JJ Virgin shares a sleep routine for aging well: use your bed only for sleep, aim to fall asleep in five to ten minutes, read something engaging but not gripping before bed, and wake without an alarm. She treats sleep as one of three pillars for healthy aging, alongside nutrition and movement.
The goal is that you get in bed and you fall asleep like 5 or 10 minutes after getting in bed, right? And that your bed is reserved for sleeping and nothing else. This is not where you are now watching TV and all the other things. So you get in bed. I always read a good, not great book. That's my rule. Like if I read a great book, I'll stay up all night. So read a good book, not a great book, one that kind of will put you to sleep. So nothing that's gonna invigorate your brain. You should wake up without an alarm clock. Feeling rested, right? And you really shouldn't have to get up throughout the night. Maybe once, you should be able to fall right back asleep. So those are the key things to think about with your sleep. But again, I think the biggest thing is making it a priority, realizing that in the realm of Aging Powerfully, there are 3 pillars for a reason. Obviously, nutrition and fuel, critical. Movement, critical. But the third critical one is sleep. So make it a priority.
