Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Book Summary
in this blog we know that the sleep smarter or 21 essential strategies to sleep your way to the better body or better health.
Sleep Smarter Book - Guys in this blog we know that the sleep smarter or 21 essential strategies to sleep your way to a better body or better health. so you want to learn it so let's start now.
Introduction
Do you have sleeping problems? Do you find it difficult to get sleep? Is your sleep always interrupted? O you feel like you are not getting enough sleep? Then this book is for you.
Sleeping is an important part of life. It’s like eating or breathing. Yet, in our fast-paced world, we often disregard it. This book will teach you about the many benefits of sleep. It will also teach you several tips which will improve your sleeping habits.
Sleep can make you happier, healthier, and more successful. That is a fact. It’s time to bid yourself good night, sleep well, and sweet dreams. This book will be your lullaby.
Know the Value of Sleep
People are ignoring enough sleep because they don’t really know the importance of it. Sleep is the natural periodic state of rest for the body and mind. It is wherein usually the eyes are closed and the consciousness is lost. That’s why there are less body movement and less response to stimuli.
Being asleep is anabolic and being awake is catabolic. It means that sleep builds you up and being awake breaks you down. Sleep rejuvenates your body and makes you youthful.
Good sleep strengthens your immune system, improves your metabolism, and increases your energy. A good night's sleep also stimulates your brain and balances your hormones. You will not get the state of body and mind you want if you don’t get enough sleep.
In our world today, sleep is greatly disregarded. The prevailing idea is that the more you work hard, the more you will succeed. The time to sleep and rest is only when you’re dead.
Hard work or perseverance is indeed an important part of success. But smart work or quality work is much better. If you don’t sleep, the quality of your work is being compromised. Research shows that if you spend a day without sleeping, there is 6% less glucose going to your brain. It makes you dumb.
This is the reason why you crave for sweets when you lack sleep. You want to eat doughnuts, cookies, and chocolates because your brain is signaling you to get some sugar.
Here is another important discovery. The parts of the brain which deal with logical thinking is more deprived when you lack sleep. The prefrontal cortex and parietal lobe are losing 14% more glucose if you stay awake.
This is why people are prone to doing dumb things past midnight. Have you ever experienced that? It’s harder to distinguish right from wrong and make good decisions when you haven’t slept. You would not do that dumb thing in the morning when you are well-rested.
As the definition says earlier, sleep is a natural period of rest. It should not be a disturbance from doing work. Your body and mind need sleep. Natural processes happen inside you while you’re sleeping.
You are not being effective when you lack sleep. You try to work but you don’t really get important things done. Research shows that people who lack sleep take 14% longer to finish a task. They are also 20% more prone to making errors.
Take the time to get enough sleep. You will see that you can accomplish more if you’re well-rested. It is never quality work when it’s done by you as a zombie.
Here is a sleep power tip. If you have a big project or an exam coming up, allocate enough time for sleep. Make it on your calendar. Remember that you are not slacking off when you sleep. It is also part of your preparation for your project or exam.
Get More Sunlight During the Day
Have you heard of the “circadian timing system”? In simple words, it’s our 24-hour body clock. If you get enough sunlight during the day, your body will know when to sleep. Sunlight also makes you sleep deeper.
The body clock is located in the hypothalamus of your brain. There is a group of nerve cells there that perceive sunlight. That’s how your body knows that it’s time for sleep.
When there is sunlight, your hypothalamus signals your whole body to be awake and alert. If you didn’t get sunlight during the day, or if you get too exposed with light at night, your body clock will be confused. You will really have trouble in sleeping.
Outliers: The Story of Success By Malcolm Gladwell book summary
But what if you’re a desk jockey? What if you are mostly inside the office during the day? Research says that office workers who don’t get natural light sleep one hour less every day. They are more prone to sickness, low energy, and sleeping problems.
