Sleep Blog

Impact of Daily Routine on Sleep

There are five separate areas of your life that support your ability to fall asleep peacefully, stay asleep through most of the night, and wake up the next morning feeling rejuvenated. If you’re struggling with sleep right now, it’s almost certainly because one or two of these pillars need some work.

Your sleep environment is one of these pillars.

Another one of these pillars, which we’re going to talk about today, is your daily routine. Because, it turns out, how you spend your time during the day has a huge impact on whether or not you can sleep later at night.

In fact, I’m going to give you three specific things you can try TODAY, three simple things you can do that will help you sleep better later tonight.

Here they are:

1. Go for a walk outside — Get out in the daylight. And leave your sunglasses indoors. Exposure to natural daylight, during the day, helps your brain synchronize to the outside world. In other words, it helps maintain your circadian rhythm, so that when you lay down at the end of the day you feel drowsy and ready to fall asleep naturally.
   
   A fascinating study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that workers who have a window in their office sleep, on average, 46 minutes longer than workers whose office does not have a window. This is the reason why: their circadian rhythm is better synchronized.
2. Work out for 10 minutes  — You could combine this with the above “homework assignment”. Go out for a brisk walk in the sunshine. Or jog through the park during your lunch break. You could even do some yoga. Just get your body moving. Why? It’s the fastest, easiest, and most reliable way to reduce stress, helping you fall asleep easier.
3. Eat an hour earlier  — Another Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study concluded that eating a meal or snack shortly before bed can interrupt our sleep cycle, which causes us to wake up feeling groggy.

There you are — three simple “life hacks” that require very little time or planning, but could make a world of difference when it’s time to go to sleep.

Put them to the test today.