THE BEST SLEEP SCHEDULE: 8 TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR SLEEP QUALITY AND FEEL GREAT ALL DAY!

INTRODUCTION

• Do you want to know the best sleep schedule?
• Are you having trouble sleeping? 
• Are you looking to optimize your sleep? 

You landed just right! 

This article will cover: 

• What is a sleep schedule?
• Why consistency is so important?
• 7 Sneaky Sleep Killers You Need to Know
• What is the best sleep schedule for you?
• 8 Tips to create your best sleep schedule.

If this is what you are looking for, please keep reading! 

Let’s begin!

WHAT IS A SLEEP SCHEDULE?

A sleep schedule refers to the time at which you fall asleep and the time you wake up. With this notion comes three foundational variables:

1. How many hours of sleep are you getting every night?
2. How consistent is your sleep time?
3. How regular is your wake-up time?

WHY A CONSISTENT SLEEP SCHEDULE IS SO IMPORTANT?

Most people neglect their sleep schedule and aren’t aware of its importance. Here are two crucial reasons why you need to respect a proper and consistent sleep schedule:

CONSISTENCY INCREASES SLEEP QUALITY

Consistency increases your sleep quality by sending clear signals to your biological clock to regulate itself. As a result, all bodily functions work better: hormones, neurotransmitters, enzymes, and more.  

CONSISTENCY BOOSTS SLEEP EFFICIENCY

Think of sleep as an anchor your body needs to recharge and accomplish daily requirements. When your sleep is consistent:

• Your body is ready to fall asleep at the same time.
• Your sleep cycles are more robust and efficient.
• You will wake up automatically at the anticipated schedule.
• And your entire machinery is ready to tackle the day with full energy stores! 

Create a consistent sleep schedule, and your body will reward you with great energy!  

7 CULPRIT DESTROYING YOUR SLEEP SCHEDULE

Many lifestyle changes and obligations affect your sleep, be aware of them to take control of your life and organize it the way it suits your sleep the best. 

WORK PRESSURE

Work pressure takes the form of deadlines that need to be respected, shift work, staying in the office for late hours, or even sometimes staying up late to prepare for an important meeting or event! This pressure leads us to stay up late and also wake up early! 

As a result, we experience a chronic compression of our sleep schedule followed by sleep deprivation. In turn, sleep deprivation affects our general health, well-being, and performance at work! 

TRAVELING 

Another significant factor affecting our sleep schedule is traveling, shifting time zones, and experiencing jet lag. Traveling makes it difficult to follow our regular sleep schedule due to discomfort. Even when we try to follow it, we encounter difficulties: 

• Sleep quality is impaired due to artificial blue lights and noises.
• We might experience sleep latency (not falling asleep as expected), sleep insufficiency (not sleeping enough), and inefficiency. 

PERSONAL OBLIGATIONS

Personal obligations such as emergencies or family issues can, sometimes, disturb our sleep schedule. Although it is part of our lives, we are responsible for dealing with them. When your personal life is disorganized to the point of creating emergencies and obligations regularly, it can become a problem. 

The goal is to be aware of the causes of these emergencies, anticipate them better, and find solutions to avoid them altogether!

STRESSFUL LIFE

Stress is the nemesis of sleep! Problems, racing thoughts, and anxiety keep us wide awake! Even when we fall asleep, our sleep is not as restorative and rejuvenating as a peaceful night of sleep!  Be aware of the stressful experiences you are living daily and manage your stress to avoid chronic stress disturbing your sleep schedule!  

DISTRACTIONS

Distractions are a big one today. For example, watching Netflix and scrolling social media can make you lose track of time, and here you are: the sun is rising, and still you are hooked to your phone or computer! Avoiding distractions, especially in the evening, is crucial to create and stick with your best sleep schedule. 

SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

All social events are organized in the evening and end very late! If going out and socializing is part of your daily or weekly life, sticking with a consistent sleep schedule becomes hard. That said, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a social life, but figure out ways to socialize during the day without sacrificing your precious sleep! 

