Boosting Productivity with Better Sleep
Feb 08, 2024If you’re like most people, you probably have a lot on your plate. You have deadlines to meet, goals to pursue, and tasks to complete. You might have been thinking that the only way to get your to-do list done is to sacrifice sleep and work longer hours. What if we told you that this is paradoxical thinking? Sleep impacts your productivity functionality during the day. By sleeping less, you may be working longer hours but achieving fewer results than you could be. Let’s discuss.
Scientific research on sleep benefits shows us there are myriad benefits of proper sleep. These benefits include increased productivity, creativity, efficiency, and improved physical, mental, and emotional well-being. So, a pretty complete picture of foundational health. But what exactly is proper sleep? And how can we achieve it in order to have more productive days?
Well, one of the most important aspects of sleep is consistency. Whether you require 7 or 9 hours of sleep, it’s vital that you get that amount regularly, and that you wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. This optimizes your circadian rhythm, which is a biological clock that makes you feel sleepy at night and alert during the day, unless you’re a teenager, night owl or Netflix addict. It’s essentially a fancy term for your daily routine. If you set a bedtime, track sleeping habits, and stick to it consistently, you can establish a rhythm that works for you rather than against you.
While regulating your body clock will be a huge plus in sleep quality and consistency, you also want to exercise regularly. The positive benefits of physical activity compound with quality sleep, as both benefit you in similar ways. Physical activity improves your sleep quality and quantity, as well as your mood and stress levels. However, you don’t want to exercise too close to bedtime, as it can actually increase your alertness. Many people find that exercising in the morning after a great night’s sleep gives them energy and focus throughout the day, and a regulated wind-down period at night.
And the best way to capitalize on your wind-down time is by developing a relaxing bedtime routine. Some people find that meditating, stretching, listening to music or taking a warm bath can soothe them before bed. Avoid stimulating activities and blue light (especially interactive screens) for at least an hour before bed. The blue light is the enemy of sleep, and stimulating activities spike your alertness levels and make it difficult to fall asleep.
Now, you probably clicked into this article because you’re interested in keeping up your health, or you Googled “tired definition” to see if it was possible that you may be sluggish after getting 3 hours of sleep a night. The truth is, getting high quality sleep is the result of effort and consistent choices every day. The good news is, that same sleep creates the momentum you need to crush every day.
If you feel like your energy levels have plummeted and you’re slogging through the mud, you may have an issue getting high enough quality sleep. We live in a time where it’s extremely easy to let your sleep lose the spotlight in favor of minute-to-minute distractions or strange cultural ideas that sleep is for the weak. If you want to see real changes in your productivity levels, you need to put your rest and recovery first.
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