Sleep is critical to one’s wellbeing and health. Doesn’t matter if we’re talking mental or physical. Without sleep you’re going to suffer. Unfortunately for a great many people sleep is something that can be hard to come by. And the frustration from this only makes the situation worse.
While I haven’t focused quite as much on health articles recently as I used to it’s still something that I’m always learning about and trying to improve in my own life. There was a period of time where the only MMA classes I could make didn’t start til 8 at night and I’d stay with a few guys and do some extra sparring afterwards.
So at 9:30 I’d have punches, kicks, etc. being thrown and me and have my heart rate through the roof and at 11 I’d want to be asleep in my bed. Obviously that was going to be an issue. However after experimenting with a couple of different things I finally found things that worked and one thing that worked extremely well and will share them here with you.
The Anti-Insomnia Plan
The first thing I should note is that you should do everything possible to make your bedroom facilitate sleep. I can’t remember who I first heard this from but the advice “The bedroom is only for sex and sleep” is pretty good advice. I’d strongly discourage you having a TV, computer, or workstation in your bed room if at all possible.
Also if you’re somewhere that 90 degrees and humid it’s going to be hard to get too sleep. You want to make your place of sleep as cool and comfortable as possible. I keep my RV at around 70ish degrees, do what works for you. Light can also be a huge factor so if you live next to streetlamps or bright light sources you’ll want to invest in some quality shades.
I recommend blackout shades as they work wonders. You can also get a sleep mask but those can be hard to sleep in at times. Now I’ve also found that taking a cold shower helps me to wind down before bed but know it has the opposite effect on others so try it out once and see which way it goes for you.
Stopping The Train, The Best Method For Sleep
So those thing all help to facilitate good sleep and calm one’s body for rest. However this things weren’t enough by themselves for the situation that I was in. I also did some fiction reading and meditation (recommend both regardless of anything) and while those helped wasn’t quite enough. I had a hard time calming down my racing mind thinking about this and that.
So essentially I took a part of my meditation and applied to to getting to sleep. It’s super simple and you may shake your head when you read it but try it and see if it doesn’t work for you. What I did was every time I had a train of thought getting started I’d stop it in its track. And just kept doing that. Like swatting away ping pong balls going for your head.
And then boom before I knew it I was asleep. And this happened time and time again. I first I thought that would be too active as my mind was actively stopping the trains but it’s been working wonders for me. Again its really simple and not saying it’ll work 100% for you but it’d be something to try. Quieting and stilling the mind and body are essentially for sleep and I think its the mind more than the body that keep most people tossing and turning at night.
Better Sleep For A Better Life
Don’t underestimate the impact that good sleep has on your life. Simple things like exercise, being in nature, socializing, eat right, and getting good sleep has profound effects mentally and physically (and even spiritually). So if you’re struggling with sleep then I highly recommend you try out my little process here and see how it works for you.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
