Best Sleep Hygiene Practices for Peak Male Productivity

Sleep is a key cornerstone of good health, yet it remains one of the most neglected. More men are sleep deprived today than they ever were before. Reasons range from declining mental health to the increasing demand of modern times. What remains clear however is that men need to sleep more, and this can be achieved with sleep hygiene.?

What is Sleep Hygiene??

For those of you wondering, there is a reason the word “hygiene” is used in sleep hygiene. Merriam-Webster defines hygiene as “conditions or practices conducive to health.” Thus, one can infer that sleep hygiene is all about the habits and factors that contribute to healthy sleep.?

Since sleep hygiene is a “habit” or “practice,” one can deduce that it’s something you build up or maintain. If you’ve had poor habits surrounding sleep, it will take effort and discipline to break these. Remember, actions take time before they become cemented as a habit. Some say it can take more than 2 months of consistency.?

We also want to emphasize that results from sleep hygiene may take a while to kick in. It’s unrealistic to follow good sleep hygiene and expect it will fix your sleep problems right away. We are putting this as a reminder because of how some tend to give up on sleep hygiene after being frustrated on the “lack of results.”?

Sleep and Productivity?

Some men who lack sleep cite work as the culprit for their less than stellar sleep habits. They state how they either must pull overtime (not necessarily in the office) or try to squeeze in some leisure at the cost of a few hours of shut eye. We’re telling you now that this is sabotaging your attempts at productivity.?

It’s not good to overdo anything to the point that it throws your entire system off balance. You need enough sleep to be able to function at your peak. If you lack sleep, you will struggle to focus and may make mistakes. Even if you don’t experience setbacks, you will still exert more effort than you would have if only you rested properly.?

Interestingly, the relationship of sleep and productivity is a two-way street. If you spent most of the day lounging, you may struggle to fall asleep because you didn’t spend enough of your energy for the day. Similarly, being too productive may mean your body would need extra rest time. Not giving this can be detrimental to your next day’s energy levels.?

How Waking Up Affects Sleep?

Struggling to wake up can be a sign of sleep deprivation. The body still needs to recover some more and so it tries to keep you asleep. However, it’s also a symptom of poor sleep hygiene. So what’s the difference between sleep deprivation and poor sleep hygiene??

Sleep deprivation is the state of lacking sleep. It happens when the body fails to meet the minimum required hours of sleep which is usually around 7 hours. Meanwhile, poor sleep hygiene is when a man does not have the right habits to get consistent good sleep. Sleep deprivation can result from poor sleep hygiene.?

Most people think of sleep hygiene as the thing you do before sleep but it’s also how you wake up. Ever had a headache because an alarm clock woke you up? It’s probably because you were in the middle of your REM cycle then it got interrupted and your blood pressure spiked. This is why waking up naturally is better than relying on alarm clocks.?

Top Sleep Hygiene Practices?

There are several pointers to increase your chances of enjoying restorative sleep. We separated the tips between what you should do before and after sleep. While most guides often teach about what you should do before bedtime, most forget that what you do during the time you are awake dictates the quality of your sleep.?

Before Sleeping?

1. Have a Fixed Sleep and Wake Time?

Just like the rest of our biological processes, we have a natural sleep and wake cycle. When night falls, our melatonin levels increase. They decrease with the presence of sunlight, then cortisol temporarily rises to wake us up. Some people go against this cycle because of their work. But the easiest way to set your body clock is to follow your natural circadian rhythm.?

It’s important to be consistent with your sleep and wake time, even if it’s the weekend. You can also be strategic with your wake time by allotting extra time for it. If you successfully reset your body clock, you’d wake up in a particular time range. Note that you don’t instantly wake up as soon as you are conscious. Your consciousness increases gradually. Rushing waking up is often what makes it disgruntling.?

?

2. Set Up the Right Sleep Environment?

The quality of your sleep is heavily affected by your environment. If you are uncomfortable in any way, forget about having decent quality sleep. It’d be an uphill battle just to fall asleep. A few key points to a conducive sleep environment are having a good mattress and pillows, clean sheets, dim to no lighting, cool room temperature, and either silence or cozy ambient noises.?

