Last updated on November 19th, 2023 at 04:47 am
As I write this article, I am laughing at myself. I’m looking at the clock and realizing the irony of writing an article about good sleep habits late at night. I should be asleep. Alas, my mind is racing, and the keyboard is my closest friend, so here we are. Many of us have asked ourselves at some point, “How much sleep do I need?”. We all know that sleep is essential for our physical and mental health. Refer to the below chart for the sleep you SHOULD be getting every night.
Now that you’ve officially laughed at yourself ridiculously because you’re nowhere close to what number you probably need, let’s continue.
When we don’t get enough sleep, we can experience a range of negative consequences, including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and mood swings. Over time, poor sleep can also lead to more serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. At Peen State College of Medicine, researchers found that participants with diabetes or high blood pressure who slept less than six hours had an 83% greater risk of heart-related death than those who slept six or more hours a night. Sleeping 6 hours or less also tripled the risk of death from cancer in participants with a history of heart disease or stroke. This is nothing to play with. That’s why, as men of might, it’s essential that we take care of our health and understand the importance of getting a proper amount of sleep.
The good news is that there are a number of things we can do to improve our sleep hygiene and get the rest we need. No doubt most of us have heard of the basics, but let’s touch on them here.
A Regular Sleep Schedule.
First, stick to a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, or at least during the weekdays. If you’re really committed, you can extend this practice to include your weekends. I’m not that committed to the grind. Saturdays are my sleep-in days. I figure if I have to set a 5:30 AM alarm Monday through Friday, I ought to treat myself on Saturday. Would it be better if I encouraged my body to remain in the 5:30 wake-up window every day? Probably. But there’s something amazing about getting woken up by sunshine every once in a while, and Saturday is my day for it.
As a side note, if you’re waking up past 9 a.m. regularly, and you don’t work some specialized routine or swing shift, you need to get your act together. Real men aren’t slack. If the only reason you wake up late is because you burn the night hours scrolling social media, gaming, partying, or out doing dumb stuff, you need to cut that out. Nighttime is predominantly for rest. Always has been, and always will be. Until you recognize that, the rest of this information is pointless.
A Relaxing Bedtime Routine.
Once you’ve got a regular sleep schedule down, you need to create a relaxing bedtime routine. This ain’t just something for the womenfolk fellas. I’m not really huge on warm baths, but if that’s your jam, go for it. Take a couple minutes to unwind by reading a book, or listening to calming music. I have one of those little wax warmer things that I turn on. I try to use all my senses to help me relax. When my apartment smells like Christmas, that seems to help hahaha.
One thing you want to avoid doing is watching TV or using electronic devices in the hour before bed. These devices emit a blue light that can interfere with sleep and disrupt certain chemicals in your brain. I cheat on this one as well sometimes. Especially on Fridays. Unless I have plans, Friday night is defacto movie night. Still, I try to make sure to use a blue light filter of some kind, so I’m not intentionally harming my sleep patterns.
Make sure your bedroom is quiet and cool. I don’t use noise machines because I don’t want to become dependent on something that goes away if my power ever goes out. I try to minimize my “points of failure”, especially when it comes to sleep. Still, I’ve heard they work wonders for certain people. If that’s you, go for it. Also, when it comes to the “cold bedroom” versus the “warm bedroom” I see both sides.
When I counseled at the Wilds in summer 2022, I spent a whole summer sleeping in an open-air wooden cabin in the middle of the woods. No A/C. Just some screens on the windows and some electric fans. That was some of the best sleep I’ve ever had, but I think it had partly to do with the fact that I was hiking and swimming and running and jumping around every day. When I got back home, I quickly reverted to my base state. I don’t get those people who like sleeping in saunas. I’m pretty sure if they made beds out of ice blocks, I’d try it at least once. As long as I have a sheet over me, I’m good to go. Forget all those quilts and comforters. The heat and weight of it all suffocates me.
I think this goes without saying, but make sure your bedroom is dark too. I openly admit that I have a dim night light, but it’s for the sole purpose of being able to open my eyes and take inventory of the room instantly if need be. It’s a safety thing for me. All that said, I’m not going to leave floodlights turned on in my room, or a glaring bright TV. Darkness helps to promote the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. Noise and light can disrupt sleep, so make sure I try to make sure that my bedroom is as dark and quiet as possible.
