5 Tips to Better Sleep

Today’s subject is a bit different from what we usually talk about around here. We’re not talking about training or nutrition… but we’re diving into a topic that’s probably considered even more important when you’re trying to build muscle or strength (or honestly, just improve your overall health and life): SLEEP.

Part of making long-term progress in the gym is recovering properly, and how well you sleep is a huge component to recovery. This post will touch on both some free ways to sleep better, but we’ll also be sharing some of our favorite purchases that have helped us sleep better, too!

PART 1: SLEEP HABITS

Like we mentioned above, there are plenty of things you can purchase to enhance how you sleep, but we’re first going to touch on some sleep habit ideas that can make all the difference.

Tip #1: Sleep with Your Phone in a Different Room

Phones and scrolling can really distract us from getting sleepy, so we recommend checking your phone one last time at night and then leaving it in another room before you head to the bedroom to wind down. This isn’t just a theory, it’s proven that blue lights can disturb your circadian rhythm (your natural sleep and wake cycle). Social media and the notifications on your phone can trigger excitement and distract you from the rest you need. P.S. Tip #1.2 is buy a real alarm clark so you can make it work without a phone in your room!

Tip #2: Have a Morning and Bedtime Routine

As many of you have probably discovered in quarantine, it can be pretty challenging to create your own morning and evening routines when no one’s dictating what time you need to start working. But, it’s so important to set these routines for yourself so that you’re pretty consistently going to bed and waking up at the same time. Our recommendation? At least set yourself up with a pre-bed ritual. It can be as simple as, for example, taking a shower at 9:00 pm every night to get you headed in the direction of bed.

Tip #3: Read a Book

Whether it’s a real book or an electronic reader, reading before bed can be the perfect way to give your eyes a break from the screen and wind down. We recommend an easy fiction read or something that isn’t go to take too much effort to read through.

Tip #4: Get Some Sunshine During the Day

If you get sunlight during the day, it can actually help to regulate your sleeping patterns. Sunlight also has a ton of other non-sleep related benefits, like increasing serotonin which can boost your mood… so there are a lot of reasons to spend some time in the sunshine (with some sunscreen, of course)!

Tip #5: Regularly Exercise

Exercising and moving throughout the day will absolutely help improve your sleep quality and duration. Exercising regularly can reduce your stress levels and helps to tire you out so that you’re ready for bed when the time comes. Don’t forget, like we briefly mentioned above, you need sleep to repair and rebuild your muscles if you strength train; it’s a very important part of recovery.

PART 2: SLEEP PRODUCTS

While adjusting your sleep habits is what you should focus on first, if you’re looking to take your sleep to the next level or want some additional ideas to promote better sleep, then we’ve got you’ve covered in this next section. Our founder Meg took a sleep questionnaire from our friends in the health and fitness industry (who also own Wildcat Mattress, a sleep shop) that helped her determine what kind of sleeper she is and what kind of products could help improve her sleep and bed comfort. Here are a few of her favorites:

Tencel Sheets – Helps to regulate temperature and are super comfortable
Bed Jet – As a hot sleeper, this has been a true game changer for regulating temperature
Massage Chair – It was an extravagant spend, but it’s a great way to unwind before bed

Below you’ll find a few other items that Meg recommends, but doesn’t have direct links to… but if you take the sleep questionnaire, you can be guided to the right products!