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Here’s another reason to switch off the TV and climb into bed earlier tonight: getting enough good quality sleep is linked to learning new information and boosting your attention span, according to research by Harvard.
It makes sense: after a night of tossing and turning, it’s hard to remember your coffee order in the morning, let alone stay focused on your work tasks. “What’s fascinating,” says Cheryl Fingleson, certified sleep coach from Cheryl The Sleep Coach, “is the link between sleep, career success and money.”
“I hear people say, ‘If I want to make money, I need to sleep less,’” says Cheryl. “But in fact the opposite is true. You need enough sleep, and you need to get it consistently, to improve the efficient quality of your working hours and to help you make good financial and professional decisions, as well as avoid bad risks.”
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Cheryl advises her clients to take control of their sleep routine regardless of their circumstances. ”It’s not worth deferring, as sleep loss and poor routine has been proven to have significant impact on achievement and productivity.”
Here are her six tips for sleeping your way to success:
Listen to music. Soothing sounds and white-noise machines can be helpful, and some research suggests that high-frequency music aids deep sleep.
Turn down the thermostat. At around 9 in the evening, your core body temperature drops to facilitate sleep. Make sure your bedroom is cool and wear light pyjamas all year, or even sleep in the nude.
Routine and consistency. It’s imperative to have good, consistent sleep hygiene. Aim for a regular bedtime, this will help your circadian rhythm and help you will unwind more easily before bed.
Get massages. Massage is a powerful sleep aid. “It increases your body’s production of serotonin and oxytocin, the feel-good neurotransmitters. No wonder it can help us glide off to dreamland,” Cheryl says.
Make a date with sleep. Everyone’s used to an alarm to wake in the morning, but try it as a reminder to wind down at night. Why not set an evening alarm to tackle the problem of bedtime procrastination?
Kick the sleeping-pill habit. Find ways to wean yourself from pharmaceutical medication and try melatonin or magnesium instead.
