Ep. 20: Basic Sleep Hygiene

Today’s show is all about getting you informed on something called sleep hygiene. As science advances, we’re all becoming smarter about our health in general (I hope) and we’re realizing that more tech and more gadgets aren’t always better, and we’re also learning that simplifying parts of life can help reduce stress in our often-chaotic lives. That includes being smarter about sleep!

Most people struggle to get enough whether it’s work demands, family demands or they struggle with being able to sleep for various reasons. If you have a job where you work 2nd or 3rd shift, it can also be very challenging to get adequate sleep because the rest of the world simply doesn’t operate that way. Not only that, but the sun, our circadian clocks, and our individual chronotypes don’t operate that way either. Don’t worry — if you’re not sure what circadian clocks or chronotypes are, I’ll explain that during the show too.

Sleep hygiene, in short, is doing things to optimize your sleep so that whether you get enough of it or not, you’re taking steps to improve the QUALITY of the sleep that you DO get. There are things you can do make sure you’re getting the best sleep you possibly can and in turn, it will help you to feel more rested, more energized, and more alert during your waking hours. If you suffer from insomnia, or if you’re a light sleeper and never quite feel rested — there is SO much you can from a sleep hygiene standpoint that can greatly increase your chances of sleeping during the night and sleeping more soundly.

• the importance of sleep

• how your glymphatic system works to take out the trash while you sleep

• practical ways to improve your sleep hygiene

If you optimize your sleep, you can end up feeling like you’re getting more sleep, even if you’re not.