Sleep is the foundation of our productivity. If you don't get enough sleep on a daily basis, all concentration, discipline, and well-being go out the window. The topic is seemingly simple because it is a natural activity for every human being. However, the data clearly shows that this is not the case. According to a 2022 report by Statista, only 22% of Europeans claim to sleep through the night.

So, how to take care of sleep? Here are a few popular methods that I have tested myself:

Avoid:

• Blue light emitted by smartphones, TVs, or computers. Most modern devices allow you to set a reading mode, which significantly reduces blue light. You can choose specific times at which the mentioned mode should be turned on.

•  Situations that cause strong emotions right before bed. For example, watching an emotional movie/series or having a conversation about a mortgage 😉

• Physical exertion. Anyone who engages in any type of activity knows that it stimulates us. However, gentle stretching in a darkened room can help us to relax.

• Eating for at least 2-3 hours before bed. There is a high risk that you will have trouble falling asleep or having nightmares. Your internal team of digestive juices and other matters starts cleaning up in the evening and slowly prepares to close the digestive system.

• Noise

• Avoid alcohol. Although alcohol makes it easier to fall asleep, it has a fatal impact on the deep sleep phase, destroying the effect of improved regeneration. For more details, I refer you to this video.

Take care of:

• Airing the bedroom at least 30-60 minutes before bedtime.

• A good, fitted mattress (you should not sink in but you should not lie on a "board").

• Limiting light. It's not just about turning off the lamp before bed. It's about leaving only smaller light sources, e.g. "side lamps", an hour before bedtime.

• Pay attention to the lighting. Sometimes I see white cold light in blocks. This does not help with falling asleep and also worsens mood.

• Reading books. The act of reading itself calms us down, but if we read something neutral. Reading a horror before bed can have the opposite effect.

From me:

• Avoid using a phone alarm, but if you can't afford it, use a quiet, rising, calming sound or melody.

• Candles. Being in the company of candles in the evening is very calming for me and it might help you too. You don't have to stare at the flame all the time, just "be with it". If there is very little light around, candles intensify the effect of peace.

• You can even go a step further and use scented candles. Again, it's worth testing what works for us. Some scents will calm us down, while others will actually stimulate us.

Additional reflections:

• Yes, paradoxically, music for falling asleep can be useful for a pleasant waking up. However, I recommend testing what works for you, e.g. on weekends, vacations, and naps, to avoid surprises during the work week.

• Someone once thought that an alarm clock must cause a heart attack every day. This in itself causes us to think about the terrible alarm that awaits us in the morning when we go to bed, and it absolutely does not help us fall asleep.

Biological clock

Okay, these are popular methods that can be easily found on the internet, plus a handful of my observations. However, I noticed that it is rarely mentioned that as humans, we do not sleep in the same time intervals. We differ in terms of our internal biological clock, which is scientifically referred to as a chronotype. That is, a certain specific time range in which we function best, have the most energy, sleep best, etc.

In everyday life, we sometimes think that if we want to learn to wake up at 5:00 am, we can do it and our biological clock will eventually "adjust" to the new hours.

No, it won't.

It can be tried to modify it up to about 1.5 hours in one direction or the other. However, we function best by our biological rhythm. Of course, it can deviate due to the time of year or with age. However, if we used to wake up at 7:00 am, we will not suddenly start waking up at 10:00 am when we are much older. As long as we live in harmony with our clock, our sleep will bring regeneration. And that is the foundation of our productivity.

5am club

 
At one time, the 5am club was very popular. Please note that, in light of the above information, joining such an approach may be inappropriate or even toxic for you. Not only will you be constantly sleep-deprived, but you will also be overcome by feelings of guilt and the impression that "something is wrong with me".