You don't need Arianna Huffington, the government, or me to tell you why it's important to get better sleep.

You know you need it but have trouble getting enough of it. Maybe you have too much to do, maybe it's restlessness or insomnia or maybe you do get enough hours of sleep but still feel tired. Whatever your reasons, you just want to sleep better.

I completely understand.

I'm often sleep deprived because I stay up to get stuff done. Even when I try to sleep, my mind is on all the things I want to accomplish and I find myself at my computer working into the early morning. At the same time, I recognize that I spend many days being distracted and tired. This negative cycle began to change after I read sleep expert Shawn Stevenson's book, Sleep Smarter. He makes a strong case for sleep and shares some simple tips that have helped me get more sleep yet still stay productive.

Here are my favorites:

Tip #1 - Schedule sleep on your calendar. Each sleep cycle is about 90 minutes so you want to schedule 6 hours, 7.5 hours, or 9 hours of sleep, or else you'll risk waking up groggy.

Tip #2 - Reframe sleep as a reward - see it as something you GET to do, not HAVE to do.

Tip #3 - Try to get some sun every day for at least 30 minutes every morning.

Tip #4 - Turn off all screens at least 90 minutes before bedtime.

Tip #5 - Cut caffeine after 12pm.

Tip #6 - Keep your bedroom cool (optimal temperature is 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit). Wear socks if you get cold.

Tip #7 - Try to sleep around 10-11pm. Shawn calls this the "money time" when it comes to sleep. Also, remember that it's important to keep your sleep schedule consistent.

Tip #8 - Eat whole foods and more proteins and fats over carbs. Avoid drinking 3 hours and eating 90 minutes before you go to bed.

Tip #9 - Use an air ionizer or humidifier or open windows to get good airflow. Getting plants can help as well.

Tip #10 - Make sure your bedroom triggers sleep. Create a relaxed and calm room by using blackout curtains and keeping work and electronics away from the bedroom.

Tip #11 - Exercise in the morning or late afternoon. Remember that muscles grow from restorative sleep not just from training. Like sleep, schedule your workouts.

Tip #12 - Get a good mattress and know your preferred sleeping position.

Tip #13 - Meditate right after you wake up or when you go to bed to clear any mental clutter. When trying to sleep, relax your body with this technique.

Tip #14 - Wake up when the sun rises and go to bed around the same time each night, (give or take 30 minutes). If you have trouble waking up early, try these ideas. This tip was echoed in Why We Sleep by Dr. Matthew Walker. If this is difficult for you, aim to wake up at the same time every day and sleep when you are tired.

Tip #15 - Wear loose clothing or nothing at all when sleeping.

Pick and choose the tips that work for you and your lifestyle. Find ways to measure how you feel each day so you can gauge which changes work best for you.

What practical sleeping tips have worked for you? Please share them in the comments section.

Here is a bonus infographic for you on sleep:

Photo by Magdalena

The post Need Sleep? 15 Simple Ways to Get Better Sleep appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

Me: (to myself) I really need to sleep, I have to wake up early tomorrow morning. I don't believe it's already 2:21am. I am only going to get 3.6 hours of sleep...

(more time passes)

Me: (to myself) Why can't I sleep? I am tired. I did all the right things. Lights were dim, didn't have any caffeine, didn't do anything active in the last 3 hours ... oh wow, it's already 3:11 am. How am I going to function tomorrow...

Usually I go to bed when I can barely keep my eyes open but when I have something important to wake up for the next day and want to go to sleep early, I always find it hard to fall asleep.

It is frustrating. The more I want to sleep, the more awake I become.

I used to get up from bed and try to do some work. I know it is not good to stimulate the mind when you are trying to sleep but it seemed like a waste of time to just lie in bed awake. I would work until my eyes became heavy and then go to bed. The next morning I would have a hard time waking up and be easily distracted all day. It was becoming a barrier in my life (click here to read The Three Reasons Why You Should Sleep More) and to my success (click here to read How to Sleep Your Way to Success).

Luckily for me (and you), I found a technique that has worked very well to help me sleep. It is easy and effective and you don't need to buy anything special. The great thing is that this technique is still good even if you don't fall asleep.

Still interested? Keep reading ...

If you have no problems sleeping, feel free to scroll down to the comments section and share your own tips.

