7 Tips for Better Sleep | Jack Canfield

During stressful times, one of the biggest challenges we have to deal with is how to get a good night's sleep. Now this is a bigger problem than you might think because when you don't get enough sleep, you're not able to show up as your best self, you're not able to think as clearly, and you don't have as much energy. It's harder for you to control your emotions and you're more prone to getting sick or accidentally injuring yourself. And that's why today I'd like to share my top tips on how to make sure you sleep better even when the world has been turned upside down. Because the more well rested you are, the better you will function in all aspects of your life. Now, I've seen lots of times in my life where lack of sleep has caused me to not function very well. I remember last year when I was flying home from India after a week long four city speaking tour. I had to get up really early every day and then fly late at night to the next city which created a lot of lack of sleep. And by the time I would get to the new city and then to the hotel and get into bed, it would often be 1am or later and then I'd have to get up really early the next morning. I was so tired by the end of that week and then I had to get up to the airport to fly home at 3 o' clock in the morning and I was so tired that I actually missed my connecting flight to LA when I was in Narita airport in Japan. Now I had enough time, but I was so tired that I read my ticket wrong and I went to the wrong gate. My flight number was 333, but I was so tired I went to gate 333 and when I got there all I saw was a sign that said the flight had been delayed. And I thought, oh that's great. I didn't even see that the flight at that gate was to JFK and not to lax. And by the time I realized it, the flight to LA had already taken off. Now fortunately there was a flight to Chicago four hours later on the same airline, but I had to fly to Chicago, wait four hours in Chicago and then fly back to la. Basically backtracking, losing a whole day when I really really wanted to get home at the end of that week in India. And it was also a time when I almost killed myself because of being sleep deprived. I was driving from Massachusetts to Florida and I fell asleep at the wheel. I literally fell asleep at the wheel and as my van veered off the side of the road, fortunately I hit one of those little mileage markers that stands up little metal pole which woke me up from 30 yards from a cement bridge above them. Now if I had not hit that mileage marker, I would have killed myself and my wife who was sitting in the passenger seat. Now, whether it was random luck that I hit the mileage marker that woke me up and allowed me to avoid hitting that bridge abovement head on or I was being protected by angels, I'll never know. But needless to say, I now do everything I can to avoid getting that Sleep deprived so you can see why getting a good night's sleep is so important. I also read that poor sleep has been linked to both obesity and high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease. Poor sleep also makes it harder for you to concentrate and be productive, and it can lead to or exacerbate anxiety and depression, and it can negatively impact your immune system, which is something you don't want to be happening right now. So just in case you're thinking it's selfish of you to do whatever it is to make sure you sleep better at night, I want you to get that thought out of your head. Your family, your friends, your co workers, and your clients all need you to be performing at your best, especially when times are stressful. And that is why it's so important for you to get a good night's sleep. So what are some things you can do to get a good night's sleep? Get the sleep that you need. Here are my top seven tips. The first thing is the most obvious one. Simply go to bed earlier at night. Now, I know your schedule might be so crazy that the idea of going to bed earlier seems impossible, but I guarantee you there are things you're spending time on right now during the day that you don't really need to be spending time on. Maybe it's doing tasks or chores that can easily be delegated or outsourced to other people, or maybe it's spending too much time scrolling on Facebook or watching tv. And the problem with these two activities is that while you're doing them, you end up in a trance state and you don't even realize you're overdoing it. And here's an interesting statistic. If you have a TV in your bedroom, in addition to spending more time watching TV when you should be winding down and getting ready for bed or you actually should be sleeping, research shows that people with a TV in their bedroom have half as much sex as people who don't have a TV in their bedroom. So if that's an issue for you, get the TV out of the bedroom. Now make sure you take a good look at your schedule and how you're spending your time every day, and cut out the activities that you can get someone else to do, and then give yourself that newfound time to get the sleep you need instead. Now my next tip is to make meditation a regular part of your getting ready for bedtime routine. Often the reason why you can't sleep at night is because your head is so crowded with thoughts that you can't shut them off. And so you lay awake thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking. And your thoughts can be so noisy that it feels like there's no way for you to tune them out and to get to sleep. Now you see, meditation helps you quiet your mind, and when your mind quiets down, you'll find it so much easier to get the sleep you need. Now, another great way to prepare yourself for a good night's sleep is to do some gentle yoga postures or stretches before bed. Now you could actually look online for a series of yoga