Pete Alexander explains why phones in the bedroom wreck your sleep and what actually works: keep electronics out, use your bed only for sleep, stick to the same bedtime every night. He gives three benchmarks: fall asleep in 30 minutes, wake once or less, and don't stay awake more than 20 minutes after falling asleep.
Chapters
Getting enough sleep. I know this is an obvious tool, and if you are extremely busy like most of us, you probably stress about getting good sleep. There's an irony for you. There are some simple ways you can ensure a better night's sleep, even if work and/or some other issue is giving you some anxiety. For example, Give these ideas a try. No electronics in the bedroom. No TV, no phone, no laptop, no nothing, unless it is a simple alarm clock. The phone is the biggest perpetrator, as a simple text or ping is like Pavlov's dog responding to a stimulus. Once that ping wakes our brain up, we have a harder time getting back to sleep. Go to bed at the same time each night and follow a consistent ritual like brushing your teeth, putting sleeping clothes on, etc., that teaches your body and mind to expect sleep. Use the bed for only two things: rest and sex. If you work at home, don't work while lying in bed because it will confuse your body and make it harder for you to fall asleep when you really want to. The key determinants of quality sleep include falling asleep in 30 minutes or less, Waking up no more than once per night. And being awake for 20 minutes or less after initially falling asleep. And one of the big mistakes we can make is to try and catch up on our sleep on the weekends. Though it feels good temporarily, having an inconsistent wake-up time disturbs your natural sleep pattern. Your body cycles through an elaborate series of sleep phases in order for you to wake up rested and refreshed. One of these phases involves preparing your mind to be awake and alert, which is why people often wake up just before their alarm clock goes off, because the brain is trained and ready. When you sleep past your regular wake-up time on the weekend, you end up feeling groggy and tired. This isn't just disruptive to your day, it also makes you less productive on Monday. Because your brain isn't ready to wake up at your regular time. If you need to catch up on sleep, just go to bed earlier.
