4 Simple Sleep Hacks You Need to Know
Do you have a hard time falling or staying asleep? Are you trying to create small habits to improve your health or performance? Here are 4 of my most simple, yet highly effective, sleep tips that require little effort for a big return on health-boosting benefits!
When guested on Success Fundamentals podcast last week, I was chatting all things healthy, high-performance living with hosts Kris and Brian. As we got into discussion about badass lifestyle hacks, I was reminded how although we may “know” common solutions, we often forget about them! Well, I'm a runner who cares about my health and fitness, yet to be honest, I'm not always getting the best sleep myself. Therefore, I thought I’d share some of my most simple yet effective sleep hacks that help us maximize our body’s ability to get restful, high-quality sleep. If you “know” these tips, are you putting them into practice? 😉
1. Wear a light blocking mask: While my husband jokes about how sexy mine is, what’s even sexier is blocking light so I can wake up with good energy, ready to take on the day! I use a basic one purchased from Amazon, but feel free to purchase a bedazzled one so you can impress your spouse, too.
2. Reduce exposure to LED light & EMFs: Aim to make your sleep environment as sleep-friendly as possible. Simple shifts include making the room as dark as possible, including elimination of LED light. Additionally, EMFs (electromagnetic fields) can disturb your sleep quality, especially in sensitive individuals. Funny thing is, you won't really know if you are sensitive to them unless you reduce them! Try reducing EMFs by putting your phone (& your spouse’s) in "airplane mode" or move phones out of your room all together.
3. Adjust caffeine intake to promote high quality sleep: Caffeine has a half-life of about 6 hours. This means even if you no longer “feel” the effects of the caffeine, if you consume 100 mg at 3pm, 50 mg can still be present in your body at 9pm.
You may be able to fall asleep, but even small amounts of caffeine can inhibit your ability to enter into the deep phases of sleep where recovery takes place. Especially when we are stressed, our body desperately needs sleep recovery! So, enjoy every last sip of coffee, just aim to consume it early to late morning. In fact, work to find a hard cutoff time for yourself and stick to it for the sake of establishing a simple healthy habit and ensuring sustainable results.
4. Remove your fitness tracker or Garmin watch prior to bed: So my fellow runners may dislike this one, but I have to share that my husband asked me to take mine off the other evening to see if it could help me sleep in longer. My husband especially dislikes my 3AM rise and shine vibes, so I thought I'd humor him and give it a try. Low and behold, ever since I have removed my Garmin from my wrist prior to bed, my sleep quality and quantity has improved! I was honestly shocked by this, but it just goes to show how sometimes the smallest of habits can go a LONG way to improve our ability to live a vibrant, healthy and high-performance life! You can watch a quick video here where I discuss this little experiment further.
Which of the above sleep hacks will you try? Send me a DM @breakingthroughwellness on Instagram or send me an email at support@breakingthroughwellness.com to let me know which ones you try and the badass results you experience!
Don't forget to subscribe to the Team Valentine Project blog below so you can learn all of our simple, practical and science-based strategies to live a vibrant, healthy and high-performance life!
Interested in learning more from Louise? Check out her free training, “3 Essential Steps to Come Back From Stress & Health Challenges Stronger Than Ever” now available here.
Interested in working with Louise to take your health or performance to the next level without a complex journey or endless search for solutions? Contact Louise using the form here to learn more!
Louise Valentine is an Award-Winning Health & Performance Coach, Physiologist, Best-Selling Author, Massage Therapist & more! She has worked for NFL teams, published research studying the health of the military & has 20+ years experience designing holistic wellness solutions for individuals, communities & companies throughout the U.S.
Whether coaching mind & body performance of a NFL player, fellow runner, or a wellness warrior, it’s Louise’s goal to bring simplicity, focus & ease to her clients’ health & performance journeys. Her practical & science-backed strategies will empower you to live a vibrant, healthy & high-performance life! Learn more about her signature health & performance academy solution here.