poses that allow you to stretch and relax your muscles so you can release whatever physical tension is in your body. Just do a search for yoga poses to do before bed. You'll find all kinds of resources and instructions. Another great way to improve your sleep is to get more regular exercise during the day. Research has shown that people who work out three or more times a week and keep their bodies fit and healthy usually sleep much better at night. Now, yoga before bed is great, but it's just as important during the day to get your heart pumping and your muscles working with invigorating exercise and such as working out on a treadmill or an elliptical machine, jogging, running, swimming, riding a bike, or just going for regular walks. Now, regular exercise helps release the physical tension so it doesn't build up in your body. And regular exercise has also been shown to alleviate anxiety and thus boost your chances of getting a good night's sleep. Now another thing you can do to promote a good night's sleep, which I found extremely helpful these past few months, is to use essential oils and to help relax your mind and your body before bed. My favorite oils are lavender, like this one here, chamomile and valerian, as well as a couple of essential oil blends, one of which is called Peace and Calming and the other is called Stress Away. Now lavender is well known worldwide for its relaxing effects, and researchers have found that lavender increases Slow wave sleep, which is instrumental for slowing heart rate and increasing muscle relaxation, thus promoting restful sleep. My wife, Inga, and I will often rub it on the bottom of each other's feet at bedtime, and within 20 minutes, the lavender is distributed throughout your entire body. Now, if I'm alone, I'll just rub some on my hands and then I'll rub it around, inhale it for 20 seconds, and you can also put it into the diffuser that will send a mist of essential oil through your bedroom. We often do that as well. Now, another great essential oil for inducing a good night's sleep is chamomile, which alleviates insomnia by reducing anxiety and tackling depression. It's been used in ancient herbal medicines to reduce levels of stress and anxiety for many, many centuries, which can often lead to depression if you're not careful. And a third one is valerian, which contains valerenic acid, which is known to inhibit the breakdown of the neurotransmitter gaba, which induces sleep. So if you'd like to learn more about the power of essential oils, you can simply go to the website oilswithjack.com and I'd love to share more of this information with you and show you how you can get the oils. Now, my last suggestion is to take a good look at your bedtime habits and eliminate any TV or screen watching right before you're going to sleep. Watching TV or scrolling down on your phone can agitate your mind and your nervous system and make it so much harder for you to relax and turn your mind off before you go to sleep. So if you have a TV in your room or you're in the habit of taking your phone to bed with you, I encourage you to switch it up. Maybe read a physical book. Do that instead. Or better yet, leave all of the mind occupying activities out of the bedroom. Make sure your bed is only used for sleep. That'll make it a lot easier for your mind and your body to shut down when you get into bed and let go of the day's events and get the sleep you need. Now, finally, on those nights when you just can't get to sleep despite your best efforts, I encourage you not to beat yourself up about it. Instead of trying to force yourself to sleep, which is impossible, instead, focus on relaxing. Focus on relaxing your whole body one area at a time. Focus on taking long, slow, deep breaths. In and out, in and out, in and out. And if you let go of the pressure of feeling like you have to force yourself to sleep and Instead, just allow yourself to relax. You will still be able to to get a good night's rest and wake up feeling better than you would if you just tossed and turned all night. And that will help to decrease the amount of stress and anxiety you feel and make it easier for you to get more sleep in the long run. So those are my seven tips on how to get a good night's sleep even in turbulent times. And I really want you to understand that sleep is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. And it's a gift that doesn't cost any money, but it does require you to prioritize your health and and well being. And understand that you need to take care of yourself first before you can take care of anyone else. So for this next week, I want to encourage you to take a serious look at your own sleep habits and identify the ways you can improve them. Look to see if you're consistently getting seven or eight hours of sleep a night and if not, what can you do to make sure that you do? Ask yourself what can I give up like eating late at night or watching TV right before bedtime? And what new practices can I make a part of my regular bedtime routine like meditation, reading and gentle yoga poses? And one last thing, remember that getting a good night's sleep isn't selfish. In fact, by making sure you show up in the world rested, focused, energized and ready to give it your all, you'll be better equipped to help others as well. Do a great job in everything you do and they do. And let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks again for watching and here's to getting a good night's sleep now. If you found this video helpful, make sure you like it, share it with a friend or family member who may need it, and make sure to subscribe to my channel for more videos like this one and for additional wellness strategies and life improvement tools. Make sure to visit my website@jackcampfield.com and check out the links in the description below.