How to Set Your Sleep Schedule for Maximum Energy

Whether you sleep too much or having other sleep problems, one of the most important things you should do is work on sticking to a steady sleep and wake up schedule.

You should do your best to reach a point where you go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day. You do it by waking up at the same time, even on weekends!

It means that if you’ve missed your ‘lights out’ time, you don’t give yourself more time to sleep. You wake up on your ‘usual time’.

 “But if I’ll sleep less than usual, I’ll be tired all day, won’t I?”

You might, yah… But you’ll survive… and when the time comes to go to sleep, you’d fall asleep quickly. This way you’ll be ‘back on track’ in one day.

 Do you work shifts? Read my post about Shift Work and Sleep

 How to Align Yourself with Your ‘Natural Sleep Clock’

A few mechanisms in your body (mainly the Circadian Rhythm and the sleep cycles), determine specific times that are best for you to go to sleep and to wake up. At those times you will fall asleep quickly, sleep deeply, and wake up refreshed and energetic.

 You should tune yourself to those times and stick to them.

 Here’s how…

 1. Decide on your ‘wake up’ time.

Give yourself  ‘enough’ sleep to be able to wake up on time and ‘function’. How much depends on you and where you are now, but 7-8 hours is usually a good place to start. You may be able to do with less, though. (I feel GREAT with less than 7 hours).

If you wake up heavy and drowsy, move your ‘wake up time’ 20-40 minutes earlier or later, until you find the best time for you. You’ll know when you find it.

Once you’ve found the best ‘wake up time’, you can start reducing sleep gradually, by going to sleep later. You do it by increasing your energy level during the day and improving your sleep

2. Go to sleep when you’re TIRED.

So tired that you can barely keep your eyes open.

Sounds obvious? You may be forgetting all the times that you go to bed when you’re not very tired, but because of habit, or simply because you’re bored.

If you stick to your wake up time, you’ll soon enough reach a point where you’re ready to sleep on the ‘right time’.

3. Expose your eyes to sunlight as much as you can.

Sunlight helps your ‘inner sleep clock’ reset itself each day. Do your best to spend time outdoors, and take your sunglasses off when you don’t really need them.

(If you work the night shift and sleep in the morning, try to avoid or reduce your exposure to sunlight before you go to sleep).

Any time you change your schedule, it might take you a few days to get used to it, so give it a chance. Unless you can’t stand on your feet, it’s not that terrible if you feel a bit tired.

Visit A-Sleep (my 1st site) to find out How to Sleep Less and ‘Live More’ >>