For the rest of you who are still reading so you can get to bed, here is what you can to do to fall asleep faster:

1. Goto bed and lie down on your back with your arms at your sides

2. Be fully aware of your breathing (in and out). Notice your abs moving up and down with your breath.

3. Once you are aware of your breath, pay attention to a part of your body when breathing in and relax that part when you breathe out. Start from the top of your body and repeat the process of awareness then relaxation for each body part all the way to the bottom (head -> eyes -> nose -> mouth -> shoulders -> chest -> stomach -> thighs -> calves -> feet -> toes).

I usually fall asleep fairly quickly. I don't remember ever going past the shoulder.

This deep relaxation exercise helps to keep my mind from wandering and at the same time serves to relax my body. I use it all the time now and it works. The next time you can't fall asleep, relax deeply by being mindful and then letting go of each part of your body.

This method is so effective that I almost fell asleep writing this article.

I'm not kidding.

(For those of you still having trouble sleeping at night, you may want to try these 15 sleep tips. You can also read this article and this article)

The post Tired but Cannot Sleep? – How to End Sleeplessness Once and for All appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

If you think sleep is a luxury for people with nothing to do, this article is for you.

In our society today, sleep has become equated with the lazy and we view those who can function with 4 or less hours of sleep as superheroes or hard workers deserving a badge of honor. I used to think the same way. In college, I always touted the fact that I pulled  frequent all-nighters but was yet still able to survive. The ability to function with little sleep was a desired trait.

How wrong I was...like my Econ 101 professor always said, "There is no such thing as a free lunch." It is not possible to be sleep deprived and perform at your best. In The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz found that the difference between the top performing athletes and the mediocre ones was that the best knew how to rest effectively. Just take a look at your own experience and think back to the days you had ample sleep versus the days you didn't. I have yet to meet anyone that told me they performed better with less sleep than with more.

I know what you're thinking ... how am I going to find the time to sleep 7-8 hours daily and still do everything that I want to do. This is a question that I struggled with myself. I have so many things to do and so little time but through the tracking of my daily tasks and hours of sleep, I have found that I get more things done in a week where I have enough sleep versus a week when I am sleep deprived. It is true that I may get more things done on the day I sleep only a few hours but I am a lot less productive the next couple of days.

This is when I decided that it is more productive to sleep and that sleeping is actually one of the key factors to success and healthy lifestyle. I am now averaging over 7 hours of sleep and getting more done than ever. What helped me let go of the opportunity cost of sleeping was to make ample rest one of the goals I want to achieve. Once I put sleep on my to-do list, I didn't treat it as something I can put off in the name of completing my goals. As with my other goals, I track it daily to make sure I am aware of it even on my busiest days.

I think we have all experienced the benefits of sleep. If you haven't, check out this article: The Three Reasons Why You Should Sleep More.

So if you're reading this late at night, GET SOME SLEEP. It'll do wonders for your life and your complexion.

The post How to Sleep Your Way to Success appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

If you are getting 7-9 hours of sleep every day, stop reading this article now.

If you're still reading, then you probably want to sleep more but for some reason can't justify it.

Here are the three reasons why you need to sleep more starting tonight:

When You Don't Sleep, You're Wasting Your Life

Many people believe just the opposite: "I need to savor every minute I have. I can sleep when I die." Sleep helps you to process your life experience and knowledge. If you don't sleep enough, you don't retain what you have gone through which means you have just wasted your day getting experience you're not going to recall. How can you savor life when you don't remember it?

Cheaper Than A Gym Membership

When you are sleep deprived, you interrupt the hormones that regulate your appetite which results in an increase in appetite. Similar to when you starve yourself, sleep deprivation causes your body to think you are in an emergency and it will begin to store fat to help you survive. If you are looking to control your weight, get more sleep.

Stay in Control

When I don't get enough sleep, I can't control myself. I am very irritable, I say things that I don't mean and I let my negative feelings (fear, anger, frustration, etc) get the better of me. Many of my good habits get broken and my bad habits creep back in. If you want self-control, 4 hours of sleep is not going to cut it.

There are many more reasons why you should get more sleep but these three alone provide a compelling argument to get to bed. If you think successful people don't need sleep, read my article on How to Sleep Your Way to Success.

Bonus:

In addition to sleeping more, it's helpful to know whether you're an early bird or a night owl to help you manage your energy. The infographic below might also help those of you failing to become morning people to feel less guilty.

Source: AffordableSchools.net

The post The Three Reasons Why You Should Sleep More appeared first on Embrace Possibility.