?

3. Stick to a Relaxing Bedtime Routine?

The environment is just one part of the equation to lulling yourself to sleep. Your pre-sleep actions also affect your comfort levels. Bedtime activities that may help you fall asleep include taking a soothing shower, drinking milk, journaling, listening to ASMR audios, and doing some light reading on topics that aren’t that mentally stimulating.?

?

4. Avoid Stimulating Energy Before Bed?

Notice how we were specific on what to read in the previous point. If you read a story that excited you, you probably won’t fall asleep anytime soon. This is because it’s a dopaminergic activity or something that triggers your dopamine, making you feel energetic. Other things you should avoid are engaging in things that are mentally taxing and consuming stimulants like coffee close to your bedtime.?

?

5. Calm Your Mind and Regulate Stress?

Part of what keeps men awake at night is either overthinking or emotional dysregulation. Just like sleep hygiene, moderating your mental state will take practice. For chronic overthinking, meditation and setting a 30 min. max worry time may help. Of course, if you continue to experience issues, you might want to explore having a therapist or utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) like Pi for emotional processing.?

?

6. Get Off the Bed if Not Yet Sleepy?

Your body is like a computer in the sense that you can program it. The only difference is that you can unintentionally program your body for the wrong things. If you work in bed or do your hobbies there, your brain may associate it with fun. It will be confused whether to be sleepy or to feel awake. So make sure to only spend time in bed if you’re drowsy.?

?

After Waking Up?

1. Don’t Hit the Snooze Button?

The biggest mistake people make when waking up is pressing the snooze button. Not that we advertise using alarm clocks in the first place (do whatever helps you not to be late). If you press the snooze button, you teach your brain that there is no set wake-up time or that it can sleep as much as it wants to. Oversleeping poses its own health problems.?

?

2. Get Morning Sunlight in Your Eyes?

Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman advises getting outside and allowing as much sunlight as you can to hit your eyes after you wake up. It induces daytime alertness for longer because of the hormones that it triggers. Of course, do not stare directly at the sun to avoid damaging your retina. Try to do this when it’s earliest as this is when sun exposure is least harmful.?

?

3. Drink Coffee 90 Minutes Later?

Another piece of advice that Huberman offers is to not drink coffee as soon as you wake up. He recommends waiting for 1.5 hours before consuming caffeine to allow your Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) to occur completely. This allows you to reduce dependency on caffeine while maximizing its benefits and minimizing the post-coffee crash.?

?

4. Try to Do Your Exercise Early?

There is no best time to exercise although a good rule of thumb is to avoid doing it close to bedtime. However, we recommend exercising early as this helps energize you for the day by stimulating your cardiovascular system and mitochondria. If you feel sleepy due to exercise, it can be a sign that you pushed yourself too much or have other underlying issues.?

?

5. Moderate Daytime Naps?

In an ideal world, you will be able to sleep soundly at night and spend your entire day alert. The reality for most of us is that we experience energy crashes at some point. Naps can circumvent this but make sure to keep it at a minimum to not interrupt your nighttime sleep. Nap only once and preferably for less than an hour at most just so you can refresh your brain.?

?

6. Work with Your Energy Levels?

One of the issues we notice is that most people don’t seem to know their own energy rhythms. Think of working against your energy rhythm as trying to swim against the tide of a river. For some, their energy is highest in the morning which is when it will be best to do deep work. Working in line with your energy levels helps you to stay alert throughout the day and less likely to resort to naps.?

Final Words?

Sleeping doesn’t have to feel like a chore. By adapting these sleep hygiene best practices and applying them regularly, you’d be on your way to better sleep. But if you still have persisting sleep issues even after following all these tips, it’s time to talk to a doctor or a sleep expert. Lastly, we hope you have a good night’s rest and sweet dreams that you turn to reality after this!?