A Guide to Improving Sleep

Setting yourself up for success doesn't just happen in the morning – it starts the night before. Crafting an evening routine with a dual focus on optimising your sleep health and reflecting on your day can pave the way for a more productive and fulfilling life. In this blog post, we'll explore the importance of a well-designed evening routine, delve into sleep science, and provide actionable advice to help you optimise this crucial third of your life.

The Science of Sleep

If you don’t already have an evening routine and a good night's sleep occurs rarely and almost at random, then you might want to think about the changes below. You don’t need any fancy gadgets or to pay some dude hundreds of pounds to get some magic ancient remedy, what you need to do is very simple. The difficulty is in the discipline. This is where you’ll get some strong fundamentals to improve sleep health. That will have a potent effect. 

Your evening routine should revolve around securing a good night's sleep. Sleep isn't just a passive activity; it's a cornerstone of physical and mental well-being. Research indicates that chronic sleep deprivation can lead to serious health issues, from increased risk of cardiac arrest to cognitive decline and even higher rates of cancer and mortality.

Contrary to popular belief, you can't accumulate "sleep hours" like savings in a bank. So if you think doom scrolling into the AM hoping coffee and a weekend Snorlax session will save you, think again. Consistency is the key. Developing habits that ensure a sufficient and consistent amount of sleep each night can profoundly impact various aspects of your life, creating positive feedback loops that extend into your daily routines.

If someone asked me how I could optimise for failure, lousy health or just generally adverse outcomes, consistently poor sleep would in my top three responses.

Sleeping well results in enhanced cognitive function, sharpening memory and problem-solving skills. Emotional resilience blossoms, providing a robust shield against stress and anxiety. Physical health reaps the rewards with a fortified immune system and reduced risk of chronic diseases. Mood regulation becomes seamless, fostering a positive outlook on life and curbing mood swings. Elevated energy levels accompany each day, rendering slept individuals more alert, focused, and ready to conquer challenges. Additionally, healthy weights are much more likely as quality sleep supports a healthy metabolism and diminishes cravings for high-sugar and processed foods. Altogether, the benefits of a good night's sleep transcend mere rest, creating a foundation for a thriving, balanced, and productive life. It is a fundamental pillar in a holistic approach to the good life. 

Now you’re suitable convinced if you haven’t immediately left us to go catch some zzs we’ll get into how you can improve your sleep.

Actionable Advice for Better Sleep

Having spoken to many people about their sleep health, I have included in this blog only advice that I have a) Researched so it has some scientific merit, b) recommended to other people and know it works for me + a more expansive test group. You’ll note I haven’t included wearables in this list, that’s not to say they aren’t effective, I just simply have not tried them myself, my only hesitance there is that, knowing my personality, I would take things to seriously and a wearable would add to stress and make me overthink and then ironically make me sleep less.

Optimise Your Sleep Time

• The average person needs 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but individual requirements may vary. That is sleep! Not time spent lying in bed and getting up to pee. That is total sleep per night. The amount of sleep needed can change depending on various factors, such as age. 
• Experiment with your bedtime to find the optimal duration for you. Hint: your alarm clock should not feel like you are being punched in the face by your worst enemy.
• Listen to your body, if you are more of a night owl, think about how you can optimise your work life to accommodate this so you still get the right amount of sleep. It is not okay to sacrifice sleep and be the guy drinking energy drink at 7am on the way to work every day. I don’t know any of these people to ask them directly to please kindly refrain from that behaviour. If they aren’t actually NPCs and you know one, please do a public service and share this blog. We’re here to help. 
• Aim for a consistent sleep schedule to enhance the quality of your sleep.

Improve Sleep Health

• Cultivate a healthy circadian rhythm by exposing yourself to natural light during the day. Sunlight before screenlight!
• Stay active daily, incorporating regular breaks and exercise into your routine. Short, relatively pacey walks after meals are a game changer. Give it a go.
• Gradually reduce caffeine intake, especially in the eight hours before bedtime. Most caffeine we consume comes in diuretic forms meaning it makes us pee more and can dihydrate us. Cutting out the caffeine is a double whammy we need to pee less in the night as well as not being chemically sleep impaired.

Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment

• Invest in blackout blinds for a dark and conducive sleep environment.
• Invest in high quality bedding. We are particular fans of Kuroa’s sustainable bedding.
• Cut down on alcohol as it can adversely affect REM sleep.
• Adopt blackout blinds and eliminate artificial light for a pitch-black sleeping environment. When traveling, a life hack is either eye masks or, if they are uncomfortable, black electrical tape to cover up those annoyingly bright little lights on TVs and air-con units, etc, in hotel rooms.