If you’re an office worker, find a way to get some sunlight. It will make you more productive and happier. Here is sunlight power tip number one. Get as much sunlight as you can before going to work especially between 6am to 8am. Even a 30-minute exposure during that time is good for your body.
Here is sunlight power tip number two. If your cubicle at work is like a dungeon, use your break time to go and get some sun. You can go to a window or eat your lunch outside. That 15-minute sunlight break will improve your skin and hormonal function.
Avoid the Screens before Bedtime
We are talking about the artificial blue light coming out of your electronic gadgets. Did you know that this light triggers your body to release daytime hormones like cortisol?
Research shows that 2-hour use of an iPad at maximum brightness is enough to stop your normal release of melatonin at night. Melatonin is the hormone that keeps us young and active. Children produce more of it. Adults have less. Therefore, you will look and feel younger if you let yourself get your daily dose of melatonin.
Aside from hormonal dysfunction, artificial blue light from your TV, smartphone, or laptop will definitely disrupt your body clock. If you use gadgets every day before sleeping, eventually you will develop insomnia and other health problems.
Modern technology is truly amazing but we have to be more mindful of our body’s natural need for sleep. Here is screen protection power tip number one. Turn off all your gadgets at least 90 minutes before sleeping. Especially if you’re an insomniac, this is really worth to try.
Screen Protection Power Tip is to do other things like for example reading a book or talking to your loved one. You may be really hooked with your smartphone but reading books is a great habit. Books give you good stories, inspiration, and information. A new idea from a book can make you a better person.
Nothing beats talking to a person's face to face. Talk to your kids, your parents, your spouse, or your partner before going to sleep. Ask them how their day was, what makes them excited nowadays, or what their worries are. If you do, they will also listen to you and make you feel better. Not only will your sleep habits improve but your personal relationships as well.
Caffeine makes your nervous system light up like Christmas. It is a very powerful stimulant. You definitely should not drink coffee before going to sleep.
People love coffee but we must regulate our consumption of it. You must have a caffeine curfew of six hours. It means that your last cup of coffee must be six hours before bedtime.
A study done at Wayne State University proves this. Three groups of people are asked to drink coffee right before sleeping, three hours before sleeping, and six hours before sleeping. They are to maintain a diary and a sleep monitor at home.
The result is that the three groups of people experienced a disturbance in their sleep. Coffee right before bedtime is a really bad idea. And so is drinking coffee after work. The group which had coffee six hours before going to bed lost one hour of sleep.
Did you know that caffeine stays in your body 8 hours after drinking coffee? Let’s say you consumed 200 mg of caffeine. After 8 hours, 100 mg will remain your body. Another 8 hours go by and you still have 50 mg. If you love coffee very much, you probably drink more than one cup every day. So you get the idea. You will really have trouble sleeping.
As we go about our day, neurons fire up in our brains. They release adenosine as a by-product. It is the substance responsible for making us tired. If there is enough level of adenosine, the brain signals the body to rest or sleep.
Now, caffeine interferes with your adenosine level. It keeps you awake although your body is already very tired. Because of caffeine, you are unaware that you really need sleep. You continue to work and move around. But your stress hormones go up and your whole body is worn off.
Here is your smart caffeine power tip number one. Have your cup of coffee before 2pm. Smart caffeine power tip number two has 3 days a week without coffee. This makes your body lose the remaining caffeine. If you’re an insomniac, it is best to avoid caffeine altogether.
Be Cool
It’s hard to sleep when it feels hot. Have you experienced tossing and turning around your bed during summer? Our body automatically drops temperature when it’s time to rest. That is because you need to be cool to start sleeping. But if the room around you is still hot, you would not sleep comfortably.
Experts say that the ideal room temperature for sleep is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. You will not sleep well if the room temperature is higher than that. Experts also say that insomniacs have a higher body temperature which is why they struggle to fall to sleep.
