Top Tips for Improved Sleep
One key that will help to unlock performance potential in the face of challenge and pressure is energy renewal ie rest and appropriate quantity and quality of sleep. A lack of rest and recovery impacts directly on how you feel, your energy levels, how you behave and what you are able to get done. Stress without recovery depletes energy reserves and leads to burnout. Believe it or not, it is possible to get more done in less time; here are some tips for energy renewal.
- Set aside regularly scheduled renewal times – at least three to five minutes at a time to engage in relaxation to recharge your batteries.
- Take regular breaks throughout your working day – ideally every 90 to 120 minutes. We derive renewal not only by literally stopping whatever it is we’re doing but also by simply changing channels. It doesn’t need to be a long break just 10-15 minutes will suffice and don’t just sit at your desk – hydrate, eat something, move physically, change channels mentally and emotionally.
- Schedule meetings with breaks in between – rather than lining up back to back 60 minute meetings, make them 45 or 50 minutes long so that you have a 10-15 minute break to refocus and recharge. If you schedule 60 minutes you’ll fill 60 minutes but if you only have 45 minutes, chances are you’ll get everything done in 45 minutes. You’ll also find that wasted time vanishes, you’ll get more focused and more done.
- Begin preparing for sleep at least 45 minutes prior to going to bed – the key to sleep is being relaxed, start to quieten your body and mind eg drink a glass of milk, herbal tea, take a bath, listening to relaxing music. Aim for 7-8 hours per night; only one out of every 40 people requires less than seven ours of sleep to feel fully rested, so the odds are that person isn’t you.
- Establish a firm sleep schedule – try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day. Getting up at the same time is most important. Getting bright light, like sun when you get up will also help.
- Use the bed for sleeping – avoid watching TV, using laptop computers or doing work/emails in bed. Know that reading in bed can be a problem if the material is very stimulating and you read with a bright light.
- Embrace earlier exercise – 30minutes of vigorous exercise in the morning, afternoon or early evening will improve your health and prepare your body and mind for the regenerative powers of sleep.
- Know that the ‘night cap’ has a price – alcohol may help you get to sleep but it will cause you to wake up throughout the night. Alcohol destroys your delta (restorative sleep) so the quality of your sleep will not be optimum.
- Park’ your anxieties before you turn out the lights – write down what you’re worrying about in a notebook so that you are temporarily setting aside concerns that might otherwise keep you awake. The same technique can be applied if you wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.
- Avoid looking at the clock if you wake up in the middle of the night – this can cause anxiety. This is very difficult for most of us, so turn the clock away from your eyes so you would have to turn it to see the time. You may decide not to make an effort to go right back to sleep.
Interesting facts/quotes:
“The percentage of the population who need less than 5 hours of sleep per night, rounded to a whole number, is zero.” Thomas Roth from the Henry Ford Sleep Disorders and Research Centre
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Out of 2000 employees at Sony Electronics, 90% report that taking regular breaks away from their desks has significantly increased their energy and performance levels.