I also avoid caffeine before bed. Avoiding caffeine 6 hours before bed seems to be the golden standard. This is another “duh” thing, but sometimes people miss it, especially young fellas. Chugging Mountain Dews with chips during a gaming sesh and then trying to go to sleep doesn’t work out well. Neither does drinking light roast coffee and watching Hallmark Christmas movies. I’ve learned from experience. Caffeine interferes with sleep, so it’s best to avoid it in the hours leading up to bedtime.
Alcohol falls into this category as well. I don’t drink, but it’s still worth noting. It’s odd that people, as a rule, consume more alcohol in the evening, which in turn makes it harder to sleep. Of course, most who consume on that level will probably pass out from drunkenness at some point, and then wake up with a glaring headache the next day. Yeah… alcohol is just bad for a multitude of reasons. Interfering with your sleep is one of many. But, I’ve discussed that at length in other articles, so I’m not going to beat a dead horse here.
Get Some Exercise.
Real men aren’t couch potatoes. If you have the physical ability to do physical things, like running, jumping, lifting, etc. you need to be doing it. I’m a big proponent of exercise. Whether I’m jumping rope, running, or lifting weights, I try to make it a point every day to break a sweat. Why? Because it helps me sleep. I went to school for a Computer Science degree. I’m a software engineer. This means I spend the majority of my day doing what I’m doing as I write this article… typing on a computer. As you can imagine, this doesn’t really lend itself well to an active lifestyle. As such, I need an outlet after work to get some energy out. I usually do some form of cardio and some weight-lifting.
I’m pretty sure I’m a chronic stressor, so I got into exercise a long time ago as a coping mechanism for that. I also had bad dreams, and I figured out that, if I wore myself out enough during the day, my sleep would be dreamless. Between mental stress and physical exercise, I got pretty good at the “blackout” level of sleep. I’m not saying this is the type of sleep you should be seeking to achieve by exercising, but, without a doubt, exercise is a great way to sleep better.
You should get regular exercise, but avoid exercising too close to bedtime. Exercise can help to improve sleep quality, but, if all those endorphins are rushing through your body when you’re laying in bed, that’s probably a no bueno. As a side note, see a doctor if you really have trouble sleeping. For instance, if you have chronic insomnia, exercise, for the purposes of improving sleep, may not benefit you as much.
Try Non-addictive Sleep Aids.
Of course, if you’re like me, and you try to avoid the doctor like the plague (see what I there 😉), you can try non-addictive sleep aids. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, there are a number of non-addictive sleep aids that can help. These include:
- Melatonin supplements. Remember I said earlier that melatonin is a hormone that helps to regulate sleep? Well, you can buy melatonin supplements to boost your melatonin levels if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. HOWEVER, YOU MUST USE THESE CAUTIOUSLY. Even if the drug says “non-habit forming”, use it sparingly. You don’t want to develop a dependency or have your body build up a tolerance due to overuse.
- Herbal remedies. There are a number of herbal remedies that have been shown to promote sleep, such as chamomile, valerian root, and lavender. I’ve drank teas with these ingredients before bed to help get me in the right frame of mind for sleep. I was skeptical at first, but it has actually worked fairly well. I don’t know how much is placebo in my head and how much of it is legit. But, it’s definitely worth a shot.
- White noise machines. As I mentioned earlier, white noise machines can help block out distracting noises and create a more relaxing environment for sleep. They have all different kinds. Rainfall, thunder, ocean waves. If you’re really new age you can try “pink noise”, “brown noise”, or any other color noise. Just put it on some speakers and give it a try!
As a side note, there’s also a really cool technique I’ve found that helps me fall asleep. I MUCH prefer it over teas and sleep supplements. I’ll shoot it to you in an email if you want it 😊
Get the Man of Might Sleep Hack!
I’m trying to get back to 7 hours. I usually get somewhere around 6 during the week, then 10 on Saturday and 9 on Sunday. I saw this study found that a person sleeping for 5 to 6 hours per night results in them being 19% less productive at work. Being awake longer apparently doesn’t mean you get more done. I’m trying to make a conscious decision to take that into consideration.
My lack of sleep is the reward I get for trying to work such long hours and then also do things like build blogs 😁. Maybe instead of asking myself “How much sleep do I need?”, I should be asking myself why I don’t sleep like I should. There are no excuses. I guess I need to practice what I preach, get off this computer, and hit the sack. Until next time!
