In today’s society, sleep always seems to be at the bottom of the list. There is so much work to do and so much fun to have. Breaking the habit of needing 9 hours of sleep can increase productivity and extend the length of your day. While there’s no guarantee you’ll be successful, there are small steps you can take to adjust your body for less sleep. Here are the steps.

Make Preparations

Exercise regularly. An active lifestyle can help you get quality sleep. The National Sleep Foundation reports that exercising in the afternoon can help deepen sleep and shorten the light, non-rapid eye movement sleep stages.

• Other research shows that exercising in the morning is best for a good night’s sleep. Regardless, avoid high-intensity exercise at night. This will have the opposite effect: make you toss and turn.
• There are countless benefits to exercising. In addition to better sleep, a wholesome exercise program will reduce health problems and make you look and feel better.

Get rid of the screen. Research shows that people who stop emailing and watch TV an hour or two before bed sleep better.

• That’s bad news for techies: A report from the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that 2 hours of exposure to backlit displays on electronic devices suppresses melatonin. This may keep you awake longer, pushing you to sleep later (especially if you’re a teenager).
• Exposing our brains to late-night lights turned off can confuse the body’s biological clock. Lights and electronic devices can create the illusion that it is 2 p.m. when in fact it is 2 a.m.

Eat healthy. What goes into our bodies affects our physical condition all the time. By staying away from toxins and junk food, our bodies can find a more peaceful and relaxing rhythm.

• Quit drinking. It seems that alcohol can relax people, but in fact, alcohol activates the body’s sympathetic nervous system, keeping people awake at night. This effect will not disappear until the blood alcohol concentration reaches 0.
• Stop drinking caffeinated drinks. Consuming caffeine in the hour before bed shortens overall sleep duration and shortens the length of the more useful sleep stages (stages 3 and 4).
• Reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke. Smoking too much can wake you up and delay your sleep.
• The right diet can drive away afternoon drowsiness. A healthy lunch can avoid post-meal drowsiness. Eating carbohydrates for energy along with some fat or protein can slow down the digestive process, so it lasts longer and doesn’t make you sleepy.

Set a pleasant alarm sound. Hating your hearing at the start of the day is not a good way to wake up after 6 hours of sleep.

• If you have trouble getting up quickly, use 2 alarm clocks, placed in different parts of the room. Set the first clock to a quieter tone to awaken your senses, and set the second clock to a tense tone that forces you to get out of bed every few minutes.
• Awakening by gradually increasing the brightness of the room can help you slowly adjust to the light.

Develop good bedtime habits. Although you need to stay awake throughout the day, the hours before bed are especially important.

• Engage in relaxing activities (no electronic devices allowed).
• Take a hot bath – the drop in temperature will make your body want to rest.
• Eat well before going to bed.
• To do meditation.

Suitable Environment

Take care of your bed. If you feel uncomfortable, you won’t be able to fall asleep quickly. Your bed requires a significant investment because you will be spending many years in it.

• Stay comfortable. Invest in a good mattress, pillows and sheets. If temperature is an issue, use an electric blanket or cooling pillow.

Eliminate distractions. Stop paying attention to your surroundings. Maybe you can’t leave your kids alone, but you can turn off your phone.

• If the sound is out of your control, download a white noise app on your smartphone or invest in an audio alarm clock with sleep sounds.
• Distractions include auditory and visual distractions. See that little light on your laptop or cable box? Cover them up. Draw the curtains. Turn off the floor lamp. If the light still penetrates your bedroom, invest in an eye mask.

Adjust the temperature. The optimal sleeping temperature varies from person to person, but is generally between 16 and 20 degrees.

• For those who sleep naked or kick the quilt off, 32 degrees Celsius is still in the “thermal neutral zone.”

Time Settings

Develop specific habits. Going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every day is important for quality sleep.

• This also applies to weekends. Sleeping in two days a week prevents your body from adapting to your desired sleep schedule.

Start your “sleep-limited schedule” slowly. Restricting yourself to just five hours of sleep a night in the first place can shock your system.

• Try to sleep less than 30 minutes a week.
• Cutting back on sleep is more difficult in the beginning stages. Eventually, your body will get used to the routine. It may take 7 to 10 days before you feel tired and drowsy.

Give yourself some time. If you know your sleeping habits, take them into consideration.

• If you want to try limiting your sleep to a few hours, consider your body clock. If it takes you an hour to fall asleep every night, go to bed later. Find the time that works best for you.

Pay attention. Not sleeping is very bad. The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person; however, the average person needs approximately 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.

• Research shows that sleeping less than 6 hours a night can lead to “severe fatigue and reduced productivity.”

Tips

• Eat a light diet. Try snacking between meals.
• Consuming caffeine and lots of sugar before bed will keep you awake. As you adjust your sleep habits, it’s best to avoid caffeine and sugar.
• If necessary, see a doctor. If you consistently sleep more than 10 hours a night, fall asleep at inappropriate times, or fall asleep suddenly, you may have a sleep problem. They all hint at some very serious but treatable health risks.