Does the idea of “successful sleep” seem kinda weird to you? After all, we don’t tend to get graded on good sleep (beyond being an infant). Your annual performance development review or your G.P.A won’t factor in “great at sleeping” or “needs to improve sleeping habits”.
Or will they?
I’m sure that all of you, like me, have experienced nights of unsuccessful sleep. Nights when you wake up feeling more tired than when you hit the sack. Nights when bad dreams churn around your mind, keeping you in a half-awake state. Nights when you jolt upright at 3AM, having suddenly remembered something for your to-do list. Nights when you’re too hot, too cold, exhausted but unable to nod off.
And after a night like that, you’re not going to be in any state to give your best performance at work, in school, or as a parent. You’ll be tetchy and grouchy. You’ll struggle with routine tasks. You’ll drop the ball, on multiple occasions.
So successful sleep is an important factor in your life overall. How can you be on top form at work, in school or with your family, if your mind and body are crying out for a good long recharge?
Here are seven simple steps that make a night of successful sleep much more likely:
- Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol Near Bed
If you grab a coffee after dinner, chances are, you’ll struggle to nod off a couple of hours later – or you’ll sleep restlessly if you do. Caffeine affects everyone differently, but setting a “caffeine curfew” can make a huge difference to your quality of sleep, especially if you drink strong (brewed) coffee.
Alcohol is notorious for disrupting your sleep – and anyone who’s ever overindulged and experienced that room-spinning effect will know it’s not exactly conducive to drifting off to sleep…
Stop drinking at least a couple of hours before bed (it takes your body an hour to process one unit of alcohol – that’s about half a bottle of beer). And rehydrate yourself with a glass of water, so you don’t wake up with a horribly dry mouth.
- Don’t Go To Bed Hungry Or Stuffed
No-one can sleep well if their stomach is growling. If you’re feeling peckish at 10pm, have a small snack. Oats, turkey and milk are high in tryptophan, which means they encourage melatonin production – helping to get your body ready to sleep.
On the other hand, you don’t want to lie down having just eaten a huge meal. Yes, we’ve all experienced that sudden desire for a nap after a big lunch – but trying to sleep an hour or two after a large dinner is a bad idea. Your body will still be digesting your food, and you might find your stomach feels uncomfortably full and gurgly.
- Switch Off Your Computer
In my mis-spent youth, I’d often see brightly coloured graphics from computer games after lying down to sleep – after staring at a computer screen for most of the evening. Whether it’s work or play, gazing at a computer screen will flood your eyes and brain with glaring, artificial light – not great for making you sleepy. The same goes for television.
Computers also tend to get your mind racing: if you check emails last thing at night, you’ll go to bed with work on your mind.
- Write A List
Do you find yourself lying awake, worrying about all the things you need to get done tomorrow? Or do you wake up in the night, suddenly remembering some little task that had slipped your mind?
Clear all of this junk out of your brain before you get into bed. Grab a notebook and write a list of anything that you need to take care of the next day. It’s surprising how this can help quantify the seemingly indeterminable mass of “stuff to do” – seeing it all on the page can help you focus on your priorities for the next day, without stressing about how you’ll get everything done.
- Get Your Gear Together Before Bed
If you constantly find yourself rushed in the morning, chances are you won’t sleep too well – part of your mind will be thinking about leaping out of bed into the chaos of another day. Take ten minutes before bed to lay out your clothes, put things ready for your shower and breakfast, pack your briefcase or backpack, and so on.
This is also a good way to wind down near bedtime, and if you make it a daily habit, the act of setting everything up for the next day can help get your mind in the mood to sleep.
- Meditate Or Journal
Make some time for yourself before bed to unwind and calm down. Some people like to meditate, others pray. (This can also be a good time to do gentle stretches.) As a writer, I like to write about my thoughts in a journal. It’s a good chance to review the day, celebrate successes, come to terms with failures, and think about how I want tomorrow to go.
This mind-clearing time is especially useful if you often feel that your thoughts are chasing one another around your brain when you lie down to sleep.