How can you change that? How can you be cool to get a good night's sleep? Here is Keep it Cool Power Tip Number One. Find ways to make your room temperature close to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. If you still can’t sleep, here is tip number two. Take a warm bath one hour before going to bed. This will make your body cooler. Parents know that this is a magic trick to make small energetic kids fall asleep.
Keep it cool power tip number three is to wear some socks. If your room is cold, your fingers and toes will be cooler than the rest of your body. It’s because they’re the last parts of our body to receive blood circulation. If you wear socks, you will be more comfortable while sleeping.
Get to Bed at the Right Time
In stock trading, there is a right time to buy and sell stocks. In sleeping, there is a right time to get the most important body hormones. That is between 10am and 2pm. The author calls this “Money Time”.
For example, you went to sleep from 1am to 9am. That is 8 hours and you can say you had enough sleep. But you missed the money time. You missed the hormonal secretions which happen when you’re asleep from 10pm to 2am.
Some of the hormones you don’t get are melatonin and human growth hormone. They are responsible for keeping the body young and active. This is the reason why if you sleep from 1am to 9am, you will still feel exhausted when you wake up. You don’t feel rejuvenated even if you slept for 8 hours.
There is a period in our body clock called the second wind. For example, you arrive at work at 7pm. You feel really exhausted. You have dinner and watch TV with your family. If you are still awake at 10pm, you will experience the second wind. That is when your body releases melatonin and antioxidants. You will feel energized once again.
Instead of sleeping, you use the extra energy to check on your Facebook or Twitter and then watch some episodes of Netflix. Now, you will really find it difficult to sleep.
When the second wind comes, you should already be asleep. If you use your gadgets instead and fall asleep at 1am, you will feel tired and groggy in the morning. That is because you didn’t get the benefits of the money time.
Here is money-time power tip number 1. Always try to sleep from 10pm to 5:30 am. That is so you will get all the hormonal secretions and complete the sleep cycles. There are three stages of sleep. First is deep sleep. The second is the non-REM or alert stage. The third is the REM or dreaming stage.
Each stage lasts for 90 minutes. Ideally, the cycle repeats twice as you sleep. If your alarm goes off at 5:30 am, you will have completed two sleep cycles. None of the cycles are interrupted. You will feel more refreshed in the morning.
Money time power tip number two is getting sunlight as soon as possible. The sunlight on your skin will boost your cortisol levels. This will give you the alertness you need to start the day.
Rub the “Anti-Stress” Mineral Into Your Skin Each Day
The anti-stress mineral we are talking about here is magnesium. You may not know it but magnesium has plenty of benefits for your body. Magnesium improves blood circulation and blood pressure. It also balances blood sugar. It reduces pain and heals tense muscles.
Doctors say that magnesium is responsible for 300 enzyme reactions happening in the brain, muscles, and bones. It helps the cells to make energy and also calms the nervous system. Magnesium is important for overall health and long life.
However, most people don’t get enough magnesium. For example, 80% of Americans have a magnesium deficiency. Research shows that magnesium deficiency leads to chronic insomnia. If you want to get rid of stress and sleep better, you should definitely have more magnesium in your body.
You can get magnesium by taking supplements or eating fruits and vegetables. But there is another effective way to get all the benefits of the anti-stress mineral. Have you ever heard of Epsom salts? These are like rock salts that you put into the bathtub. Bathing with Epsom salts will help you reduce stress, eliminate pain, and have a good sleep.
Guess what? Epsom salt is actually made up of magnesium sulfate. There are also magnesium oils being sold today. The author Shawn Stevenson massages magnesium oil on his body every night before he goes to bed. That’s why he sleeps better.
Part of the magnesium we eat is lost indigestion. That’s why rubbing magnesium into your skin is also an effective way. Here are more anti-stress mineral power tips. Number one is to apply magnesium oil on your neck or shoulders. You can also rub it anywhere you feel muscle pain. Number two is to eat plenty of green leafy vegetables. Spirulina, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds are also high in magnesium.
