I couldn’t believe it when I found that the first thing I had to do to accelerate my productivity and focus was to sleep more.
Sleep More
I know how you feel. I felt so angry when I first read this in Nick Littlehales, “Sleep: Redefine your rest for Success in Work, Sports and Life”. Nick is a sleep coach for elite athletes (look at me, reading techniques for elite athletes). One of the things I learned was understanding my circadian rhythms and chronotypes – about my internal body clocks and sleep patters. This, using my Apple Watch, really helped me understand how long it took me to go into REM sleep, which is needed for my memories to form and connect; and to Deep Sleep, when my muscles and tissues begin to heal (this is also when some people accidentally wake up and find that they cannot move their bodies – also known as Sleep Paralysis [Afraid to Sleep]). Nick explains about other stuff which I don’t really implement like planning my sleep around 90-minutes cycles instead of 8-hours. I am not an elite athlete, so I don’t practise this. Nevertheless, I found this book to be a good source of basic knowledge.
I am pretty sure you are aware that during sleep, your brain processes and consolidates memories, clears waste, and regulates emotions. Getting enough sleep improves your cognitive performance, boosts mood, and sharpens your focus and concentration. Basically, having adequate sleep, not overdosing on it, gives you enough energy to make your feel you can take on the world. For me, it makes me think clearer at work, and I can focus well. In the beginning, I felt lousy going to bed earlier when I had so many things to do. But after a few weeks, I found that I could do most things at work because I was sharper and calmer.
Track Your Sleep
Use an app to track your sleep. If you don’t track it, you will not know how well your sleep was or how long it took you to get into REM or Deep Sleep, your breathing rate and so forth. These are important vitals for you to check. Only then you can either learn how to improve them yourselves or speak to your doctor about this.
Use a smartwatch like Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 to help track your sleep rhythm throughout the night. This really paid off for me as I realised that I had restless leg syndrome when I slept. My Apple Watch showed that I wasn’t getting enough Deep Sleep and explained several causes, one of it being the restless leg syndrome.
Tips for Improving Mental Clarity through Better Sleep
Here’s a few things that I did to sleep better:
- Established a Consistent Sleep Schedule: I slept at the same time every night, weekdays and weekends. This helped my body to wake up at the right time feeling fresh.
- Create a Sleep-Conducive Environment: This was hard for me to do as I have a beautiful view outside my window. But I had to shut my blinds and make my room pitch black with the airconditioner set at 22 Celcius. Then I slept well. Not to mention have a comfortable mattress and pillows to promote relaxation, especially when I have back pains.
- Avoid Stimulants Before Bedtime: I used to drink tea before sleeping. I had to abandon that. Caffein was preventing me from sleeping.
- Practice Relaxation Techniques: Engage in calming activities, such as meditation, deep breathing, or reading, to help the mind and body relax before sleep.
- Monitor Sleep with some Electronics: Use an electronic gadget to track sleep patterns, identify areas for improvement, and make adjustments to the sleep routine accordingly. It makes a huge difference. You cant change what you cant track.
Sleep Apnea
I have recently been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. I guess it comes with age and weight. If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to brain damage due to the lack of oxygen. This is a prevalent syndrome for overweight men. Get yourself a good CPAP machine. This will save your life.
Leave a Reply