If you don’t get enough sleep, it can affect so much more than just your energy levels. Without proper sleep, you’ll struggle cognitively, your immunity might worsen, and you may experience mood swings. Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep to perform their best, but if you’re an elite-level athlete, you might need even more (Source: PubMed)! Even if you’re not preparing for the Olympics, you can take steps to enhance your performance to ensure that every workday or competition, you’re performing your best.
In this article, we’ll explore the steps you can take to enhance your sleep so you’ll always perform your best. Whether you’re an athlete looking to step up your game or someone eyeing a promotion in your future at work, these tips can help you feel sharp and improve your efforts even more. If you’re ready to get into it, let’s explore the first expert tip: ensuring you have a consistent sleep schedule.
Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Your body relies on its circadian rhythm. If you aren’t going to bed at a consistent time every night, you might be messing with your body’s natural schedule. When you stick to a consistent sleep schedule, you’re helping your body stay aligned with its natural rhythm.
Unfortunately, if you don’t get consistent sleep or lack sufficient sleep on a regular basis, you could have higher levels of anxiety. Athletes were shown to have more anxiety when they experienced less consistent and adequate sleep, and they also were unable to cope as well with environmental stressors, too (Source: PubMed). So, if you want to perform your best, make sure you get enough sleep and create a consistent sleep schedule.
You can set a schedule of when you roughly go to bed and when you wake up, using alarms and reminders. The more consistent you become, the more likely you are to get sufficient sleep. And when you get adequate sleep, you’ll be able to cope better with stressors and feel more energized!
Follow a Relaxing Bedtime Routine
Even if you follow a consistent sleep schedule, it will do nothing if you’re not ensuring you’re adequately prepared for bed. This means having a routine that prepares you for sleep and allows you to wind down for the night. For those who are shift workers, this is even more important because of your irregular schedules. When you have a consistent pre-sleep routine, you can encourage healthy sleep. In fact, researchers have shown that consistent, regular routines encourage healthy sleep and better sleep hygiene.
To create your own bedtime routine, consider what relaxes you. You could incorporate some light reading from a book you enjoy or even take a soothing, warm bath. You might even want to put on some soft music to calm your surroundings. Make sure that your routine truly helps you feel your best and winds you down for sleep.
Don’t be afraid to implement the routine gradually, either. Start by adding one practice at a time until you have a whole new routine that supports optimal performance. Sometimes, gradually adding in new activities is the best method to ensure lasting effects!
Avoid Blue Light and Screens
Late-night blue light exposure can be a real drag, and it can actually limit your body’s ability to rest. When you expose yourself to blue light—whether through screens or other forms of light—you are actually hurting your sleep routine because it keeps you awake. You may have to interact with blue lights, especially if you have late work shifts and you have to perform at your peak. However, there are some things you can do to ensure it doesn’t hurt your sleep hygiene.
To ensure you are getting enough rest and avoiding the harms of blue light exposure, try to limit screen time to up to two hours before bed. Because blue light suppresses melatonin, you want to avoid exposure as much as possible so you can relax and sleep well. If you have to use screens, try using blue-light-blocking glasses or another form of protection. This can help you protect your eyes and still allow your body to naturally produce melatonin.
Optimize Your Sleep Environment
One of the best things you can do to promote optimal performance is to create an idyllic environment for sleep. This not only comes down to the bed sheets you use but also to the temperature, the lights, and the noise you’re surrounded by. If you can, you’ll want to select pillows, blankets, and other items that make you feel safe to put in your bedroom, even when you’re away from home, so you can relax (Source: PubMed).
You also want to set the temperature to the right setting. To promote restful sleep, try to aim for 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit or 15 to 19 degrees Celsius. You can even use blackout curtains or ensure that you’re in a dark space so you won’t be disturbed by any unexpected lights or brightness. Finally, you can’t forget to cover up any noise that might disturb you.
This means using earplugs if you need to, using a white noise machine, or whatever else you need to do to ensure you’re sleeping soundly. Just like athletes, if you make these changes, you’ll improve your sleep environment and perform at the top of your game!
Promote Optimal Sleep for Peak Performance
You don’t have to be an Olympic-level athlete to perform at the top of your game. As we explored in this article, you can take several steps to promote restful nights and to ensure you’re primed for peak performance. It doesn’t matter if you’re hitting the courts or preparing for a big meeting at work. No matter what’s in store for you, these tips can help you enjoy better sleep so you’re always ready to cognitively, physically, and psychologically do your best. How will you support your rest?
