The power of sleep

Hi,

one of the things that I want to improve this year is my sleep. As wrote in this post, one of the things that are important for taking care of self, is to monitor and improve the sleep.

I'm tracking my sleep via Fitbit, as I got a watch 6 years ago, as a gift from my wife, and use the data to improve different parts of my fitness. The watch is a Versa 2 model, an older one, but does what I need for now, like tracking the steps, height elevation change, heart rate and sleep.

A couple of weeks, I've decided to sleep more, as my sleeping habit has been disastrous the past 8 years. I was sleeping an average of 5 hours and 20 minutes per night for a couple of years. Now, this week, I've managed to increase it to almost 7 hours, which is a major improvement. If I feel changes, yes there are some minor changes, as I have longer focus time in the focus zone. Also, lost 1,7 kg the past week, without changing the diet, or exercise plan, just the sleeping habit.

One thing which I did 5 weeks ago, was quitting caffeine 5 hours before sleep, and also reducing the intake by half during the day.

The bedroom is optimised for sleeping, like it is the coolest room in the house, the mattress is an adaptive one, as my wife weighs literary half then I do, so it balances the hardness between our weights. It is also a climatic one, with a hotter side in winter and cooler in summer. Pillows we changed to anti-allergic ergonomic ones. Another important factor is the darkness. We have a pitch dark room, without interference from the street light or electronic devices. Also, besides our smartwatches, we don't have any electronics in the room, no TV, no laptop, nothing. Our mobile phones are left outside. We don't need them when we sleep, and there are seldom urgencies that require them in the bedroom. We change the bedsheets every 5 days, and wash them with anti-allergic laundry detergent.

The next steps would be to get an air purifier, to filter dust, and particles during the night. It has to be a very silent one, without any lights. I know, it is an electronic device, but it has more benefits. And the most essential thing, to have a tight schedule with going to bed and getting up at the same hour.

Sleep helps the body to regenerate, to release hormones that are beneficial for the body, and to process a lot of information. As I suffered long from insomnia, I know that sleep is one of the most significant parts of one's schedule. Don't neglect it, and try to improve as much as it gets.

How about you? How is your sleep going?