Thursday's Tidbit

A little over 8 months ago I made a resolution to get more sleep. It's been going relatively well ... but, um, nobody's perfect. :-) I still go to bed later than I should some nights and I'm sure there are steps I could take to make the sleep I do get more productive. 

So I was pretty happy to come across this article detailing just that. Here are five ways to get more productive sleep:

1. Wind down late in the day. A recent Harvard Medical School study recommended that you schedule your day so the more time-consuming and intensive tasks are addressed in the morning. Leave the easier, less pressing tasks for the evening so your mind can relax before bed.

2. Create a cut-off time. "Decide when you will stop working each day, no matter what,"writes Inc.'s Jeff Haden.Every night set a goal time to wrap up all your tasks for the day. This may leave a few loose ends, but you can address them when you wake up--refreshed. Make a list before you go to sleep for the next day.

3. Track your sleep and be consistent. "By measuring how you sleep it's much easier to see how different factors affect you, and then you can use that knowledge to help optimize your sleep quality," writes Haden. At least track your sleep for a while so you become cognizant of your sleeping patterns. There are tons of apps available to keep tabs on your sleep, or just keep a sleep journal. This will make you more aware of the sleep (or lack of) you're getting and will help you establish healthier patterns. Try to stick to scheduled sleeping and waking times.

4. Don’t worry about sleep. Seriously, don’t stress over your sleep schedule. Don’t stay awake watching the clock take away potential shut eye moments. The Harvard sleep study recommends that if you find yourself unable to fall asleep after 15-20 minutes in bed, take a break. Get out of bed and read with a dim light until you find yourself tired. But don’t change when you are supposed to wake up because you couldn’t fall asleep, this will just throw you off even more.   

5. Don’t forget about the quality of your sleep. According to the Harvard study (and common sense), you should create a good environment for you to fall asleep--and stay asleep. Make sure your bed is comfortable and your room is dark and quiet. Use a sleep mask, earplugs or a white noise machine to compensate if your sleeping environment is less than ideal. 

Pretty good right? Is there anything you'd add? Anything you might try? 

Image (and more tips) via, original article here. 
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