LIFESTYLE-RELATED BIOLOGICAL MISMATCHES

A ton of modern behaviors are not in alignment with our biology. Simply engaging in these behaviors can throw your sleep schedule and quality off track. I am talking about drinking alcohol or caffeine in the evening, artificial blue-light exposure, sensory stimulations, working out or eating late, etc. 

WHAT IS THE BEST SLEEPING SCHEDULE? 

Here are the 4 main parameters:

1. Consistency 
2. Allowing for sufficient sleep time.
3. Wake-up time is as close as possible to sunrise.
4. Sleep time is as close as possible to sunset.

CREATE YOUR BEST SLEEP SCHEDULE WITH 8 POWERFUL TIPS

USE AN ALARM FOR BEDTIME INSTEAD OF WAKE-UP TIME

Most people get themselves out of sleep at the wrong moment and with a violent/stressful alarm. Therefore, they feel groggy and stressed first thing in the morning. What a way to wake up! Instead, use an alarm only as a reminder of your bedtime. In this way, you are more likely to stick to your sleep schedule and have sufficient sleep. 

BEST SLEEP SCHEDULE: ALLOW FOR 7-9 HOURS OF SLEEP

Imagine you need 8 hours of sleep to feel good in the morning and let’s say you need to wake up at 7 am to stick to your work schedule. To figure out your bedtime subtract 8 hours from your wake-up time: 

To get sufficient sleep, you must be asleep, at the latest, at 11 pm! In this case, set your alarm for 10:30 pm to prepare for bed and go to sleep on time! 

See how you feel in the morning and adjust accordingly:

• If you feel the need for more sleep. Then, you have to sleep earlier!
• If you wake up naturally earlier, great news! Enjoy your morning time!

LIMIT ARTIFICIAL BLUE LIGHT EXPOSURE BEFORE BEDTIME

Artificial blue lights interfere with your endogenous production of melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that makes you sleepy and greatly contributes to sleep quality. If you expose yourself to blue light, you significantly decrease melatonin levels making it more difficult to fall asleep, and your sleep quality will suffer.

You will feel it the following morning!

BEST SLEEP SCHEDULE: EAT DINNER AS EARLY AS YOU CAN 

Eating an early dinner gives you time to digest your food before rushing to bed! As a result, you feel lighter, sleep better, and digestion won’t interfere with your sleep stages. 

Altogether help you stick to your sleep schedule and make it more efficient! 

BEST SLEEP SCHEDULE: WORKOUT IN THE MORNING INSTEAD OF EVENING

Working out in the morning can contribute to the build-up of sleep pressure. Think of sleep pressure as a bucket you need to fill, and when fulfilled you can soundly fall asleep. Exercise in the morning helps you fill this bucket! 

On the other hand, exercising late at night has the opposite effect. Stress hormones surge in your bloodstream after exercise: Adrenaline and cortisol will send conflicting signals to interfere with your ability to fall asleep. 

BEST SLEEP SCHEDULE: LIMIT STIMULANTS AFTER 2 P.M. 

Caffeine is a stimulant!

Drinking coffee after 2 pm might prevent you from falling asleep according to your sleep schedule, especially if you are a slow metabolizer of caffeine. Depending on your caffeine metabolism, caffeine half-life can be up to 8 hours. In other words, 8 hours after caffeine consumption, half of the caffeine you have consumed is still taking effect in your body! 

KEEP YOUR BEDROOM COMFORTABLE FOR SLEEP

An easy trick to support yourself falling asleep fast is to make your bedroom temperature around 19-23 degrees Celsius and your bed sheets cozy and comfortable to sleep on! 

Keep your bedroom environment clean and conducive to sleep! 

BEST SLEEP SCHEDULE: CONSISTENCY IS KING

You already understand why consistency is king! The goal is to make all the above as consistent as possible. Apply them daily, and if you miss a day for obligations, that is okay! 

It is part of the beauty of life! 

Go back to your schedule as soon as you can! 

CONCLUSION

I desire that you comprehend the importance of a consistent sleep schedule. Also, I hope you have the tools to take control of your sleep schedule and create the best one for yourself that suits your life and goals. 

Sleep is a foundation that needs to be taken care of! 

Optimize your sleep, and you will be surprised by the infinite benefits you will get! 

Trust me, do it!