Common Sleep Mistakes That Can Make You Lose Your Productive Spark

Are you aiming to optimize your productivity? If you are then you need to make sure that you’re getting an adequate amount of sleep. Researchers have identified that short-term and chronic sleep deprivation can impair focus and concentration. It can have some serious detrimental effect on cognitive functions and having less amount of sleep further impairs the creativity element in mind. 

As a whole, we all try to stay at our best and simply give the most commendable version of ourselves. And while doing so, we often forget that we are not focusing on our personal well-being. Sleep is more of a necessity than a need, and it can automatically jeopardize any effort a person makes to become productive. However, when you take considerable steps to improve your sleep, it can have a lot of positive impact on your work performance. Here are some sleeping mistakes you should avoid at all cost.   

Don’t Be Inconsistent with Your Sleeping

When you follow a regular sleep/wake up routine your body gets subconsciously trained to go to bed on time and wake up on time every day. It gives you the liberty to sleep freely and consistently. 

When you go to bed at unusual hours and wake up at unusual hours, it can seriously disturb your natural sleep-wake cycle. As a result, you can face issues like daytime drowsiness and insomnia. 

Some people believe that they can make up for lost hours of sleep during the weekend. However, this is not an effective idea because you might look fresh for the first two days of the week, but for later three days, you will find yourself again in the same drowsiness and insomnia mental state.

According to research, it is important that you take at least seven to nine hours of sleep every day. A well-rested mind is a focused mind, a powerful mind… a mind that is more in the person’s control. 

Create a sleep schedule and follow it religiously so your mind stays fresh throughout the day. 

Stop Browsing the Internet or Watching Netflix Before Bed

We all go through a busy schedule and at the end of the day, we all want to vent out now, don’t we? So what is our best resort to killing that boredom? We spend our time either on Netflix or surfing the Internet. 

If that’s your case too, then I believe we need to pull the plug here. That’s because exposing oneself to the “blue light” emitted from electronics can interfere with our sleep-wake cycle and make it harder for us to fall asleep. These can be a range of devices such as our laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. 

You can watch your favorite shows before dinner-time or a few hours before going to bed. 

By doing so, you will give your brain enough time to rewire itself back to the sleepiness state at the time of your sleep. So before you hit the sheets, make sure to keep all such devices miles away. 

Try changing your habits. Start by reading a book or writing a daily journal or simply meditating. Do an activity that does justice to your sleep cycle. Relax and let your relaxation amp up your sleep hormones. 

Let your imagination carry you away and before you know, you will be drowsing off to sleep. 

Eat Well Not Just to Stay Healthy but to Also Properly Sleep

Do you know that food and sleep are directly correlated to each other? Even though they are both separate activities, they both have an impact on each other. And here’s how it affects it. 

When you don’t get enough sleep, you start craving less healthy food and instead resorts to eating/drinking food items that can wake them up. Instead of eating a healthy diet, they normally find themselves drinking a lot of caffeinated drinks, and eating all the sugary stuff and processed food. 

As soon as the high breaks, you will find yourself suffering from extreme lethargy.

That’s why many researchers explain why it is best advised not to have a full-stomach meal at dinner. A heavy meal can change your body temperature in unexpected ways. As a result, sleep won’t come. 

If you don’t want to find yourself in that insomniac death trap, avoid eating heavy meals before sleep. 

Are You Taking Proper Measures to Tackle Stress?

If there is one thing which can seriously backlash your productivity, then it is the copious amount of stress which you carry upon sleeves every day. When the sleep cycle for individuals suffer, it eventually impacts on the productivity and as result stress builds up which increases more failures. 

So before you know, you will find yourself stuck in a vicious circle. 

If you want to overcome stress, try doing new things or interesting ones that can alleviate your stress. For instance, I love to read books before I go to bed, it really helps me unwind from all the day’s work. Maybe a long warm bath provides you a calming sensation or listening to good music is your thing. One way or the other, try to find ways to battle stress and feel calm. 

When you will minimize your stress levels, you will eventually start getting better sleep. It will also have remarkably positive results on your sleep cycle and you will perform much better at work.   

So there you go, here are some of the common mistakes that many of us should avoid if we want to slumber. When was the last time you had a good night proper sleep? Do you find yourself involved in any such activities? Now might just be the time to overcome them.