Summary

The article provides 13 unconventional tips for improving sleep quality, emphasizing the importance of natural sleep cycles, stress management, and physical activity.

Abstract

The author of the article shares personal struggles with sleep and offers counter-intuitive strategies to enhance sleep quality. These strategies include not forcing early wake-up times, embracing naps, engaging in productive activities when the mind is overactive, avoiding time-checking during the night, practicing nasal breathing, staying hydrated, not forcing sleep, recognizing the physical manifestations of stress, stretching before bed, limiting caffeine intake after noon, listening to thoughts rather than controlling them, accepting wakefulness, and ensuring physical and mental exertion during the day to earn a restful night's sleep. The tips are presented with the understanding that sleep is a natural process that cannot be forced and that accepting one's current state can lead to better sleep outcomes.

Opinions

The author believes that trying to shift sleep cycles abruptly is ineffective and that the body naturally resists such changes.
Napping is seen as beneficial and not necessarily disruptive to nighttime sleep, provided it's at the right time.
An overactive mind should be put to productive use rather than allowing it to dwell on stressors, which can be counterproductive to sleep.
Checking the time repeatedly is discouraged, as it can hinder the onset of sleep.
Nasal breathing is advocated for its ability to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and sleep.
Adequate hydration is crucial for sleep, but drinking too much water right before bed can be disruptive.
The author suggests that mental rest can be almost as beneficial as actual sleep when rest is elusive.
Stress is recognized as having physical as well as mental manifestations, potentially affecting sleep quality.
Physical stress from exercise or inactivity can also impact sleep, and stretching is recommended to alleviate this.
Caffeine consumption after noon is advised against to prevent sleep disruption.
The article encourages a meditative approach to thoughts at bedtime, suggesting that awareness rather than control can ease the transition into sleep.
Accepting periods of wakefulness without stress is presented as a healthy approach to sleep difficulties.
The author posits that a day filled with mental and physical activity can justify a full night's rest, contrasting with sedentary lifestyles that may not induce tiredness.

Stop Trying To Sleep Better

13 counter-intuitive sleeping hacks (thank me in the morning)

“If I fall asleep right now, I can still get 4 hours of sleep…”

Sound familiar? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve always been a bad sleeper. Growing up, I used to lay awake in torment until the sun came up, almost every night. During sleepovers, I would shoot eye-daggers at those peacefully snoring away next to me wishing they would awake to a sudden thud. I’ve seen the movie ‘Hitch’ over 200 times just to have something to do in the middle of the night.

I say all of this to outline that I’ve struggled with sleeping for my entire life. As a result, I’ve been majorly tired for most of my life. After nearly three decades of starving for a good night’s sleep, I’ve learned that ‘ZZZs’ are earned, not given.

If you’ve ever laid awake exhausted, tossed, turned, or screamed into your pillow at 3 AM, the following tips will come as great value to you…

1. Stop trying to wake up early

We all want to wake up earlier. The problem is, that you cannot just simply shift your sleep cycle on a whim. A study in Taiwan showed that we need at least two weeks to properly acclimate to a new sleeping cycle. Even if you’re getting enough sleep, the quality will suffer.

2. Never waste a good nap

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about sleep, it’s to never waste a good nap. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve held off napping out of fear that I’ll throw off my sleep cycle only to put my head down and night and realize that I’m suddenly wide awake. This is because sleep cycles do not change overnight.

Your body naturally wants to rise and fall at the same time, each day and night. If you can nap, nap — my advice is to always take the small win. A power nap can do wonders for your energy level, reduce stress, and act as a mood booster, if taken at the right time.

3. Put your overactive mind to good use

Do you have a brain that will just not shut off for the life of it? Same.

So, opposed to lying in bed thinking back through all the mistakes you’ve made over the years or what ‘so-and-so’ at work said, channel that mental energy into something productive. Just like a dog with energy begs to be taken for a walk, your mind has energy it wants to burn as well. So, get started on that memoir you’ve always wanted to write, journal how you’re feeling, or catch up on some reading!

