Want to know 1 way to go from good to great that requires 0 talent?
Clean up your sleep routine!
Sleep affects athletic performance, memory, focus, and mood. Athletes, students, those who are full-time employed, retired folks, and anyone else you come across can reap the benefits of upgrading their bedtime routines.
Watch your energy soar and everyone around you be in awe of your productive, passionate aura throughout the day. Making sleep a priority and giving your body the rest it needs to recover is essential to perform at your best on and off the field.
1. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.
I don't want to hear that you don't have the time to sleep for 7-9 hours. You make the time to mindlessly scroll Insta and TikTok. Ohh... you have homework? ...Or did you just wait until the last minute to complete your assignments and now you're stuck up the night before they are due to complete them? You make time for what's important to you. Putting effort in to your sleep habits will allow you to be more productive and get sh*t done during the day! Bye bye procrastination!
2. Set a bedtime and stick to it!
Try to stick to the same sleep and wake up times each day. Yes, you can sleep in on days when your day is getting a later start! On those days where you might have a slightly different schedule, make sure if you are switching up your bedtime/wake up time that you are getting your 7-9! Before I set my morning alarm the night before I get to sleep in, I experiment with the timer on my phone and make sure that I am in the 7-9 hour range. Personally, I aim to go to bed by the latest 10:30pm every night especially when I am getting up between 6-8am most mornings. You'll thank yourself in the morning when you're well rested that you had the discipline to cut yourself off from your screen crack early.
3. Limit screen time before bed
Most people, myself included, fall victim to scrolling, snapchatting, and watching Netflix in bed before it's time for lights out. I challenge you to put your phone and computer away and turn off the TV when you are settling in to your bedtime routine. The emission of blue light from screens can make it difficult to fall asleep. We also tell ourselves "I'll just scroll TikTok for 5 minutes" or "I'll just watch one more episode of Outer Banks"and suddenly its midnight. Oops. Experiment with other activities you can incorporate into your bedtime routine such as reading, stretching, journaling, and meditation.
Hard time falling asleep? Try a warm bath or hot cup of tea such as lavender or chamomile to relax you. Tart cherry juice has natural melatonin content proven to increase sleep duration and efficiency. The ideal conditions for sleep are a cool, dark, quiet environment. Start your wind down routine at a minimum 30 minutes before bed. Slacking on sleep will have you feeling fatigued, lethargic, hungrier, and can cause weight gain. With effort and possessing enough self discipline to create and stick to a sleep routine, you will see the benefits in all areas of your life.
Happy sleeping!