Create a Sleep Sanctuary
The bedroom is made for sleeping. It’s not an entertainment area. Do not bring your gadgets with you. Most importantly, do not do work stuff in bed. These distractions are definitely going to interfere with healthy sleep.
We teach a child that going to the bedroom means time for sleep. We tell them to brush their teeth and change into their pajamas. As adults, we should go back to that mind association we used to have. The bed is for sleeping. It’s not for studying, working, or playing.
Now, when we say sanctuary, what comes into your mind? You might think of a garden or an open space with fresh air and nice plants. It is a place where everything is calm and silent. The good thing is you can actually make a sanctuary out of your bedroom.
First, you need to have fresh air. You don’t only get oxygen from the air. There are also ions that are good for the body. To get the air flowing and relaxing once again, you can open a window or use an electric fan. The calm breeze will be soothing for your body.
What are the negative ions? They are good air particles that are present in mountains, rivers, oceans, and waterfalls. They have healing properties. They can prevent odors, molds, parasites, dust, and pollen build-up. You can buy air ionizers which you can put in your bedroom.
You can also buy an air humidifier. If your room doesn’t have a window, an air humidifier will make the air more fresh and breathable. There are different scents that can be put into the air humidifier. You can sleep better with the added moisture in the air and maybe the smell of the favorite flowers.
Some people like the sound of running water. You can buy mini-fountains or mini-waterfalls to make your sanctuary more relaxing. There are also mini-plants that you can add in your bedroom. You can buy houseplants like English Ivy, Snake Plant and Jasmine. These plants are low-maintenance but they can definitely increase the air quality of your bedroom.
It’s up to you whether you choose plants, air humidifiers, or mini-fountains. What’s important is that your bedroom is calm and peaceful just like a sanctuary.
Get it Blacked Out
The fact is that we can sleep better when the lights are off. Any sources of light can interrupt your sleep. Even if you use an eye mask, it is still not enough. Your skin can detect light. There are photoreceptors and light-sensitive chemicals in your skin just like those found in the eye’s retina.
Don’t allow light pollution in your own room. Imagine the ancient people. They don’t have artificial lights. That’s why their body clocks are perfectly in tune with nature. They recognize that when the sun is up, it’s time for work and when the sun is down, it’s time for sleep.
But in our modern times, artificial light is everywhere. That is why our average time of sleep has significantly decreased. The answer is to get your room blacked out.
Turn off all your artificial lights inside the room. You can also buy some “black-out” curtains. That is to avoid the light pollution coming from street lamps or passing cars outside your home. Imagine how comfortable your sleep will be if the room is silent, dark, and a little cold. It’s like sleeping in a hotel. You will really get refresh and energized in the morning.
Here is get blacked out power tip number one. Another source of light pollution is your digital alarm clock. You can solve it by covering a towel. Get blacked-out power tip number two is don’t let any light sneak in. Make sure the curtains fit and there are no lights blinking anywhere. The target is that even if the sun is up outside, your room is still very dark.
Train Hard But Smart
Sleep and exercise go together. They’re like peanut butter and jelly. When you work out, you are tearing your muscles. The changes you want in your body actually happen in your sleep. You get the hormones and muscle repair you need as you are deep in slumber.
The best time to work out is early in the morning. It is when you will get longer and deeper sleep. Exercise in the evening is not a good idea because the muscle stress will add up to all the tiring activities you did during the day. It will also take six hours for your body temperature to subside from the workout.
A 30 minute routine of basic exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and lunges will do. It’s much better if you get sunlight while exercising. You will have more benefits for your body and mind.
Conclusion
You learned about the importance of sleep. You learned about several tips that will help you sleep better. If you have sleeping problems, hopefully, you will apply these tips and make changes in your life.
Sleep is not only for rest. If you get a good night's sleep, you will be more productive in the morning. You will be healthier and happier. Sleep can take you one step closer to success. That is if you become smarter about it.