Improve your Sleep! Why it is important and how it can benefit your life balance positively

I’m sure you’ve heard about the importance of sleep before. But let me guess, you’re still having a hard time to prioritize it sometimes. The reason why many people still don’t sleep enough, even though the importance of sleep is no secret, might lie in the fact that many don’t know what advantages enough sleep can actually bring to your life. But, I want to change this today. I want to not only make you sleep more but also show you super cool things how everyone, you and I, can benefit from the recommended least 7 to 8h of sleep a night and thus why it is important to improve your sleep.

Are you prepared to get sleepy? Okay then let me tell you this tale. Which fortunately isn’t at tale at all.

The importance of improving your sleep and how it can benefit your life balance

While I’m no expert and unfortunately can’t tell you any scientific background about the importance of sleep and what exactly is happening within our bodies if you don’t get enough or what it is that gives us those benefits.

If you want more insights into that, I suggest listening to the podcast of Nike “Trained”. They talk a lot about that topic and also give more scientific background.

My research is solely based on podcasts, articles and my own experience. However, my nutrition professor in university once told me that when it comes to health and happiness, you are your best test person.

So, let me tell you a story about my sleep.

I used to have (and still have sometimes) very, very bad sleeping patterns. I had hard times falling asleep, would wake up a trillion times during the night, again taking ages to fall back to sleep and wake up super early. Like 3 or 4am early. Then after I grew older and started traveling, my sleep got so much better. I’m still an early riser, but now I most of the time have no problem to fall asleep right after hitting the pillow. Also in most cases I don’t wake up unless I have to pee. So, you can say, now that I’m paying attention to it, I easily get my 7 to 8h of sleep every night. However, sometimes, especially when I have a lot of things on my plate, I tend to first cut back on my sleep. I stay up longer and wake up earlier so I get everything done in time. Very recently though I again had to face reality. I had to learn to improve my sleep because I realized: With very little sleep, you’ll have a hard time. But the good news is, enough sleep on the contrary can enhance your life in many ways. And here are some of them.

Get more done

Like I said just above, the reason why I don’t get enough sleep sometimes is because I think I need more time to get things done and then sleep is usually what I through of being the best swap.

But cutting back on sleep is the worst you can do for your productivity.

When I cut back on my sleep I at some point feel so tired during the day that I either can’t focus anymore, need a nap or work extremely slow. That’s why this thinking is super inefficient.

Rather sleep an hour longer and do some of the things you need to do that day a little faster, because now you have the energy.

#1 Tip to improve your sleep: go to bed and wake up at the same time to get some routine.

Lose weight and build muscles

While it is still not entirely know why sleep helps you lose weight, science has proven that it does.

Through sleeping enough, you feel less hungry, have less cravings for sweet and unhealthy food and help your metabolism run faster.

In addition, a good night sleep is the best tool to let those muscles grow. You don’t only have enough energy to give your everything in your workouts, but also ensure your body is getting the right amount of rest and recovery. Because that is the time where those muscles are built.

#2 tip to improve your sleep: eat light before you go to bed and don’t exercise in the last 3 hours before winding down to give your body enough time to prepare for sleep.

Feel happier

What results of you having slept enough? You have more energy. What does more energy mean? You feel light and happy because you can do everything you want to. You don’t need to motivate yourself because that energy is motivation itself. Staying positive takes up more energy than being negative, that’s why sometimes we find it hard to do it. So, if you’ve slept enough you can make it easier for yourself to keep that happy mood.

#3 tip to improve your sleep: make it a priority for yourself. Know when it is enough and stop working late nights.

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Reduce stress

Along with feeling happier, more sleep can also reduce your stress, even if it doesn’t seem like that at first because the reason you might want to sleep less is too little time. However, being well rested makes you think clearer and evaluate situations objectively. You will not get caught up in negative thinking or stuck in a task because you work too slow.

Additionally, it causes extra stress if you feel tired all the time because you know you need to do things but your body can’t because of too little sleep. So, make sure you prevent that buy getting your 7 to 8h.

#4 tip to improve your sleep: make your bed a sleep only zone. No TV, no phone, only a nice and relaxing book, that’s it!

Prevent illness

Chronical sleep deprivation can cause illness. If we don’t sleep enough on a regular basis our immune system needs to work harder and gets weakened. That in turn makes it easier for illness to take over.

Not for nothing we have to stay in bed and sleep a lot when we’re sick.

#5 tip to improve your sleep: find your own rhythm. Some people just like waking up early like I do, others are night owls. Find your own optimal sleep window of 7-8h and go for this!

Feel inspired and motivated

I’ve touched on this slightly before, but if you’ve got a lot of energy and feeling well rested because you’ve slept enough, you automatically feel motivated to go about your day. Not so pleasant tasks get more pleasant or you simply manage to view them as what they are: something that needs to get done; and do them without resistance. Being motivated and taking action also enhance your inspiration.

That means if you have slept enough and are energised you start crushing it and then this action will result in even more inspiration for what to do next.

#6 to improve your sleep: mediated before sleep to clear your head and prepare your mind for a good and relaxing sleep. This is also a great practice to cleanse yourself from all negativity, stress or worry, that this day might have brought you.

•••

You see, sleep has a lot of benefits. Those I’ve mentioned are those I’ve personally experienced in my life. However, there are for sure many more. So, if you have insight into that topic on a deeper level, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’m always keen on learning new things. Especially when it comes down to health and happiness.

Furthermore, feel free to share this post with someone who needs to sleep more and make him or her life a little better. I’m sure they’ll thank you for it.

Also, let’s connect on Instagram for further inspiration and motivation. And don’t forget to come back on Friday for a new post.

And lastly, if you want guidance and a mentor to help you build a healthy and happy lifestyle, feel free to reach out. I’d love to help a sister or a brother out!

And now Sleep well!