Once you’ve used your surplus of mental energy, you will most definitely ease into a fulfilling slumber.

4. DO NOT look at the time!

Whatever you do, fight every urge to repeatedly check the time… and never start calculating how much time you need to achieve “X, Y, Z” hours of sleep. A watched pot never boils and you will never fall asleep constantly checking your phone. The best tip I can give is to accept your woke state.

Just like in life, if you accept where you are you’ll get to where you want to go, much quicker.

5. Breathe through your nose

Breathing through your nose is great for many reasons. It forces you to take slow, controlled breaths, filters out bacteria as oxygen enters your body, and helps to reduce stress levels. But, most importantly, breathing through your nose activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest, recovery, and digestion.

Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. explains how to use the intentional breathing technique of “in, in, out,” to hack your body into a state of relaxation.

6. Drink lots of water (but pace yourself)

Water is great for overall health and extremely vital to sleep. When you are sleeping, you continue to release moisture through your pores and breath. If you are not adequately hydrated, your body will resist falling into a deep sleep to protect itself from further dehydration.

Water also helps to flush out stimulants such as sugar or coffee you may be consuming during the day. Pace yourself though, playing catch-up just before bed will have you dreaming of waterfalls!

7. Don’t try and force it

Sleep is a natural process that allows us to recharge from a day of physical and mental exertion. You cannot force yourself into sleep, and in fact, trying to force it will have the opposite effect. Even if you are not sleeping, mental rest is beneficial to your body and mind and is a close second to REM sleep.

8. Know that stress manifests itself in the body

One key factor to lying awake in bed, exhausted, is stress. Stress is a mental state that affects us emotionally and physically. Stress often causes anxiety and depression but it can actually cause one’s muscles to fatigue or tighten up as well. This is what causes us to toss and turn, at night (it’s not always your mattress’ fault).

Some ways you can reduce physical stress in your body is by stretching or taking a bath. I like to set a bedtime on my phone as well and try not to look at any digital screens for at least thirty minutes before bed.

9. Stretch

Just like mental and emotional stress will manifest itself in the body, physical stress can creep it’s way into your mental state as well (causing anxiety or irritability). Whether it’s from exercising too much, too hard, or being sedentary, your body will interpret chronic discomfort as danger, and naturally, resist sleep. Before bed, you can prepare your body for sleep by stretching out your sore muscles.

You’ll be amazed at what fifteen minutes of gentle stretching in the evening will do for your sleep.

10. No coffee after 12 PM

This is a tricky one for a lot of people (myself included) because caffeine is such a helpful tool for productivity. Everyone’s caffeine tolerance is different, but if you find yourself constantly tossing, turning, or feeling anxious at night, it could be because of your caffeine intake, during the day.

Try to limit your caffeine intake and drink plenty of water to flush out lingering stimulants from your body.

11. STOP thinking, and START listening to your thoughts

Let me ask you this, would you be more likely to fall asleep while watching a movie? Or while starring in a movie?

Oftentimes, we feel the need to control our thoughts instead of just thinking. Truth be told, our brains have an entire subconscious sector, running in the background: analyzing, equating, and assessing life for us. Especially when trying to slip into the unconscious realm, there is no need to consciously think about anything. Similar to meditation, the mere awareness of your thoughts will help you ease into your subconscious, turning off your conscious mind, and allowing you to unplug for the night.

12. Let yourself be awake

Just like in life, it never helps to stress over what you can’t control. Sometimes it’s just not your night and whatever is going on in your mind (or body) is going to keep you up. Stressing out over it will only keep you up longer, so let go, stay present, and if that means you’re up for a while, that’s ok. The first step to recovery is always acceptance.

13. Earn your sleep

The purpose of sleep is to recharge your body and mind. The problem is, in today’s age, it’s easy to spend an entire day without exerting much energy at all. If you’ve been scrolling through social media all day with your feet propped up, even if the sun has set hours ago, you may not feel tired. This is totally understandable. So make sure to think, exercise, and challenge yourself at least a little bit each day to warrant a full night’s rest.