Want to Save the World? Get Some Sleep (Seriously!)

So many of us with a vision to change the world are so exhausted we can hardly stay awake. 

Here’s the heart of the dilemma—as human beings our need for a solid 7-8 hours of sleep hasn’t changed, but the world around us has. 

With the advent of smart phones and streaming video  it’s a lot harder to get this kind of restorative sleep for many of us than it was a generation or two ago.  The result has been an outbreak of sleep related health problems and productivity issues. There is a lot of compelling and clear research at this point that with the exception of a rare few, there’s pretty much no way around it—to be on your A-game consistently day in day out, you need 7-8 hours of sleep on average. 

Do you have yourself convinced that there’s no possible way you could truly get enough sleep? 

Think again. 

 The good news is that the world of sleep science has been making significant strides, with some key, practical guidance on getting more and better sleep emerging from that body of work.   The video walks through some key practical steps you can take to sleep more and better.  And with the world beginning to get ready to re-open after a year of altered routines under the pandemic, there's never been a better time to pay attention to your fundamentals and build a strong foundation all that is to come.  

8 sleep fundamentals to focus on 

1.Pick a set wakeup time 7 days/week, and if something has to give, vary your bed-time

2.Think about your sleep target in terms of the number of 90-minute sleep cycles you get in a week

3.Food and drink sunset (90+ minutes before bed)

4.Digital sunset (60+ minutes before bed)

5."Download your day": meditation, journaling, other end of day rituals to retire the day's concerns 

6.Cool, dark, quiet bedroom

7.Breathe right: whatever it takes, keep your mouth shut!

8.You CAN make up sleep if you get less than you want in a given night: naps & "napitations"

Three go-to pieces of gear discussed in the video:

Oura Ring

Ooler Mattress Pad Chiller

3M hypoallergenic surgical tape

Recommended Resources for Going Deeper

Brian Johnson's Sleep 101 Master Class

Dr James Maas's Sleep Self-Assessments