Are you a successful sleeper? What do you do to nod off quickly and sleep solidly?
 | Written on 3/17/2009 by Ali Hale. Ali runs Alpha Student, a blog packed with academic, financial and practical tips to help students get the most out of their time at university. | Photo Credit: Joe M500 |
译文:
成功睡眠的六个简单步骤
你对“成功睡眠”这种话说法感到有点奇怪吗？毕竟，我们往往不会给睡得好评分（除了婴儿）。你每年的业绩发展报告或者是你的各科成绩的平均积分点不会把“擅长睡觉”或“需要改善睡眠习惯”这些因素考虑进去。
或者他们会把这些因素考虑进去吗？
我相信你们和我一样晚上有过失眠的经历。夜里醒来的时候感觉比刚睡觉的时候还要累。晚上当噩梦困扰着你的思绪的时候，你处于一种半睡半醒的状态。有时你在凌晨三点钟醒来，挺直的躺在床上，突然想起还有一些事情要做。夜里你觉得太热，太冷，太累的时候都无法入睡。
从那样的晚上之后，你在任何状态下都发挥不出最好的表现，无论是在工作上，学校里或者作为父母。你会变得暴躁，爱发牢骚。你将很难应付日常工作。各种各样的情况下，你都应付不来。
总之在你的生活中好的睡眠是如此重要。如果你的身心迫切需要一段很长时间的养精蓄锐，你怎么可能在工作上，学校里或与家人相处中表现出最好的状态呢？
这里的七个简单步骤有助于你睡个好觉：
- 睡前不要喝咖啡和酒
如果你饭后喝了一杯咖啡，两个小时候你很可能难以入睡——或者即使你睡了，也睡得不安稳。咖啡因对每个人的影响程度不同，但是“咖啡因宵禁令”大大影响了你的睡眠质量，特别是如果你喝了很浓的（煮的）咖啡。
酒精因扰乱人的睡眠而声名狼藉——曾经沉迷并体验过室内纺纱效果的人都知道这对入睡绝对没有好处……
至少在睡前两个小时不要喝酒（人体消化一个酒精单位需要一个小时——相当于半瓶啤酒）。睡前喝一杯水，你才不会因为口渴而醒来 - 不要饿着肚子睡觉，也不要吃得太饱
如果肚子一直在叫，没有人能睡得安稳。如果你晚上十点钟时觉得有点饿的话，就吃一点点心吧。燕麦，火鸡和牛奶都含有很高的色氨酸，这些色氨酸有助于产生退黑激素——帮助你很快进入睡眠状态。
另一方面，刚吃完一顿大餐后你并不想就躺下睡觉。是的，我们在中午吃饱后突然很想小睡片刻——但是吃饱后努力要睡两个小时不是个好主意。你的体内仍在消化食物，而且你可能会感到胃不舒服，饱饱的，发出声音。
- 关掉你的电脑
在我虚度的青春年华中，我常常在躺下睡觉的时候，眼前老是浮现网络游戏中的明亮的图像——大半个晚上都盯着电脑看之后。不管是工作还是娱乐，老是对着电脑看会让你的眼睛和满脑子都是炫目的人造光——对你的睡眠不好。看电视也是一样。
玩电脑往往也会让你的脑筋快速转动：如果晚上你做的最后一件事是查收邮件，那么你睡觉的时候你的脑子也会想着这些事。
- 列一份清单
你发觉你躺下了却睡不着，担心着明天要做的事情吗？或者你会半夜醒来，突然想起你忘了做一些事情吗？
你在睡前把这些无聊的东西都清理掉。拿出一本笔记本写下你第二天要做的事情。看起来还不确定的很多“要做的事情”怎么能一件件写下来呢，这很让人吃惊——看到写在纸上的事情可以帮助你关注第二天要做的最重要的事，不要强调你将怎么处理每件事情。
- 睡前整理好你的衣物
如果你老是觉得自己早上起来很匆忙，你很可能是睡得不好——你会想着起床后又开始了混乱的一天。睡前花十分钟摆放好你的衣服，准备好淋浴和做早餐的东西，收拾好你的公文包或背包等等。
睡前放松一下也是一个好方式，如果你养成了习惯，每天睡前为第二天准备好一切，你就会心情愉快的入睡。
- 冥想或写日记
睡前花一些时间自我放松或冷静。有些人喜欢冥想，有些人喜欢祈祷（这也是好好舒展身体的好的时候）。作为一个作家，我喜欢在日记里写自己的想法。写日记是一个很好的机会去回顾当天做的事，庆祝取得的成功，接受失败，畅想明天会怎样。
你躺下睡觉的时候，如果你感到你的想法总是一个接一个在脑中浮现，那么花时间整理头绪是特别管用的。
你睡得好吗？为了很快入睡和睡得安稳，你怎么做呢？