Sleep.

“Sleep is either the force multiplier or the biggest handicap so if you’re not sleeping properly, what you do besides that really doesn’t matter”
— Tim Ferriss
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What is your sleep strategy?

Have you taken the time to think about the art of sleep, to develop resting and recovery as a skill? For something you do every night, it's worth experimenting with different approaches to find what works best for you. 

Many high-performing, hard-working individuals see sleep as a nuisance, something that they reluctantly have to give their incredibly precious and limited time to. However, author Tim Ferriss has an appropriate label for sleep: the "currency of high performance living." Those that pride themselves on the ability to survive on only a few hours of shut-eye a night are undoubtably drawing from an account that will demand payment at some point in the future.

Employing some of the strategies described here will delay the need for repayment and decrease the rate of interest. There is certainly a time and place for variance in the routine to adjust for periods of increased output, but consistent sleep deprivation and burnout is not so much a badge of honour and reflection of hard work as it is a lack of priorities. Play the long game. Be aware and listen to the feedback your body is giving you. With a small amount of preparation you can improve the quality of your rest, and therefore the quality of your waking hours.  What exactly does quality sleep look like? How can we develop strategies for sleeping properly if we don't know exactly why we sleep, why we need to shut down for a significant portion of our day? 

Spending some time to think about this subject in-depth made me curious about the word "rest". This is a fitting term, as the body uses this time to "restore" itself. As far as I can find, history and science have struggled to explain the necessity of sleep and is still unable to reach a consensus. Neuroscientists are beginning to discover why it is necessary to spend 32 years of our life (assuming a lifespan of 90) completely asleep. The two most interesting and attractive ideas to me are:

  1. Restoration 
  2. Brain processing and memory consolidation

It is now generally accepted that what our body is accomplishing while we sleep is the resting of neurons, clearing out the waste produced by our cells during the day. The body accomplishes this waste removal through the lymphatic system, but the brain has its own system known as the glymphatic system to clear up the toxins produced in the daily activity of your cells. Studies have shown this system to be much more active while sleeping. Quality sleep allows the body and brain to repair itself.

In terms of the second rationale for sleep, consider giving your subconscious time to work through problems during rest. If you're someone who has difficulty shutting down at night, there are a few strategies below. Instead of red-lining your conscious mind, give it time to wind down and process the events of the day. Sleep has been shown to play a major role in learning and memory consolidation, and when approached properly can be a key piece to growth, providing you with a significant advantage over tired peers. Seen this way, sleep ceases to be a burden or waste of time and becomes leverage for greater achievement.

The way you approach sleep is another opportunity to express your philosophy on life (how you do anything is how you do everything). Everything we do matters. Developing these keystone habits, focusing on the big wins and standardizing the first and last 60 minutes of the day (referred to as book-ending) provides pillars upon which to build a successful and impactful life. Creating a routine for sleep can take some experimentation and refinement, with strategies and "sleep hacks" ranging from basic to complex. I tend to lean towards keeping things simple and adaptable so that my routine is not too affected by things like travel. As an athlete, I remember many nights spent on the road in hotel rooms or trying to catch some sleep on uncomfortable bus seats. I know I could have benefited from a little more education on sleep. Soccer clubs have even begun to employ sleep coaches, recognizing the importance of incorporating sleep in recovery.

An effective approach to sleep begins with engineering an environment most conducive to rest. A simple rule of thumb is "really dark and slightly cool," and there are a number of ways to accomplish this. Black-out curtains made a huge difference for me. I've also been using a sleep mask for months and now find it difficult to go without. I use a cooling gel pillow as I can't stand a hot pillow.  Room temperature plays a big role, and I'm really interested in the chili pad, which is a mattress pad that uses water to adjust the surface temperature of the bed to get super specific adjustments on temperature for sleep (ideal at 65 degrees). I've also used an acupressure mat for the past few years, which I've personally found very helpful. The basic premise of the sleep mat is that the spikes stimulate blood circulation which causes your body to release beneficial hormones and relax your nervous system. I obviously approached this with some skepticism, but I really do feel a benefit from using it. I'll lie on it until I'm on the edge of sleep and then roll off to fall asleep. It's also helpful if only to force me to lie still and focus on nothing but getting a good rest. 

