I have tried it, and you should too. It does work.
This weekend I gathered with friends at Camber in Rye – a sleepy seaside town in the UK. One of my friends slept a lot more than usual. She was not used to indulging in this amount of bulk sleep, and her first thought was to see the Doctor when she returned home as this was abnormal to her. This is our new norm it seems: in this day and age, our bodies are starved of sleep and when we do take time out to rest, and our body responds favourably by indulging in this much-needed rest, we tend to question that.
Are you getting enough sleep to perform at your best?
We take sleep for granted, and there was a time in history where 10 hours sleep per night was what the regular person enjoyed per night. Imagine that now…
Then in 1879 Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb and introduced artificial lighting to the world that brought light into our lives but also affected our sleeping patterns. Fast forward to today when we have all the tools and demands of modern society, we crazily celebrate getting away with a minimal amount of sleep! I used to be one of those people strutting around with a badge of honour. I used to function on 8 hours of sleep then switched to 3-4 hours became my norm. Nowadays 7 hours fulfils my needs so that I am fully charged up for the day.
Do you know what it feels like to have high energy all day long?
Here are my latest strategies to sleep your way to success:
- Decide to prioritise sleep. I am talking deep sleep here. Make it a priority as you do with brushing your teeth in the morning or attending the important meetings in your diary.
- Stay away from glowing gadgets with lit-up screens at night time. I know it is tempting to lay down and scroll away. You may think it is a relaxing easy activity at night, but that light from the screen suppresses your body’s sleep chemicals and your melatonin levels which is bad for your health and sleeping patterns.
- Book end your days. Have morning and evening rituals that you do every day to signal the start and end of your day. It creates a strong anchor in your brain which, after practice, becomes a habit you cannot live without.
My personal morning ritual includes:
- Sitting in silence on a mat on the floor
- Being present whilst I’m sitting in silence
- Stretching my back, legs and arms
- Light exercise for a few minutes to get my oxygen and blood flowing to my brain
- Visualising my day as I want it to pan out
My nightly ritual consists of:
- Express what I am grateful for that day
- Reflect on the events and activities
- Reading to purposefully install knowledge in my brain
- Listen to my favourite music
- Relax on my sofa if I’m home sweet home and not abroad
If you are already getting enough sleep, that is fantastic! Please share below with your top tips on how to sleep better. I will look forward to reading your comments and sharing them in our high performer’s network at The Corporate Confidante HQ.
Preparing your mind and body for a good night’s rest is crucial so go ahead and sleep your way to the top!
We are all in this together.
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The Corporate Confidante is a global training boutique that specialises in elevating top talent, without the fluff. Aimed at training the top 1% in professional services, they are renowned for achieving rapid results, building high performing teams and shaping leaders.
