9 tricks to improve your sleep, you’ve never heard before.
It doesn’t matter how good or bad you sleep, there’s always room for improvement, right?
So, without any further a do, here are 9 tricks to improve your sleep you’ve never heard before but work rock solid.
- tap your lap
okay this may sound weird, but it works. It will only take 2 minutes of your time. Sit on the edge of your bed before you get in, and start tapping on your upper legs in a steady rhythm. tap tap tap tap tap tap tap and so on. After about 1 minute, start slowing down the rhythm until, after the 2nd rhythm it has slowed down to a really slow rhythm, like 1 tap every 2 seconds.
What happens is that when you’re tapping, you are subconsciously following your heart rhythm (about). And by slowing down the tapping, you are relaxing yourself, and slowing down your heart beat. Relaxed, you lay down and fall a sleep. Good night.
- get up at 5 am
I know, what has early rising to do with improving your sleep? Well it’s about creating a conscious schedule. If you rise at 5 and you need 7 hours of sleep, you need to be in bed by 10. So instead of letting the mood in the evening determine when you get to bed, you decide bed time based on when you get up.
Additionally you will have extra time in the morning to have some ‘me time’. Excercise, drink coffee, study, journal, take a longer shower, you’ll start your day much more comfortable.
- use delta wave music while you sleep
In short: Our brain operate on frequency levels. Beta when you’re awake and active, Alpha when relaxing or meditating and Delta when you sleep. By listening to Delta wave music you invite your brain to follow the frequency and there for that will happen easier than just by doing it yourself. Try it.
- use red light in your deep sleep
I’ve read about this and tried it out myself. I programmed my Hue lights to go on in my bedroom at soft red (so I won’t wake up because of the brightness). The frequency of the light (again) will help you improve your deep sleep. Non scientific, but I believe it helps me sleep better.
- have sex
Okay, we actually all know this. Men fall asleep after having sex because of the ejaculation a hormone is released that will make you tired. Oxytocin and vasopressin are released and they affect the production of melatonin – the ‘make you want to sleep’ hormone. Oxytocin also releases stress so it will make you more relaxed.
- get into ketosis
Ketosis is a state where your body shifts from using glucose as the primary energy source to producing the so called ketones. This effect can be created by fasting or a ketogenic diet and has the effect that your blood sugar levels are less spikey. The feeling of hunger is less and the need for replenishment of sugar is less. Your insulin level drops and your body fat is being burned. Now, how this effect sleep? I’m not sure, but I notice right away that when I am in ketosis, I sleep far more better.
- don’t sleep in on weekends
Your body has a wake/sleep rhythm. So when you sleep in in the weekends, you’re messing up that rhythm and you will have more trouble sleeping. It’s like a mini-jetlag. That’s why Monday mornings are often more challenging than the Friday morning. Get up at the same time every day. By the way, with 2 nights more sleep you don’t catch up any lost sleep in the week. That’s just a myth.
- Don’t sleep 8 hours
What?? I thought 8 hours is what people SHOULD sleep. Well, as an average number, maybe. But individually no. No one does. Your sleep has different phases, we know that right? Well, one complete cycle of these phases is approximately 1,5 hours. You want to wake up after the completion of such a cycle. So 4,5 hours, 6 hours, 7,5 hours but not 8. Because then you have just about entered the new phase and you wake up more tired than you would’ve a half hour sooner.
- use a sleep tracker
Measure what you want to change. So have some sort of a sleep tracker to monitor your sleep. Most trackers are not exact enough to make real detailed conclusions, but it does give you an overall idea on how many hours your sleep phases take (important for tip 8). Some have 1 hr 15 minutes, some 1 hr 45 minutes or something in between.
So, there you have it. Which one are you going to do tonight?
9 tricks to improve your sleep, you’ve never heard before.
It doesn’t matter how good or bad you sleep, there’s always room for improvement, right?
So, without any further a do, here are 9 tricks to improve your sleep you’ve never heard before but work rock solid.
okay this may sound weird, but it works. It will only take 2 minutes of your time. Sit on the edge of your bed before you get in, and start tapping on your upper legs in a steady rhythm. tap tap tap tap tap tap tap and so on. After about 1 minute, start slowing down the rhythm until, after the 2nd rhythm it has slowed down to a really slow rhythm, like 1 tap every 2 seconds.
What happens is that when you’re tapping, you are subconsciously following your heart rhythm (about). And by slowing down the tapping, you are relaxing yourself, and slowing down your heart beat. Relaxed, you lay down and fall a sleep. Good night.
I know, what has early rising to do with improving your sleep? Well it’s about creating a conscious schedule. If you rise at 5 and you need 7 hours of sleep, you need to be in bed by 10. So instead of letting the mood in the evening determine when you get to bed, you decide bed time based on when you get up.
Additionally you will have extra time in the morning to have some ‘me time’. Excercise, drink coffee, study, journal, take a longer shower, you’ll start your day much more comfortable.
In short: Our brain operate on frequency levels. Beta when you’re awake and active, Alpha when relaxing or meditating and Delta when you sleep. By listening to Delta wave music you invite your brain to follow the frequency and there for that will happen easier than just by doing it yourself. Try it.
I’ve read about this and tried it out myself. I programmed my Hue lights to go on in my bedroom at soft red (so I won’t wake up because of the brightness). The frequency of the light (again) will help you improve your deep sleep. Non scientific, but I believe it helps me sleep better.
Okay, we actually all know this. Men fall asleep after having sex because of the ejaculation a hormone is released that will make you tired. Oxytocin and vasopressin are released and they affect the production of melatonin – the ‘make you want to sleep’ hormone. Oxytocin also releases stress so it will make you more relaxed.
Ketosis is a state where your body shifts from using glucose as the primary energy source to producing the so called ketones. This effect can be created by fasting or a ketogenic diet and has the effect that your blood sugar levels are less spikey. The feeling of hunger is less and the need for replenishment of sugar is less. Your insulin level drops and your body fat is being burned. Now, how this effect sleep? I’m not sure, but I notice right away that when I am in ketosis, I sleep far more better.
Your body has a wake/sleep rhythm. So when you sleep in in the weekends, you’re messing up that rhythm and you will have more trouble sleeping. It’s like a mini-jetlag. That’s why Monday mornings are often more challenging than the Friday morning. Get up at the same time every day. By the way, with 2 nights more sleep you don’t catch up any lost sleep in the week. That’s just a myth.
What?? I thought 8 hours is what people SHOULD sleep. Well, as an average number, maybe. But individually no. No one does. Your sleep has different phases, we know that right? Well, one complete cycle of these phases is approximately 1,5 hours. You want to wake up after the completion of such a cycle. So 4,5 hours, 6 hours, 7,5 hours but not 8. Because then you have just about entered the new phase and you wake up more tired than you would’ve a half hour sooner.
Measure what you want to change. So have some sort of a sleep tracker to monitor your sleep. Most trackers are not exact enough to make real detailed conclusions, but it does give you an overall idea on how many hours your sleep phases take (important for tip 8). Some have 1 hr 15 minutes, some 1 hr 45 minutes or something in between.
So, there you have it. Which one are you going to do tonight?
Maurice Zondag
Maurice is the founder of Master Your Personality and originator of the concept of "The 5 Sources of Happiness". He is a certified health and life success coach and he helps people to have a healthier life, more confidence and create the mindset that leads to owning your desired life and get what you want in life.