One of the most important aspects in a sleep environment is the bed. Dr. Kelly Starrett  has a simple "one minute bed test" explained in this video, which states if you lie on the bed and have to do something with your legs (cross, bend knee etc.) within a minute your bed is probably too hard. He also details another important point: the hours spent sleeping can also be used to work on mobility issues you may be having. If you are going to spend hours in a position, be conscious of things you are working on/trying to fix. Again this goes back to seeing sleep as an opportunity for leverage. Even brushing your teeth and nightly hygiene routine becomes an opportunity to experiment. Try brushing while balancing on one leg, or using your opposite hand to brush. 

My sleep habits essentially begin by avoiding caffeine after 2PM, being aware of how what I do during the day will affect my sleep. I do love coffee, but find it best to enjoy in the morning so it doesn't disrupt my rest. Later on in the day I tend to be on my laptop quite a bit, so I have an application installed called f.lux that dims the screen of the computer as the sun sets, reducing blue light emissions from the monitor to limit negative effects on melatonin production. Our use of artificial light greatly affects our circadian rhythm (24 hour cycle), so at least one hour prior to sleep I'll stop staring at screens and typically my wife and I will make some tea. If you going to try one thing, try this: 1 tablespoon of honey before bed. It raises blood glucose, which is good because your brain uses a lot of energy while you sleep. I have been doing this for a while now, usually mixed in with my tea, and the biggest benefit I've noticed is it eliminates most of those groggy, feel like crap mornings. I also find it helps me sleep consistently through the night. Another option to try is almond butter on celery. You can also experiment with supplements (magnesium, melatonin etc.) but I haven't found it to be as effective as the simple spoonful of honey. Melatonin supplementation I've found useful for things like adjusting to overseas travel, but otherwise I find its effects last too long into the following day.

In describing my current routine, I have to mention the smartphone. With these devices becoming an ever-increasing part of our lives, I've found that I've included my iPhone in a number of ways in which I book-end my days. I've heard many times the importance of banishing electronics from the bedroom, however I personally use mine for a variety of reasons, with a few caveats. In the phones settings, there is an option for "do not disturb" which can be scheduled during set times to silence incoming calls and alerts. Right before going to bed, I will also switch my phone to airplane mode to limit exposure to potentially harmful cellular signals. This also plays an important role in how I begin my morning as I have a few things I use my phone for before turning airplane mode off and allowing inputs into my day. Honestly though, one of the biggest reasons I keep the phone in my room is because it also serves as a convenient alarm clock. I've also used it to experiment with binaural beats apps such as pzizz, but I find having headphones in and trying to sleep uncomfortable.

My wife and I will also read fiction together before bed, with the backlight turned all the way down and iBooks on night mode. I figure the low light from the phone is better than reading a physical book with the lights on. We are currently finishing up Ready Player One, but some other suggestions for nightly fiction are Zorba The Greek, Neverwhere, The Graveyard Book, and Norwegian Wood (I've been into Murakami and Gaiman lately). I always remember being read to and reading before bed while growing up, and find the habit of exercising the imagination before sleep to be incredibly important. Reading fiction calms the problem solving brain and gives your mind a distraction so it can begin to wind down.

If we can begin to understand the purpose that sleep serves, we can accept and prioritize it as a necessary aspect of life. The easiest way to evaluate the effectiveness of your approach to sleep is how you feel upon waking. You should wake up feeling refreshed, with a clear head ready to face the day and begin your morning routine. Just start by asking yourself when you wake, "how do I feel?" What factors might be contributing to that? What needs to be adjusted? Constantly reflect on how your habits are serving you, and use sleep as a platform for better decision making. Spend some time to deeply consider these keystone habits and develop a routine that becomes second nature so that your focus and energy is available to make other important decisions. Continue to build on the research of others, and experiment until you find what works best for you.

Things I'd like to further experiment with:

  • Brain wave training
  • Effects of REM sleep and how to achieve that state for longer periods
  • Lucid Dreaming. I am endlessly fascinated with dreaming, the way we make sense and encode our memories. 
  • Aromatherapy as a cue for sleep
  • Effects of heat/cold on inducing sleep

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