How to avoid burnout. Tip #1 Sleep

by Iryna

October is depression and mental health awareness month, so we've decided to do a series of posts with recommendations for improving your mental health and avoiding burnout.

The first post is all about the importance of sleep and ways to improve it.

It's common knowledge that sleep and mental wellbeing are closely connected. Sleep problems can affect mental health, but mental health conditions can also worsen issues with sleep.

National Sleep Foundation guidelines advise that healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a third of adults in the U.S. state that they get less than the advised amount of sleep each night.

Harvard Medical School researchers found that people who slept less than five hours per night were twice as likely to develop dementia than those who slept six to eight hours per night. Nikola Tesla, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Churchill are examples of famous people with poor sleep routines who developed dementia/Alzheimer's later in life.

Sadly, entrepreneurial culture glorifies sleep deprivation overworking without considering the losses of efficiency, long-term productivity, and individual health.

Now, after all of these scary facts, let's see how we can improve sleep.

Achieving this is possible by following a good sleep routine.

Below are some recommendations on how you can improve your sleep hygiene:

  • Follow the same sleep schedule every day, even on weekends.
  • Keep your bedroom cool and dark during the night, and expose yourself to light first thing in the morning (sun or ring light will work). The balance between exposure to sunlight and dark is crucial for your sleep routine.
  • Avoid using your phone or any other devices for 1 hour before bed or first thing in the morning. This advice works miracles. It might not be easy to pick up this habit, but it is worth it.
  • Practice a relaxing pre-bed routine. You can meditate, do breathing exercises, end of the day journaling, light stretching, reading or whatever works best to calm you.
  • Invest in a good bed, pillows and bedsheets which regulate your body temperature
  • Carefully monitor your intake of caffeine and alcohol and avoid consuming them in the hours before bed.
  • Consider supplements. This one is tricky, and we suggest before taking any supplements, to consult with your physician.

If you want to know more about sleep and ways to improve it, we recommend listening to Dr Walker's podcast themattwalkerpodcast.buzzsprout.com or Dr Huberman's Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake | Huberman Lab Podcast.