There was a time when I increased my sleep from six hours a night to eight or nine hours, yet I still felt tired every day. I struggled with focus, memory, and moodiness. This led me to explore sleep research to figure out what I was doing wrong. Here’s a guide to better sleep, whether you’re having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or just want to improve your sleep quality. Here are five science-backed ways to sleep smarter.
Maintaining a regular sleep routine is crucial. This means setting aside time to relax before bed and going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Your body’s internal clock helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle, signaling when you should feel sleepy at night and when to wake up in the morning. If your sleep schedule changes daily, it can disrupt this clock, making you feel drowsy and sluggish. You might also experience “social jetlag,” which is the tiredness felt when waking up at different times on days off.
When I quit my job to become a full-time YouTuber, I stopped setting an alarm and began working from home. Without a routine, I went to bed and woke up at different times every day, which messed up my body clock and contributed to my fatigue.
Excessive light in the evening can disrupt our internal clock and make it hard to fall asleep. The brain structure called the SCN regulates melatonin, the sleep hormone. During the day, when it’s light outside, melatonin levels are suppressed, helping you feel awake. In the evening, as the light dims, melatonin levels rise, making you feel sleepy. Using devices in the evening or being exposed to bright light can interfere with this process. Light can also disrupt your sleep once you’ve fallen asleep, causing you to wake up during the night. Controlling light in your bedroom is important; blackout blinds or a sleep mask can help.
Our brains respond to our environment, so noises while sleeping can cause disruptions and prevent you from reaching deeper, more restorative sleep stages. Noise can come from various sources, whether it’s outside or from a partner snoring. Using a white noise machine, a fan, or earplugs can help drown out these disturbances.
Comfort is essential for good sleep. Research suggests that the ideal sleeping temperature is between 15 to 19 degrees Celsius (60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit), but this can vary from person to person. The key is to ensure you’re comfortable and not waking up during the night. Interestingly, your body temperature fluctuates throughout the night, and taking a hot shower or bath before bed can help. The rise in body temperature followed by a quick cool down can promote sleepiness.
It’s important to separate your spaces. Your bed should be reserved for sleep. Remove computers, TVs, and work-related items from your bedroom to strengthen the mental association between your bed and good sleep. Working in bed can lead to increased stress and alertness, which is counterproductive. This has been a challenge for me, as I enjoy working and watching videos in bed, but I’ve gradually set up other workspaces around my apartment.
Many of these tips might seem like common sense and easy to implement, but it can be challenging to take them seriously. It’s easy to fall back into old habits, like using devices too close to bedtime or working in bed. It can also be overwhelming to try to change everything at once, so focus on one area at a time. Once you have that sorted, you can move on to another area.
Most importantly, remember that sleep is a natural process that you’ve been doing your whole life. Often, we get more sleep than we realize, and sometimes it only takes a few behavioral adjustments or changes to your environment to achieve a good night’s sleep.
Thank you to my patrons for supporting BrainCraft and allowing me to create these videos. I am very passionate about sleep, and there’s a lot more coming up on this topic, so stay tuned!
Design a weekly sleep schedule chart to track your sleep patterns. Record your bedtime and wake-up time each day. At the end of the week, analyze your chart to see if you maintained a consistent sleep schedule. Discuss with your classmates how this consistency affected your energy levels and mood.
Conduct an experiment to observe the effects of light exposure on sleep. For one week, limit your use of electronic devices an hour before bed and use blackout curtains or a sleep mask. Keep a journal of your sleep quality and how rested you feel each morning. Share your findings with the class.
Try different methods to minimize noise in your sleeping environment, such as using earplugs or a white noise app. Document which method works best for you and why. Present your results in a short presentation to your peers, including any improvements in your sleep quality.
Experiment with different room temperatures and bedding materials to find your ideal sleeping conditions. Keep a log of how each change affects your sleep. Create a poster or digital presentation to illustrate your findings and offer tips for creating a comfortable sleep environment.
Redesign your bedroom to separate work and sleep areas. Take before and after photos and write a reflection on how this change impacts your sleep and productivity. Share your experience with the class, offering advice on how to maintain a clear boundary between work and rest.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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There was a time just over five years ago when I transitioned from getting about six hours of sleep a night to eight or nine hours. However, even with these extra hours of sleep, I felt tired day after day. I struggled to focus, was forgetful, and felt quite moody. This led me to become interested in sleep research to understand what I was doing wrong. So, here’s the BrainCraft guide to better sleep. Whether you’re having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or just want to improve the quality of your sleep, here are five science-backed ways to sleep smarter.
