Sleep is Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise. The Why and 5 SLEEP HACKS To Get You On Track.

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a (person) healthy, wealthy, and wise" was not just a cute rhyme, nor was it a flash of genius. It was simply an astute observation (attributed to Ben Franklin). But is it still true?

In my last post I explained how, as a young man, my sleeping style was in conflict with my life's goals.

What are your goals?

This is one of the first questions I ask, both as an OT and as a coach. It is from there that the road map for individualized/effective intervention stems. It is also from there that motivation comes. We aren't likely to be motivated by other people's goals for us, nor should we be. Most of us do desire to be Healthy (physically and emotionally). Most of us do wish to be Wealthy (abundant money, love, and friends). Most of us do want to be Wise (brain power and good decisions, aka IQ and EQ). If the idea of becoming healthy, wealthy, and/or wise is motivating, you will want to normalize your sleep.

Evidence, evidence, and more evidence.

If you are tortured with insomnia, you won't need evidence or external motivation to want to normalize your sleep. However, if you sleep enough but are unknowingly getting poor quality sleep, you'll probably need help connecting the dots. In coaching we aren't so much concerned with "why" as with "how to" but understanding why and being presented with evidence can be motivating and even necessary, especially for people who have a healthy amount of skepticism. I can help you connect the dots between sleep and health, wealth, and wisdom. I can show you overwhelming evidence. I can do it using new scientific evidence. I can do it by sharing my personal experience and the experience of others (anecdotal evidence). I can do it using the wisdom of the ancients (observational and intuitive evidence).

Just Tell Us What To Do, Erik!

For most people (not all people), going to sleep by 10pm and staying asleep for 8 hours (give or take 1 hour) is ideal. Conventional wisdom has always known this . "Early to bed and early to rise makes a (person) healthy, wealthy, and wise" was not a just a cute rhyme, nor was it a flash of genius. It was simply an astute observation. An observation which is now backed up by good scientific evidence! Unfortunately, Ben Franklin's advice is easier said than done.

Yes, "early to bed and early to rise" is good advice for most people. Try it, you'll probably love it! The "laws of probability" are in your favor but because I don't know you, I cannot account for individual differences. However, even some people who have always considered themselves "night owls" find this new approach to life to be fantastic.

If "early to bed" is not your normal routine, you may find it difficult to make the change. Here are some Productive Sleep tips that can help:

1. Make the change gradually. Our internal clocks can adapt to change by only about 20 minutes a day.

2. Set an alarm, not to wake up, but to go to sleep!

3. Put your WiFi router on a mechanical timer set to turn off at 10pm, or earlier.

4. Understand that resistance to going to bed early comes from having been nagged by your parents to "go to bed". Gently remind yourself that you are an adult and that this is your own choice.

5. Go to sleep when sleepy and before you get a "second wind". If you miss the 10pm train to Sleep, the next train may not come until 2am.

Wishing you peaceful and Productive Sleep,

Erik Spahn, MA, OT/L

Integrative Sleep Coach

© 2019 by Erik Spahn. All Rights Reserved.