3 Steps For Better Sleep From Tonight

3 Steps For Better Sleep From Tonight

Sleep is the Third Pillar Of High Performance because it is essential for your wellness and performance. 

Better sleep leads to a better you. Whether you want to look your best, think faster, have more energy, build more muscle, or lose more body fat, better sleep will accelerate you on your journey towards your goals.

Let's get into the strategies to improve your sleep from tonight.

Step 1. Prime Your State

Have you ever tried to go to bed only to realise that your mind has other plans and that it thought it would be a perfect time to dwell on all the things you should have said or done or all the things you are going to do tomorrow?

Me too, especially if I've worked late into the night. 

The reality is that the mind doesn't operate on an on/off switch, and it needs time to wind down. 

My recommendation is to give yourself at least an hour before going to bed of problem-solving-free time and dedicate it to activities that activate your body's rest and digest state.

Step 2. Optimise Your Environment

Your bedroom should be like a bat cave. Now, I've never been to a bat cave, but I've watched enough David Attenborough to know what it's like inside a bat cave.

Bat caves are dark, cool and quiet. 

It should be pitch black. Believe it or not, but if you can still see your hand when your arm is extended in front of you after you've turned the lights off, it's too bright.

It turns out that your eyes and skin have sensitive receptors that detect the amount of light emitted to them, and this amount of light is then translated to the brain, which translates the message to the hormonal cascade in the rest of the body.

Even modest amounts of light are enough to disrupt melatonin production, an essential hormone for deep restorative sleep. 

Step 3. Prime Your Breathing

Breathing is a deal-breaker when it comes to sleep. If you don't breathe well when you sleep, well, then you won't sleep. 

Even if you tick all the boxes on my Sleep Transformation Course - sleep hygiene checklist, you still have to breathe. 

Specifically, you have to breathe through your nose. Mouth breathing at night increases the risk of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea dramatically. 

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are common breathing problems that occur when you sleep, and they are a massive drag on your and your bed partner's sleep quality. 

I know first hand because I was diagnosed with mild obstructive sleep apnea three years ago even though I was like a soldier with my sleep hygiene. I used to wake up exhausted even after 8 hours of sleep.

I was 25 years old at the time, and I knew that I had to do something about it. Luckily there are very effective solutions to OSA. The problem with most of them is that they are costly and invasive, ranging from CPAP, orthodontics to jaw surgery.

These invasive solutions felt too aggressive at the time, which prompted me to research the subject and find effective but non-invasive solutions. 

And oh boy, did I find some. Watch this video learn all about the non-invasive but powerful snoring and obstructive sleep apnea home solutions. 

If you want to hear the specifics on how I optimise my state for a great night's sleep and optimise my bedroom to be a sleep sanctuary,  listen to the latest episode of the Wellness And High Performance With Coach Pyry Podcast. 

You are guaranteed to sleep better from tonight if you take the specific steps outlined in the episode titled: 

"3 Steps For Better Sleep From Tonight"

Listen today; the podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Your friend and coach,

Pyry Liukkonen