No more on sleep after this one for a while I promise. Unfortunately, it seems lots of people struggle to wake up feeling rested and I feel it’s important to give the best info I can.
This weekend the clocks go back in the UK, meaning that this is the best weekend to get started on going to bed earlier. With the change in time it will feel an hour later in the evening to your body.
You can easily be asleep by 10pm if you normally are by 11pm; it’s the same time to your body. Stick to the new time and your golden.
To answer a couple of questions; the book on sleep I’m reading at the minute is Sleep by Nick Littlehales. He did a talk to my coaching group which was really interesting and I wanted to know more. As a result, I have worked backwards from my preferred wake up time of 5.30am in 90 minute cycles to change my lights out to 10.00pm. That means I get 5 cycles, ideally it would be 6 but I’ll take what I can 😉
If I need a ‘meditation’ or a power nap in the day and it fits with our plans I’ll top up my recovery.
I haven’t been doing this long enough to know if it’s making a difference or not but I’m tracking the data on my Whoop band.
A Shakti Mat is a spiky mat that can be used for meditation and to increase blood flow to your back and neck. It’s much less intense when resting on the mattress rather than the floor, I have noticed that my back and neck aren’t as stiff in the mornings after using it though.
I rarely get hungry in the evenings, even when I eat my last meal at 4.00pm. If I do I’ll have a snack but I’m aware of when I’m eating because I genuinely feel hungry or I’m just bored. I make worse choices if it’s down to boredom, that’s why I plan my evenings when I’m on my own.
I also realised that I’m not a girl or metro in any way whatsoever. I use no products on my skin etc that require cleansing. I brush my teeth, have a splash of water on my face or a shower if I’ve trained and I’m done.
If your pre-bed routine has you cleansing etc for make up; try to do it when you get back from work. Don’t leave it to when you go upstairs for bed. It delays the time you go up to bed to actually settling down to sleep. Ideally, if you wear contacts, remove them when you get back from work too and give your eyes a rest.
Have as little to do pre-bed as possible.
Black out blinds are a good idea, although I’ve found the sleep mask to be more effective.
A real book is best, an old school kindle is next; kindle whites are good. Anything with a bright screen like a phone or iPad should be avoided.
Make sure you wear comfortable bed clothes and invest in nice sheets that make you feel comfy.
Don’t make your bedroom too hot.
The key is to find a method that works for you, play around with different options until you find you feel more rested in the mornings. Make sure you give each choice a chance, try it for a week before you make a decision.
Track the data, most smart watches have some sort of sleep quality measure on them now. I use a Whoop band and have found that to be way more accurate in the long term than anything else I’ve tried. Let me know if you’re interested in one as they have a referral thing where we both get a month free.
Darren ‘snack options tomorrow’ Checkley
