I’ve been a lousy sleeper since my college days as a Resident Assistant. Before that, I had my black belt in Zzzz’s. Then I became the quintessential “light” sleeper, to the point of hearing my kids turn over in their cribs when they were babies, while my wife slept blissfully unaware.
I have put a great deal of effort into learning to sleep better and even consulted my foundational physician for help. Thankfully, I do not have sleep apnea, which requires some serious hardware.
Some of the steps I’ve taken (and this is not a recommendation of what YOU should do) have helped me improve my sleep to the point where it’s actually pretty good most of the time.
The first thing I did was purchase an Oura ring to track my sleep. It provides a lot of good data, such as quality of sleep (REM and Deep Sleep), resting heart rate, body temperature and lots more.
My physician helped me hone my supplements to make sure I was getting enough magnesium and other vitamins and minerals that help promote sleep. I even obtained a medical marijuana card to obtain edible gummies that contain the right strain of THC to help me get to sleep (which was also a problem).
I invested in room darkener shades and reduced screen (iPad/phone/TV) time. I also changed the bulb in my night table lamp to a red bulb that eliminates the type of light that shatters sleep.
It takes work and commitment. But getting good quality sleep is necessary for health, healing and being able to be at your best.
If you’re having trouble in this area… start investigating ways to make your sleep better.