First, maintaining a regular sleep routine is crucial. This includes setting aside time to wind down before bed and going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Your body’s internal clock plays a key role in regulating your sleep-wake cycle, signaling when you should start feeling sleepy at night and when to wake up in the morning. If your sleep schedule varies daily, it can disrupt this clock, leading to feelings of drowsiness and sluggishness. You may also experience something called social jetlag, which is the tiredness felt when waking up at different times on days off.
Five years ago, I quit my job in science to become a full-time YouTuber, which meant I stopped setting an alarm, stopped commuting, and began working from home. Without a routine, I was going to bed and waking up at different times every day, which messed up my body clock and contributed to my fatigue.
Excessive light in the evening can also disrupt our internal clock and make it hard to fall asleep. The brain structure called the SCN regulates melatonin, the sleep hormone. During the day, when it’s light outside, melatonin levels are suppressed, helping you feel awake. In the evening, as the light dims, melatonin levels rise, making you feel sleepy. Using devices in the evening or being exposed to bright light can interfere with this process. Additionally, light can disrupt your sleep once you’ve fallen asleep, causing you to wake up during the night. Controlling light in your bedroom is important; blackout blinds or a sleep mask can help.
Our brains are wired to respond to our environment, so noises while sleeping can cause disruptions and prevent you from transitioning into deeper, more restorative sleep stages. Noise can come from various sources, whether it’s outside or from a partner snoring. Using a white noise machine, a fan, or earplugs can help drown out these disturbances.
Comfort is essential for good sleep. Research suggests that the ideal sleeping temperature is between 15 to 19 degrees Celsius (60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit), but this can vary from person to person. The key is to ensure you’re comfortable and not waking up during the night. Interestingly, your body temperature fluctuates throughout the night, and taking a hot shower or bath before bed can help. The rise in body temperature followed by a quick cool down can promote sleepiness.
Finally, it’s important to separate your spaces. Your bed should be reserved for sleep. Remove computers, TVs, and work-related items from your bedroom to strengthen the mental association between your bed and good sleep. Working in bed can lead to increased stress and alertness, which is counterproductive. This has been a challenge for me, as I enjoy working and watching videos in bed, but I’ve gradually set up other workspaces around my apartment.
You might think that many of these tips are common sense and easy to implement, but it can be challenging to take them seriously. It’s easy to fall back into old habits, like using devices too close to bedtime or working in bed. It can also be overwhelming to try to change everything at once, so focus on one area at a time. Once you have that sorted, you can move on to another area.
Most importantly, remember that sleep is a natural process that you’ve been doing your whole life. Often, we get more sleep than we realize, and sometimes it only takes a few behavioral adjustments or changes to your environment to achieve a good night’s sleep.
As always, thank you to my patrons for supporting BrainCraft and allowing me to create these videos. I am very passionate about sleep, and there’s a lot more coming up on this topic, so stay tuned!
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This version maintains the original message while removing any informal language and ensuring clarity.
Sleep – A natural state of rest for the body and mind, during which consciousness is suspended and the body can recover and repair itself. – Getting enough sleep is essential for maintaining good health and improving concentration in school.
Schedule – A plan that gives a list of events or tasks and the times at which each one should happen or be done. – To ensure you get enough rest, it’s important to have a consistent sleep schedule.
Light – Electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye, important for regulating the body’s sleep-wake cycle. – Exposure to natural light during the day can help improve your sleep quality at night.
Exposure – The state of being in contact with something, such as light or noise, which can affect health and well-being. – Prolonged exposure to screens before bedtime can disrupt your sleep patterns.
Noise – Unwanted or disturbing sound that can interfere with concentration and rest. – Reducing noise in your bedroom can help you achieve a more restful sleep.
Comfort – A state of physical ease and relaxation, which is important for good health and well-being. – A comfortable mattress and pillow can significantly improve your sleep quality.
Temperature – The degree of heat present in a substance or object, which can affect the body’s ability to rest. – Keeping your bedroom at a cool temperature can help you fall asleep faster.
Work – Physical or mental effort done to achieve a purpose, often requiring energy and focus. – Balancing school work and relaxation is important for maintaining mental health.
Spaces – Areas or environments where activities occur, which can influence health and productivity. – Creating quiet spaces for studying can improve your focus and learning efficiency.
Quality – The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence. – The quality of your sleep can affect your mood and energy levels throughout the day.
