There’s nothing better than a good nights sleep, where you wake up feeling refreshed, energised and ready for whatever the day brings. It is also a major part of the recovery process and if you are not sleeping well, then the chances are your recovery from training is suffering. While getting 7-9 hours a night is considered good practice, the quality of your sleep is also very important. What follows is a list of things you should and should not do to increase your sleep quality.
1. Exercise and diet
I’ll start with the obvious one. There are a lot of benefits from being active and eating a healthy diet of minimally processed whole foods and sleeping better is also one of them. Try to exercise 4-6 ties a week and enjoy a varied diet of high quality food.
2.Avoid caffeine after 3pm
Caffeine is a stimulant that promotes alertness and having it too close to bed time will likely impact your ability to fall asleep. One study found that having a cup of coffee 6 hours before bed reduced sleep time by up to 1 hour. A good rule for most people would be to avoid it after 3 pm.
3. Avoid screen time
The blue light omitted from some phones and laptops simulates daylight, this can confuse your body and slow the production of a sleep-related hormone called melatonin which in turn makes it harder to fall asleep. Try to avoid screens 1 hour or more before bed.
4. Create a sleep schedule
We are creatures of habit and tend to work better in some kind of routine. The same goes for sleep. Try to go to bed at roughly the same time every night and get up the same. This will help with better sleep also.
5. Create a good sleep environment
Having a room that’s too hot, noisy or bright will affect your sleep quality. Have the room slightly cool, get blackout blinds or curtains if you need and keep the windows shut if you can hear street noise.
6. Clear your mind
If you tend to lie in bed with 100 things going through your mind then start to write them down before going to bed. Take 5 minutes to clear your mind, often writing it down will allow you to stop thinking about it.
7. Start to relax
In the hour before bed you should be starting to wind down. Avoid stimulating TV programs or anything that gets you too wound up. Try reading, meditating or having a bath to relax.
8. Avoid these
Lastly avoid big meals, smoking, alcohol and sugar too close to bedtime as these will all affect sleep quality.
Any questions just hit me up below.
Cheers
Shane