7 Actionable Activities For Better Sleep

I served the Israeli military service for 6 years between the age of 18 to 24.

That’s 6 years of my life.

Every day, I went to my headquarters and returned home.

A year in my service, it hit me…

I thought that I could buy myself some time by sleeping fewer hours and having better sleep in general.

If you could get better sleep in only 6 hours and feel better than you do in 8 hours of sleep at night, wouldn’t you do that?

(Disclaimer: I’m not a sleeping expert)

For months, I’ve managed to sleep for 4 hours a day while living a normal life during my service time. (That’s not good advice though, I recommend sleeping for at least 6 hours a day)

I could only survive on 4 hours of sleep per day due to the quality of those 4 hours.

What did I do with the remaining 20 hours each day? That’s a story for another post…

Not to go too scientific, but a hormone called melatonin plays the main role in quality sleep.

Your body has its own internal clock that controls your natural cycle of sleeping and waking hours.

In part, your body clock controls how much melatonin your body produces, melatonin levels begin to rise in the mid-to-late evening, remain high for most of the night, and then drop in the early morning hours.

The following 7 activities that will help you maximize melatonin level during the night, and will help you improve your sleep.

1. Sunlight

There are so many benefits to exposing yourself to sunlight. Spend more time out and your melatonin levels will increase. Try to avoid wearing sunglasses and let your eyes soak some sunlight.

Pro tip: It will also improve your eye-sight.

2. Workout

Working out during the day will raise your body temperature during the day, which will result in a steeper drop in your body temperature, which will support the role melatonin plays in your body during the night, hence, improve your sleep. Do not work out 2 hours before sleep, it’ll mess up with your body preparations for sleep and will delay melatonin production.

3. Drink Water

Hydration a.k.a. drinking water appears in every “health list,” but is still worth reiterating. Keeping yourself hydrated will result in better sleep.

Drink a big glass of water before bed, remember to pee, and enjoy a better sleep 🙂

4. Avoid Coffee and Smoking

There could be a big debate around the former, while the latter is a fact based on my resources.

Smoking hurts your hormonal function; by all means, do not smoke.

As for coffee, it’s healthy, yet, if you abuse it, it’ll kill your sleep. Ration it wisely. (Same for chocolate)

5. Sleep and Wake Up at the Same Time

That’s a big one — you might have heard of sleep cycles in the past.

Well, this point will help your body adjust your sleep cycles better, so you’ll enjoy more deep sleep.

Deep sleep is crucial for restful sleep. You want more of that!

6. Sleep in a Completely Dark Room

The darker the room, the more melatonin your body produces during sleep time. Therefore, your sleep will be better. (You get the hang of it by now…)

You might be surprised, but even small blue/red lights from your electronic machines aren’t welcome. Keep them away.

7. Wake Up Early!

That’s my favorite one and a personal challenge of mine.

I’m challenging myself to wake up earlier in the day to enjoy a longer time of daylight, and this also keeps me more energized throughout the day.

Give this one a shot: you won’t regret it.

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That’s a wrap, friends.

I challenge you to try at least 3 out of these 7 tips in the next 14 days, and be sure to let me know how you feel with your sleep.

Happy sleeping! 🌙