How to Get a Better Night’s Rest
Last week, Dave Navarro wrote about how waking up early can help your productivity. Dave also has a fantastic ebook on resetting your internal clock to be an early riser. I read it. I liked it. It made a lot of sense – but what if you have problems falling asleep to begin with?
For many people, waking up isn’t the problem. It’s getting to sleep in the first place that’s the issue. I envy those who crash and burn the moment their head hits the pillow.
My brother was like that. He could sleep anywhere. We’d go on family road trips and he’d be sacked out with his head at some odd angle that always made my mother say, “Harry, let your brother put his head on your shoulder. He’s going to end up with a stiff neck like that.” And I would oblige, because everyone knew poor Harry could never sleep in the car.
I’ve never been the type to fall asleep quickly. Sometimes it takes me up to an hour or two before I drift off. Other times, sleep doesn’t happen at all. I find my worst nights are those when I’ve been working at a high level of intensity all day. When the workday moved at a frantic pace, I’m far too wired to sleep. My brain won’t shut down and often spirals way out of control.
On nights like that, the sound machine next to my bed is my best friend. I turn on the rain sound effect and I’m asleep in minutes.
If you suffer from the inability to fall asleep quickly, here are a few tips from Dave’s ebook on becoming an early riser. Get a better night’s rest so that you can wake up early to take on the world:
- Keep a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time every morning – this includes weekends!
- Don’t exercise before bed. Establish a soothing routine that helps you wind down instead of wind you up. Read a book, listen to relaxing music, or take a warm bath.
- Your sleeping environment should be dark, quiet and soothing. For me, the bedroom is the most important room in the house. It’s my sanctuary and my comfort zone. It’s dark (except for when the neighbors leave their porch light on all night), and it has a ceiling fan for hot summer months. I splurged on the best down pillows I could get, and I have a heavy down comforter.
- Make sure your mattress is in good shape and the firmness suits your body.
- The bedroom should be reserved for two activities only: sleep and sex. This means no TV, no working on the laptop, or anything else that creates distractions.
- Don’t eat anything heavy or consume caffeine two hours before bed.
- Exercise during the day.
Most importantly, realize that bedtime is not the time to dwell on problems. Let go of the worries of the day – and the ebook is helping to teach me how to do that. There’s nothing you can do about your problems anyway. Leave the problems for tomorrow, when you’ve had a good night’s rest and are better prepared to deal with them.
23 Responses to “How to Get a Better Night’s Rest”
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Down pillows are crucial. In fact, I can’t sleep without them, which means I’ve gone and spoiled myself. Actually, I splurged on an entire bed a few years back and now I’m like the princess and the pea. At first, it did wonders for my sleep – I drifted right off every night, but then I got used to it.
Anyway, Harry, these are all great tips, and I’ve tried every single one of them with on-again, off-again success, even though my doctor insists that I am simply nocturnal. “It’s not insomnia,” he says, “You’re kind of like a cat… a creature of the night.”
Meow.
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Hi Harry – these are great tips. I used to be an insomniac, but now I’m an early riser. However, I still struggle to get to sleep sometimes.
I like the idea of your sound machine. Where do you get them from – do they have a proper name?
Pillows are so important aren’t they. I change mine every six months, when they’re just not as comfortable anymore. Sprinkling a bit of lavender on the pillow also helps.
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@Melissa: Down pillows (and down everything else) is a must for me too. Except recently. There’s nothing more annoying than cheap down pillows where the feathers poke out.
And forgive me, but I have to chuckle at “creatures of the night”. That always reminds me of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
@Catherine: Sound machines are great and you can get them almost anywhere. Try home stores like Linens n’ Things or Bed Bath and Beyond. Sometimes you see them in Walmart in the electronics section with the alarm clocks. You could also try baby stores.
I’ve been following the suggestions in Becoming An Early Riser for almost a week now, and in addition to being able to wake up earlier and be more productive during the day, I just feel a whole lot better, too.
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@Josh: Yeah, I emailed Dave Navarro last night and let him know I wrote this before I read his Early Riser series. I’ll be doing a guest post for him this month about my experiences with the program. It’s an excellent series and I highly recommend it.
Considering I retrained myself from night owl to reeeeeaaaallly early riser a year ago, I can definitely say that the proper sleep habits make a big difference in productivity and how a person feels.
I’m toast by 9pm, though. No late night parting for me.
@ Catherine – “white noise machines” – search on that and you can probably pick one up online. Alternatively, pick up nature sound CDs and play them very low.
You know what I’d like, though? A nightmare-free sleep and waking up *without* a damned sore back.
