You know the familiar scene: you’re hunched over your laptop at 1 A.M. pounding away at the keys. I’m almost done, I just have to get the typography on this webpage perfect and then I’ll head to bed. Before you know it, it’s 3 A.M. and you’re so tired your eyes are closing. You’re so tired you could fall asleep at your desk if you hadn’t already moved to the couch.
Working hard is part of the entrepreneurial lifestyle, but there’s a difference between working hard and burning yourself out. If the above scenario sounds familiar to you, you’re probably burning yourself out. I know, I’ve been there, and it’s not a good long-term strategy. In fact, consistently staying up late will have a cumulative, detrimental effect on your quality of sleep. If you don’t get consistent, quality sleep, your entrepreneurial efforts will fall short of your goals.
Sleep is directly tied to results in your business. No matter what type of business you’re running, getting a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis is essential to your success. You can’t be effective when you’re running your business from a state of sleep deprivation, which can have a negative impact on your health. Sleep deprivation causes memory problems, raises blood pressure, increases agitation, and lowers your immunity.
As an entrepreneur, you may not realize when you’re sleep-deprived. You could get twelve hours of sleep each night and still be sleep deprived. It’s not about the quantity of sleep you get — it’s about the quality. You could sleep for an entire day and still not fall into that deep, healing state of REM sleep where your body repairs itself. You could also sleep for ten hours and wake up six times and never complete a full sleep cycle.
Here’s how to get quality sleep starting tonight.
When you need quality sleep, start by setting yourself up with a routine. Commit to going to bed at a specific time each night and plan your days around your new sleep schedule. If you can’t finish everything on your task list for the day, push it out to the next day. If you find yourself constantly pushing tasks out, try giving yourself more time to complete your tasks and spread your work out over the week with more space for breaks and self-care.
Try using natural ways to support your body in getting deep sleep. I find the following particularly helpful:
- CBD gummies. CBD, or cannabidiol, is a non-psychoactive extract from industrial hemp that helps your body fall into a deep sleep cycle. If you naturally have trouble sleeping even when you’re not exposed to stimulants like caffeine and blue lights, CBD gummies can help. I prefer gummies over CBD oil because they taste sweeter and gummies are my favorite type of candy.
- Chamomile tea. Don’t underestimate the power of chamomile tea! It might be “just flowers,” but those flowers have powerful relaxation properties. I like to pour hot water in a 12oz cup and stir in a teaspoon of raw, organic, local clover honey before adding my teabag.
- Meditation. Meditation is perhaps one of the most powerful sleep-inducing techniques available. When using meditation for sleep, it’s more effective to use a guided meditation so you don’t have to manage your own thoughts. Find a relaxing meditation with a soothing voice that will help you fall asleep. Technically, most guided meditations aren’t meant to be used to fall asleep, but when you lie down in bed, sleep is often an unintended consequence. That’s not a bad thing. The brain absorbs and hangs on to whatever you feed it just before falling asleep, so you can get even more benefit by using a guided meditation designed to reprogram your brain. I like Brian Scott’s sleep meditations because his voice is soothing and relaxing.
Should you use melatonin?
You may have heard people talking about using melatonin to fall asleep and stay in a deep sleep. For some people, melatonin seems to work when they take small amounts, usually 2.5mg or less. However, melatonin is a powerful hormone produced by the body, and taking it exogenously can have serious side effects.
Many people have reported side effects like migraines, headaches, dizziness, disorientation, and nausea. If you’re going to try melatonin, start with as small of a dose as possible and if you start feeling any side effects, take that as your cue to stop.
When you sleep better, you’ll be more successful.
Getting good quality sleep will support your memory, your immune system, and your body’s natural healing processes. You’ll start thinking more clearly and you’ll feel better overall. If you’ve been struggling to get out of bed to run your business, getting deep, quality sleep will help you recover your enthusiasm, which will drastically improve your results.
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This content is sponsored by Larry Alton.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