Building Habits for Better Sleep

Nutritional Choices

• Avoid nicotine and large meals close to bed time.
• Prepare your own meals focusing on whole foods to control ingredients and portions.
• Transform your home into a food sanctuary by eliminating processed foods.

Sleep Hygiene

• Set a sleep alarm to establish consistency.
• Avoid napping after 3 pm and keep your bedroom gadget-free.
• Limit light exposure before bed to promote melatonin production.

Physical Activity

• Exercise earlier in the day for better sleep quality and efficiency.
• Prioritising morning workouts means they’re missed less often and help improve sleep cycles and blood pressure regulation.

Unwind and Unplug

• Defend your last hour before bed as a sacred time for winding down. Dedicate your last hour before bed to relaxation, avoiding work or problem-solving activities. Working too close to when you need to sleep, especially on problem-solving tasks, will leave your brain whirring and unable to drift off. It’s a great chance to get off screens and get stuck into a good book or conversation instead. 
• Journaling is a great way to close off the day with some reflective gratitude practises. It is always easier to pass out when you have happy thoughts. You can ponder on how you will make tomorrow better than today. You can set about planning any outstanding tasks for tomorrow, which will help get them out of your head, making it easier to fall asleep. Doing this practice every day, you will automatically improve in the pursuits you care about and be much healthier as you will be overdosing on nature's magic medicine. A good night's sleep.

Your evening routine is a powerful tool for setting the stage for a successful tomorrow. By prioritising sleep health and incorporating positive habits into your evening routine, you can create a holistic approach to well-being. Remember, optimising your evenings is not just about sleep; it's about building a positive feedback loop that transforms you into a winner in all aspects of life. Start tonight, and wake up to a better tomorrow.

What if you could make dead time productive, fun, enjoyable and informative? 

What if you could read a book while driving? 

What if you could read a book while cooking?

What if you could read a book while working out? 

What if you could read a book while falling asleep at night in the dark?

You can. It’s called an audiobook. 

First of all, let's get this out of the way, listening to a book does count as reading a book. 

For hundreds of thousands of years human beings have told each other stories. Out loud, using their mouths and their ears. Eyes didn’t get involved until later. By that logic, you could argue that listening to a book is the old school way of doing it. 

Consuming a book and absorbing its content one way or another has the same impact on comprehension as reading the old fashioned way. Studies have been done. 

If you can’t tell, I’ve been frustrated by the ‘iT dOesN’T CoUnt aS rEaDiNg’ response I see from people when talking about audiobooks. It doesn’t bother me because I don’t particularly care whether someone thinks I’ve read a book or not. What does bother me is that their attitude to audiobooks is going to prevent them from potentially enriching their lives in such a profound way. 

I’ve listened to a lot of audiobooks over the last couple of years so I think I’m about as qualified as anyone to comment on this. As evidence look at the screenshot below of my Audible stats (account started in mid 2022). 

As you can see, pretty much all the time that I’m awake and not engaged in an activity which specifically prevents it, I will have voices in my head. I’m also often listening to audiobooks 😉 

It’s gotten to the point where I don’t really listen to music that much anymore which probably sounds weirder than anything else I’ve said in this blog up to now. But, it’s true. If I’m in a situation where I can listen to something, music is on the backpedal.  

In an age where people are spending upwards of 3 hours a day looking at their phones, anything to your attention away from doom scrolling clickbait will do more than just delay the onset of your shortsightedness as your eyes forget the need to look beyond anything 2 feet away from you. It will fill your life with stories. 

Not just fiction either. Pretty much any book that has been traditionally published (not self-published, although this is catching up) will have an audio version. 

That means you can listen  to Stephen Fry read you the Harry Potter books one minute and have Tim Ferris tell you how to get your working week down to 4 hours at the tap of a button. 

Ever been on a long car journey by yourself and felt bored? Yeah. Start listening to audiobooks. Instead of driving dangerously fast with the music uncomfortably loud to reach your destination as fast as possible to alleviate said boredom you actually start driving like a calm, well adjusted human.

If you have a commute to work, find a book that you really love and that commute could become the best part of your day. 

Find cooking nutritious meals long and boring? Start listening to audiobooks. 

Struggle with the motivation to go to the gym? Tell yourself you’re going to listen to a book for an hour. 

Now whilst this all sounds like I’m about to promote some sort of affiliate link to Audible, that’s not the case (in fact it’s typically better for authors if you get their audiobooks from any other source). 

I still read books in the physical sense but listening to them has increased my consumption of content that has added immeasurable value. If you haven’t tried it for yourself, you could be missing out like I was. 

The reason I’m so passionate about it is because it’s had such a big impact on my life.

When I’m passionate about something, I want to share it with other people.

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