Sleep

If you don't have 5 minutes to learn the simple basics of good sleep, this is going to cost you 5 whole years or more of your life. Learn the simple basics of good sleep, implement and enjoy the benefits.

Great sleep is one of the most significant keys to achieving great things. But sleep isn't something you must "master" or a skill to be conquered. It's just needs to be done, and it must be done right.

Sleep is simple. Well, mostly. Above all don't listen to sleep health gurus. You probably know how to sleep well, at least your body does. Just make sure you do it. Give your brain and body the sleep it needs every night.

Sleep is complex. Your brain and body is complex. Everything in the real world is extremely complex. But you're not made to understand those things. Scientist haven't solved these puzzles either. And dont' listen to sleep "gurus" who are trying to sell you things, they are by and large a distraction offering iatrogenesis to the world while taking your money. Ignore the fools.

JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE. BECAUSE SLEEP IS SIMPLE.

Sleep Basics

Sleep like a baby. As a kid you probably had great nights of sleep. If you knew how to sleep like a baby once, why did you stop? Worrying, adult life, messed up society. Blame the others. Actually, don't. Sleep is your responsibility. Take charge of your life. And sleep like a baby. Because you once knew how to do it. What do babies do when they crave sleep? They sleep. So simple. They don't postpone sleep, they don't read books on the science of sleep, they don't listen to "sleep-gurus". They just sleep when they're tired. Okay, perhaps they cry and whine a bit first, but that'll just ruin this argument so please ignore that and just sleep or rest when you're tired. Of course, if you're tired when you're not supposed to, when you should be working, it means something is wrong. It could be a disease or something health-related, but probably, it's just because your sleep is messed up. Fix your sleep, and you won't be tired when you're not supposed to. By the way, fixing sleep is not just about sleep itself, your brain, body and life is all interconnected.

Interconnectedness of sleep. A lot of things will affect your sleep. Diet, mental well being, financial well being, fitness, and so much more, will affect your sleep. You don't need to be a scientist to understand this. You could make sleep something extremely complex, which it is, but it won't help you much, and science haven't solved the equations anyways. Just keep it simple and do the things that will ensure great sleep every night.

Get to bed and get to sleep at the same time every night. Weekends and vacations included. This will be a game changer if you're not doing it already. Most people aren't. Yes, there might be days when you won't. Life happens. But don't go easy on the excuses. Just do it, for the most part, and try to be as rigid as you can with this one. Just don't obsess over seconds or minutes, because that'll just make your sleep worse. Hit the bed roughly the same time every night. If you fail once, it's not really a failure, it's life. But if you can't get into the habit of going to bed and get to sleep at the same time every night, this indicates a deeper problem. Perhaps your pre-sleep activities must change. Trail and error your way into it, and find what works best for you.

Bed and bedroom properties are key to getting a good night's sleep. In one word, it's about making everything comfortable for sleeping.

The Bed

Comfort. Again, don't obsess over these things. Just pick a bed, pillow, sheets which allows for comfortable sleeping. The cheapest beds are most likely going to be horrible, but you might not have to invest in a high ticket bed. Just get something you find comfortable.

Hygiene. Change your bed linen regularly. Weekly or bi-weekly, and after you've been sick or if the bed is dirty.

And that's it.

The Bedroom

Room temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. The right room temperature is the temperature which will provide the most comfortable sleep. You don't have to set dynamic temperatures throughout the night to match your REM sleep or stupid things like that. Don't over-complicate: Not too hot, not too cold. If it's too cold you'll freeze, and if it's too hot it will mess with the air quality.

Air quality. This is is extremely important for optimal sleep. Some people may have health issues which require breathing assistance and whatnot, but for most people air quality is no rocket science. Just keep it simple. Not going into the details of how you'll be achieving great air quality in your bedroom. No need to buy expensive products or machines. Just put effort into ensuring that the air you're breathing while sleeping is of high quality.

Silence and darkness. Ensure the place you are sleeping in is void of light and sounds, or nearly so. Again, don't obsess over these things, because then you'll just ruin everything. Nothing will ever be perfect, but just try to achieve the darkest room possible with as little effort as possible, ditto for silence. There's hundreds of products available for these purposes, but it's mostly garbage. Basic light-blocking curtains to cover light from windows, and basic bedroom sound-proofing. You don't have to complicate this. Just make things fairly silent and dark when you are sleeping.

Security. Will the roof fall down on you? Is the building you're sleeping in fireproofed? Any risk of burglars disrupting your sleep. News flash: If there's a high risk of being raped in bed or having your throat cut while sleeping, this may affect your sleep. Even a very low risk of these things happening and your awareness of this will affect your sleep. Risk of terrorist attacks; Risk of disease-carrying mosquitoes sucking your blood at night. Irrational fears and things you should actually fear; Anything that may cause worry may affect your sleep. Either your worries are something that should be dealt with or they are irrational worries. There are things we can do something about, and some things we have zero control over. Don't worry over things, especially those things you cannot control. Just fix those security issues which can and should be fixed. Monsters under your bed will become monsters in your head, causing nightmares.

Make your sleeping conditions as comfortable and secure as possible, nail it, and earn those sweet dreams baby.

And that's that.*

*There are medical conditions and other things not mentioned here affecting sleep, things, all kinds of things, that makes things more complex than what has been outlined here. Consult your overpaid health consultant which has no skin in the game if that is what you must. If they provide the wrong advice, and you'll die, they don't die with you. You took their advice, and you died. They didn't. Or just take full responsibility yourself. We're certainly not taking responsibility for your sleep, that's for sure, and this is our disclaimer.

Sleep disorders such as insomnia (sleeplessness) and are no joke. These can be short term or lasting for years and decades. Sleep is important. Do everything you can to ensure good sleep every night.