One of the most overlooked productivity methods is getting a good night’s sleep. Improving your productivity with sleep requires more than the bare minimum. It means getting enough sleep, but also good quality sleep. Here’s why sleep is so important for your daily productivity, and some tips to boost your quality of sleep.
Sleep and productivity
The phrase “sleep is for the weak” couldn’t be more wrong. While everyone is busy trying out complicated productivity techniques, few people realize that getting a proper night’s sleep is the best productivity method out there. That’s because if someone gets more sleep, they’ll wake up feeling more refreshed. They’re better focused, get tasks done quicker, less prone to distractions, and less likely to burn out. Employees with 6 – 8 hours of nightly sleep also make better decisions, have better memory, and make fewer mistakes. That’s a lot of return for a proper night’s sleep!
Tips to improve your quality of sleep
Improving your productivity with sleep requires more than the bare minimum. It means getting enough sleep, but also good quality sleep. Here are some of our favorite tips to help you boost your sleep quality.
1. Reduce blue light exposure near bedtime
Blue light is the light emitted by your devices like smartphones and computers. It affects your circadian rhythm and essentially, confuses your body into thinking that it is still the middle of the day. Blue light also affects your hormones like melatonin, which can give you a better quality of sleep. To avoid blue light exposure, you can wear blue light glasses, install an app on your blue light-emitting devices, or simply avoid your devices closer to bedtime. You’ll wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take the day on.
2. Have a regular sleep cycle
Train your body to give you the best possible sleep you could ever get. That means having a regular sleep cycle: sleeping at approximately the same time each night, and waking up at approximately the same time each morning. You should also avoid long daytime naps or irregular napping, as these could confuse your internal body clock.
3. Use handy tools to improve your sleep pattern
At the end of the day, getting a better night’s sleep and improving your productivity depends on you. After all, it’s your body—so what works for someone else might not work for you. Experiment with different products and techniques to see what helps you sleep better. Some people sleep better when they are calm, so you should then use a meditation app before going to bed. Others prefer listening to podcasts or music apps to take their mind of stressful events that happened in the day.
Besides using handy tools to go to sleep better, there are plenty of products out there to help you wake up better. Don’t forget—waking up is a part of sleeping better too! Try using an alarm with more natural, calming tones instead of blaring ringing. You could also complement your morning alarm with a Timeqube, a mindful timer that changes color with the passing of time. It’s perfect for people who hate sleeping in complete darkness, and can guide you awake with a gentle change in color. Give these tips, tricks, and tools a go to see what improves your sleep quality and gets you the most productive!