to process it, which means hours later, you’re heading to bed and your body is still dealing with this “stay alert!” signal instead of a “time to wind down” signal. Essentially, even if you do every other hack on this list, you’re sabotaging yourself if you’re not timing your caffeine right.
So, go ahead and have your caffeine EARLY in your day. Then switch to decaf. If you’re getting really amazing quality sleep, you won’t need the mid-afternoon boost.
6. Meditation
This has the potential to become one of your favorite hacks, not just for good sleep, but for overall mental wellness. Meditation helps calm the mind, which calms the body, which sets you up for a great night’s sleep. There are several great meditation apps available to help if you’re not sure how to start, or how to make it work at bedtime.
I use a meditation app called Headspace. I just go to the “sleep” section, do a short “wind down” meditation, and it knocks me right out. As someone who has struggled with insomnia for decades, being able to fall asleep easily has been life-changing. If you wake up in the middle of the night, you can choose another quick meditation (there are several that are specifically for that scenario), and drift back off. No more staring at the ceiling for hours or forcing yourself out of bed to “read or do something relaxing until you feel sleepy again.” Forget that nonsense. Hack it.
7. Exercise early
Regular exercise is beneficial for approximately 10 million reasons, but you’re here to find out what it has to do with sleep. This is another timing thing, like the caffeine, but also contributes to your daily activity/rest cycle. You want to get exercise/movement in your day, but you want to time it so that you’re not working out (and revving up your metabolism) when you should be winding down. You’ll have to experiment with your schedule and preferences to see what works best for you. Some people feel best if they exercise after work—and if you find that it helps you to de-stress after a long day, then that’s great. Just make sure it’s not too close to bedtime so your body has a chance to ready itself for sleep. Personally, I like to knock out two hacks with one stone and get my exercise AND bright sunlight early (hack #2) at the same time.
8. Use sleep-tracking tech
This one is definitely optional. It’s not necessary to use any kind of sleep tracking tech to get really amazing sleep, I just think that if you’re having trouble getting high quality sleep, then using some tech to help you hack it is at the very least kind of fun in a really geeky way. There are a bunch of different apps and devices, and several smartwatches that also track some sleep metrics. Right now, I’m experimenting with the Oura Ring, and I love it.
9. Avoid sleep aids
This one might seem counter-intuitive…I mean, aren’t sleeping pills supposed to help you get some sleep? Well, yeah, but we’re looking for AMAZING, high-quality, change-your-life kind of sleep, and unfortunately, there isn’t a pill for that. Think of it like this—the kind of sleep that you get with sleep meds is like junk food. It will keep you going if you’re desperate, but in the long run, it’s not healthy, and you deserve better. You deserve a first-class meal of epic quality. You deserve sleep that will nourish your body and soul. So, gift yourself with the determination to use the other hacks to avoid sleeping pills. Have a cup of chamomile tea instead. Your body will thank you!!
10. Have a wind down routine
I suppose some of the other hacks on this list have been building toward this, because some of them can become part of your bedtime routine, like meditation, but hacking is all about finding the best, easiest way FOR YOU, so you’re officially invited to do some experimentation. What things relax you? (Other than alcohol, which we’ve already talked about!) What things do you find soothing? Or maybe your strategy is to just find something boring, so boring that you can’t stay awake doing it? Some people like nature documentaries like Planet Earth and Blue Planet because they find them soothing, other people think they’re a total snooze-fest and can’t keep their eyes open. Either way, that’s a win. (Just make sure you’re wearing your blue-light glasses, right?)
Maybe your chamomile tea and a favorite magazine or a book will work for you. Or you might try a bath, or just a shower to help wash off the day and prepare your body to sleep.
You know best what relaxes you, and so the actual routine (i.e., what you do) isn’t the hack—it’s just having the routine. Over time, doing the same calming, relaxing activities at about the same time every day will provide important cues for your body, and it will respond by being ready to drift off at just the right time.
Quality Sleep Is the BEST Life Hack
Getting the best quality sleep on a regular basis is my #1 life hack because it is the foundation of health and wellness. Once you’ve mastered it, you will have the energy, focus, drive, determination, patience and creativity that you deserve to have so that you can unlock your full potential and discover what it means to be living well!
Have you noticed a difference in your mood or energy when you sleep well? What do you do to make sure you get the sleep you need? Comment below and let us know what works for you!