All great tips — avoiding caffeine before bed is something I’m terrible at. I hadn’t realised there was supposed to be a 2 hour buffer between coffee and bed. Yikes!
Here are some more that I use:
1) If you can’t get to sleep straight away, don’t fight it too hard. Get up and read a book of watch the news for half an hour, then try again.
2) If you can’t sleep due to aches and pains, lie on your back with a pillow propping your hips up. Slowly tense and relax each muscle group from your feet to your head.
3) If you can’t sleep due to worry or things running through your mind, try this trick to mentally block out your thoughts: repeat the word, “the” in your head over and over again for a few minutes. This is an actual technique recommended by sleep specialists to help block your thoughts and get you dozing.
4) Keep a pen and paper by the bed to dump all your thoughts on before you try to sleep. I’m always full of ideas, and the thought of waking up to find I’ve forgotten them often stops me drifting off. The security a simple piece of paper gives me can be very reassuring!
Sweet dreams!
@James: Ah, there’s hope for the rest of us would be early risers then.
@Nick: It’s true, if you can’t fall asleep right away, definitely don’t lie in bed fighting it.
Hi Harry and James! I haven’t commented yet here, so even though it’s a bit off topic I just wanted to leave you both a note to say hi–and let you know I love your new blog. Great job, guys!
@Jennifer: A note to say hi is never too far off topic. Thank you for stopping by!
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“Don’t tell me that our name isn’t going to stick in her mind for a while”
Oh, most definitely.. she may even have trouble getting to sleep tonight. The problem as she explains it is that now she can’t stop thinking of men WITHOUT..
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Like I said. Good branding
*waves at Jennifer* I’m glad to have you drop by!
I’ve tried all the techniques mentioned in the post and in comments and have had marginal success with any. I have always had a hard time falling asleep. Like Harry, 1-2 hours minimum.
I think it might be hereditary, my parents have the same problem.
Actually, the tv in my room helps a little as it helps to calm my thought process. About the only thing that has really worked for me is forcing myself to wake up early and not take a nap during the day . . . and keep to it.
Rising early to do work? That’s the best and when I get the most work done. I look forward to it.
@Jennifer – hello. Welcome. These guys are great, aren’t they?
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Here is my great advice, advice which I have taken approximately four times in my life with great success on each occasion. Clean your f***ing bedroom. My bedroom is the depository for everything my children have ever owned. My husband’s old room-mate’s skis are in there. My mother’s computer is in there. I’m amazed I’m not sleeping on the freaking sofa.
@ John – NO TV!!! Sheesh, man! That’s one of the worst things you could do, because you’re effectively teaching your brain that your bedroom is NOT for sleeping!
You’ll be interested in Harry’s upcoming post about his recent experiences taking Dave’s program for a test drive.
@ Naomi – Bed. Curtains. One lamp. One Bureau. Three bookcases plus stacks on the floor. Bedrooms are for sleeping, not storage.
@Naomi – I feel ya. I have a 2 year old and he’s got some of his stuff in there and we have a new-born on the way –> which translates to even more in our room.
Now, your husband’s old room-mate’s skis? That’s just funny
@James – I know . . . I know
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@John: I’m with James, no TV in the bedroom. I used to have one in there once upon a time, but I hated it. My ex wife was the one who would watch it all night long and forget to turn the damned thing off.
If you have problems falling asleep, you should definitely get Dave’s Early Riser program, there’s a lot of great tips in there for working through that. Since I’ve started applying his advice, I fall asleep in under a half hour.
@Naomi: I agree. Before I redesigned my bedroom, I had far too much crap in it. I got a bed set with enough storage space to do away with a traditional dresser and side tables. There’s nothing in the room except for the bed and a clothes hamper.
The only problem I have on occasion is when the neighbors behind us leave their porch light on all night. I can’t put the blinds all the way down or else the cats decide to claw them to pieces. My only other option on nights like that is to take the bow up to the roof and shoot out the damned porch light.
@Joshua –
Glad to hear you’re feeling better as well as getting up earlier. That’s the goal!
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I’m an early riser but do have problems getting to sleep at night. I find the following works well for me:
Take a hot shower about an hour before bed.
In the summer, I sleep with the fan on, the other background noises are drowned out.
I sometimes, dump all my thoughts onto a piece of paper, to prevent me dwelling on them when trying to sleep.
I could never sleep in the car as a child. I figured I was going to miss out on my own death. That was back before the days of seat belts and I would sit there staring at the road ahead and oncoming traffic, knowing each approaching car could be the killer.
Joe
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