One thing that we all do but few of us do right. Supercharge your body and brain by sleeping better

Most of us don't get enough quality sleep. The increased dependency on mobile technology and remote work has intertwined work and life, impacting our sleep habits. Research has shown that sleep quality directly affects a leaders' behavior. The less sleep a leader gets, the less inspiring and charismatic their employees find the leader. Lack of sleep also negatively affects employees' work performance and working relationships. They tend to have difficulty concentrating, learning, and communicating. Work performance is not the only thing that suffers - it also impacts our physical health. People who sleep the least are more likely to have diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

"Sleep is probably the single most effective thing you can do to reset your body and health." - Dr. Matthew Walker.

I thought sleep was overrated, and I pride myself on sleeping less than 6 hours a night. My alarm woke me at 5:45 AM; I went to the gym and showed up at work at 8:00 AM. After lunch, I had to drink a few cups of coffee to stay awake. The result was that I was highly irritated, impatient with my family and employees, and highly unproductive. Unfortunately, I was not alone. The National Sleep Foundation reports that almost half of all Americans say they feel sleepy during the day, and nearly 25% have insomnia. Dr. Matthew Walker's work and his book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams helped me realize that I could fix it.

Dr. Walker explains that the entire sleep cycle is about 90 minutes, and our brain goes through two phases:

Non-Rem (non-rapid eye movement) sleep is dreamless sleep where the brain waves, breathing, and heart rate is slow and regular, the blood pressure is low, and we are relatively still.
REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is where the brain activity increases, our eyes dart around quickly, and our pulse, blood pressure, and breathing increase. We do most of your dreaming in REM sleep.

In the first half of the night, most of the cycle is deep non-REM, and in the second half of the night, the majority of the cycle is REM. For example, if we get 6 hours of sleep instead of 8, we lose 25% of sleep but could be losing up to 70% of all REM sleep. The most significant risk of reduced REM sleep is mental health issues like anxiety and depression. This is because REM sleep seems to recalibrate our emotional networks in the brain.

Sleep scientists recommend the following to improve our sleep:

Get up when you can't sleep

Many people have issues sleeping through the night. Sleep that is interrupted is less refreshing. If we lie in bed awake, our brain associates our bed with being awake, not asleep. So, if you toss and turn in bed for an extended period, go to a different room and do something else until you feel sleepy, like reading a book.

Stick to a sleep schedule

We should attempt going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even after a bad night's sleep or on the weekend. It helps to maintain the timing of the body's internal clock and can help you fall asleep and wake up more easily.

Room temperature

The body's circadian rhythm lowers the body's temperature at night in preparation for sleep. Therefore, keep the bedroom temperature cool, about 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 18.3 Celsius, for cooling the body towards sleep, due to our body's internal temperature regulation.

Stop eating before bed

We should try to stop eating 3 hours before bed to reduce the likelihood of acid reflux and digestive issues to keep you from sleeping, as well as it can raise your core body temperature.

Sleep seven to eight hours

An average of seven to eight hours per night is the correct quantity of sleep for most adults, but too many people sleep less, having severe mental and physical consequences.

No screens in the bedroom

Many people struggle to fall asleep quickly. Mobile devices, TV, and fluorescent lights are major issues before bed. The blue light suppresses the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that our brain makes in response to darkness. Avoid email and social media at least an hour before bedtime.

Avoid alcohol and THC before going to bed

It is not just the amount of time that matters, but also the quality of sleep. After having a few drinks, many of us go to sleep, and we seem to fall asleep quickly. Alcohol is a sedative that makes us lose consciousness more quickly. But alcohol fragments sleep, so we wake up many more times during the night, often so brief that we don't remember, but they impact your physiology. Most importantly, alcohol blocks REM sleep from waking up unrefreshed and unrestored. Similarly, THC seems also to decrease the amount of REM sleep.

Caffeine can impact your sleep

Caffeine has a half-life of 6 hours and a quarter-life of 12 hours, so if we drink a full cup of coffee at noon, a quarter of that caffeine is still in the brain at midnight. Even for people who say they sleep well after consuming caffeine, one study showed that 200 mg of caffeine before bed resulted in a 20% reduction in deep sleep.

Melatonin

Melatonin controls our circadian rhythms and can help us fall asleep, but it doesn't necessarily change the quantity and the quality of sleep. In addition, many people who use melatonin dose too high, it is not recommended to take more than 3 milligrams.

Companies spend all kinds of money on improving employee engagement. However, very few employers consider the importance of sleep on employee engagement. Good quality of sleep is essential, and if leaders want to ensure that their people are productive, they have to make sure that they and their employees are getting a good night's sleep.

If you want to dive deeper into sleep science, I recommend Dr. Matthew Walker has an excellent podcast.

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