Got Sleep?

Sleep is arguably the most important component of our health routine. It is the only time during the day the body actually repairs and replenishes itself. The challenge as an entrepreneur is ensuring work deadlines are being met while maintaining a consistent sleep schedule to perform at our best. It’s ok to burn the midnight oil sometimes, but extended periods of lack of sleep are detrimental to the brain, body, and overall health. Below are a few strategies that will help you ensure maximal sleep quality.

Discover Your Chronotype. Everyone has a different biological clock and in his book The Power of When Dr. Brues details the four sleep Chronotypes. He includes insights on how much sleep each type needs and what times of day are best to sleep and wake. Their website claims this information will help you learn the best time to do everything—from drink your coffee to have sex or go for a run—according to your body’s chronotype. Learning I was a bear Chronotype was extremely helpful in understanding why I am the way I am and how to best structure my sleep routine. It’s a real eye-opener, check out the assessment here.

Establish a consistent evening routine. Once you know your Chronotype you can set a schedule for when you will begin your evening routine including what time you need to be in bed going to sleep. And use your strong self-discipline to stick to the schedule. Then, consistently practice your evening routine to cue your system to prepare for sleep. This practice will help balance your circadian rhythm. Be sure to include getting off your phone (and other screens) for the last hour before bed. We all know we should do this to avoid the blue light and stimulation but often times we fail to practice this habit. Give your brain the opportunity to settle and prepare for sleep and this will significantly improve your sleep quality. 

Start an evening journal. One powerful way to help get to sleep at night is to do a brain dump and empty the thoughts out of your brain to go to sleep with a clear head. I usually review and update my schedule for the next day during this time to ease my mind. By emptying out our thoughts, we can clear the space for relaxation and a good full night’s rest. A good friend of mine put me on to this practice a couple months ago and it has helped significantly.

Take a time-released magnesium supplement like MagSRT to help you get to sleep and stay asleep. Magnesium is a vital mineral and helps the brain and body relax thus aiding in getting to sleep quicker and staying asleep deeper for longer. And a time-released supplement like MagSRT helps to provide a steady release of magnesium to help you get to sleep faster and stay in a deeper sleep longer.

So there you have it, a quick list of immediately actionable items you can implement today. Go ahead and get after them, then enjoy a better night of sleep tonight!

One last thing. I’m curious, what are your go-to sleep maximizing practices?

Leave a comment and tell me about them.