These are stressful times for public health practitioners and researchers… especially those of you dealing with the barrage of changing directives from the feds and their whimsical and thoughtless budget cut decisions.
It may be even affecting the quality of your sleep… something that’s key to keeping a work life balance and better perspective.
Beyond feeling rested, sleep helps your mood, focus, metabolism, heart health, and immune function. Over time, poor sleep can raise the risk for chronic conditions like depression, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Sleep needs change across the lifespan. Adults typically need at least 7 hours per night, while teens and children need more. The quality of that sleep and how well you fall and stay asleep matters just as much as the quantity.
So, what can you do to improve your sleep performance?
Build Habits that Improve Sleep Performance
Want better sleep? Start with your daily routines. These habits can help improve your sleep performance with the combination of sleep duration, quality, and regularity that influences how well-rested you feel.
- Keep a consistent schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day—even weekends.
- Create a wind-down ritual: Dim lights, read, stretch, or take a warm shower an hour before bed.
- Make your sleep space comfortable: A cool, quiet, and dark room supports deeper sleep. Consider blackout curtains, a fan, or white noise i (your phone probably has white noise in the accessibility setting).
- Avoid screens at night: Blue light from phones and TV can disrupt your body’s melatonin production. Avoid your phone and especially doomscrolling before bed.
- Watch food and caffeine: Avoid large meals, alcohol, and caffeine in the hours before bed.
- Be active, but time it right: Regular exercise promotes better sleep but try to finish intense workouts at least 2–3 hours before bed.
Track Your Sleep with Wearables
Many people are now using smartwatches, rings, and fitness trackers to monitor their sleep. Devices from brands like Fitbit, Apple, Garmin, WHOOP, and Oura can give you data about:
- Sleep duration: Total hours slept each night
- Sleep stages: Light, delta, and REM cycles
- Sleep regularity: Consistency of sleep/wake times
- Sleep interruptions: Wake episodes during the night
These tools will help you quantitatively measure how well you’re sleeping and help you recognize trends. If you keep a journal that tracks what you did before bed and match that up with the results you get for that night it will give you some clues about what you can improve.
Troubleshooting
If you’re still tired after 7–8 hours in bed, snore heavily, or often wake during the night, you could have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea and it’s worth seeing a medical professional.
Note: I discovered that I had sleep apnea about 15 years ago. I saw my ENT and he assessed that I had a ‘world class uvula’ and suggested that I vaporize it. He used a laser beam to burn off my uvula and some of my soft palate and my sleep has been MUCH better since.
For short-term sleep support, melatonin supplements might help reset your body clock or ease jet lag. CBN (cannabinol), a cannabis-derived compound available at dispensaries, is also an effective sleep aid for some people. They’re not magic solutions and work best when paired with good sleep hygiene.
Sleep Performance: A Skill You Can Build
Start by quantitatively measuring your sleep performance, make one or two small changes, and evaluate the result with the data you collect… then experiment with other sleep hygiene strategies until you get results.
More: Sleep Hygiene | CDC
