I’ve been experimenting with various health initiatives for around a decade now.  I’ve tried going vegetarian, I’ve tried going vegan, I’ve done the low carb thing, I did no gluten for a while, I experimented with paleo, I’ve quit caffeine, I practiced for a marathon, I focused on sprints and on and on and on.  I didn’t do any of these things because I had to, I’m in great shape as my doctor tells me on my annual physicals and I’ve never had a physical problem in my life.  Instead, I do them because I enjoy them.  I like experimenting, I like figuring out what works and what doesn’t.  I do the same thing in my professional and personal life, experimenting with new techniques and styles of living.  Luckily for you all, you get to benefit from the results without doing the experimentation yourself.

Now here’s the most important thing I learned in 10 years of experimentation.  The single most important part of a healthy life is not a what you eat or how you exercise, it’s how you sleep.  That’s right, sleep is more important than nutrition, calories or exercise.  It’s more important than running laps, not eating candy or lifting weights.  In fact, it’s the most important thing you can do for your health.

What Is Sleep?

I’ve experimented with a wide variety of sleeping habits, from sleeping only 4 hours a night to sleeping 12 hours, from waking up with the rising sun to waking up with an alarm clock.  I’ve tried different sleeping temperatures, different mattresses, white noise generators, low light environments, reading before bed, day time naps, lucid dreaming and more.  I even experimented once with not sleeping at all for a couple of days (not a good idea by the way).  Here’s what I learned:

Without Enough Sleep…

• I am lethargic during the day which makes it difficult to exercise
• I am prone to bad judgement which makes me more likely to snack and overeat
• I tend to make mistakes in my work which make me less productive
• I behave badly.  I snap at people, I’m unfriendly and I’m essentially an all around jerk

In other words, by missing sleep, I sabotage my efforts at being healthy, friendly and productive.  So, let’s go over what I’ve found to be the best ways to enhance your sleep.

• EIGHT hours – Yes, you heard me, EIGHT!  I know you like telling your friends about how you kicked ass last week by working hard and only getting four hours of sleep a night but that’s a one time thing.  In the long run, you need a good 7 to 9 hours of sleep every single night.  Sure, some people can get by on less and some people need more, but those folks are the exception and, statistically, it’s very unlikely that you’re the exception.  Sleeping less for more than one day in a row makes me cranky while sleeping for more hours than 8 or 9 tends to make me feel sore all over.
• No work – You need time to unwind before bed and work is too stressful to be relaxing.  Try to find something where you can disengage from a lot of stimuli and let your brain drift off.  Listening to quiet music works for some people.  For me, a good book or a quiet conversation with my girlfriend about nothing in particular is an excellent way to fall asleep.  I’ve also found meditation to work but I’ve never had the strong interest in meditation to keep up with it.  Finally, I’ve found that a simple period of 10 minutes spent listening to quiet music and thinking about the events of the past day to be useful as well.  The trick there is not to stress yourself out by rehashing issues you had that day.
• Do something physical before – No, not right before sleep, but before that period of relaxation I just talked about.  Do something that requires a lot of physical energy right before you start relaxing for sleep.  There’s an obvious choice of activity of course, since you’re already in the bedroom (I’m talking about sex in case you’re just now waking up and having a hard time guessing!) but if that’s not your cup of tea (and why the heck isn’t it?!?!) then a quick 10 minute workout, a good walk or a short run will also do.  The point is to get your body tired before you try to get your brain to relax.
• Routine – Yes, I know it’s boring but routine is actually good for your sleep patterns (emphasis on the pattern).  Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time each morning.  I try to get to bed at 11pm each night and wake up at 7am the next morning.  Yes, even on weekends.
• A well equipped bedroom – I’ve experimented with white noise generators and found them to be very useful.  I think we evolved in an environment with a lot of noise, even at night.  So trying to sleep in a totally quiet environment makes us more sensitive to the smallest of disturbances.  By contrast, when I’ve slept with white noise generators, a passing train wouldn’t wake me.  Also, make sure your mattress is the right type and firmness for you.  I like a softer mattress but tastes may vary.  Finally, make sure you’re wearing the right clothing (or lack thereof) and using the right covering.  Our bodies are very sensitive to temperature and being too hot or too cold can make a big difference.
• Stop drinking at least an hour before bed and no caffeine or alcohol at least 3 hours before bed – All of these things will wake you up in the middle of the night for a trip to the bathroom.

These are the most important items I’ve found to guarantee a good night’s sleep.  And since a good night’s sleep is the most important thing for a healthy and productive life, I think they’re worth working on.

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If you have your own tips and trick for sleeping well, please email them to me or add them in the comments.  I’m particularly interested in various supplements that people have tried as this is one area I’ve not experimented with.