Improve the health of your rest and well-being
Living by at least some of these tips brings you physical and mental advantages — as quickly as in a few days. This is the last in a series of articles focused on happier living through healthier sleep.
Read the first part
Read the second part
This Sleep Improvement Plan is brought to you by Dr. Roy Raymann, a chief expert of SleepScore Labs, Endel’s scientific partner.
Bring your own pillow
Sleeping in a new place is often not the most restful. That’s because your brain first has to ensure that the environment is safe in order to enter deep sleep. A different mattress, pillow, sounds, and even new smells can all keep your body from relaxing at night. It can make such a difference in sleep quality that sleep researchers call this 'the first night effect', and they typically discard any data collected during the first night in a sleep lab study.
An easy way to trick your brain into thinking that you have a piece of home with you is to bring your own pillow on trips. If you’re really looking to bring home with you, then get a blanket or duvet cover.
Power nap or full siesta?
For a quick boost to help you feel refreshed and alert, take a power nap, sticking to 10–20 minutes as your maximum. These have little to no impact on your nightly sleep and can help give you that kick when you need it if you've only spent a few minutes in the light sleep stage. Make sure you don’t try to power nap for too long because you’ll run the risk of waking up from deep sleep, making you feel groggy and less energized.
When you’re truly exhausted, a longer ‘siesta’ nap, around 90 minutes, can allow you to cycle through all the sleep stages for more mental and physical refreshment. Plus, you’ll be able to wake up more naturally and feel energized after you finish your siesta.
Recharge like a pro
Pro athletes train for hours and days in a row to achieve their best performance, and all this exercise makes them crave sleep to relieve their exhaustion. What sets them apart is their necessity to get sleep: these pros must prioritize 8 to 10 hours of quality rest each night to allow for the most effective physical recovery. And it doesn’t stop there — healthy sleep assists in relieving mental strain, too.
Pretend to be a world-class pro tonight — spend a third of 24 hours in bed no matter what, and a lot of physical and mental benefits will soon come.
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