Adam Hayes, Corey Wenger are the co -author of 3 books on sleep hacking and co-founder of the Change Academy.
External url: http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Hacking-Playbook-asleep-energized-ebook/dp/B017I5F8ME
Take the sleep survey http://iwantsleepnow.com/sleepsurvey
By using the Sleep Number Tracker and tracking your sleep for the first 7 days, you are able to establish your current “Sleep Number.” Your Sleep Number is the ratio of total time you are asleep to the total time spent in bed. Sleep Number scores of less than 85% can indicate sleeping problems. As a rule of thumb, your score should consistently be 90% or greater.
STEP 1: a) PRINT OUT THE SLEEP NUMBER TRACKER WORKSHEET (located on page 29). You can also download and print the PDF at http://mychange.io/sntwks
STEP 2: a) Review and become familiar with all of the items on the worksheet. You will notice there are items to be completed during the morning and during the evening. b) Review the “Sample” column items.
STEP 3: a) Choose a Monday as your starting date and label the date for each day of the week. b) Use this worksheet to track your sleep for 7 consecutive days.
STEP 4: a) When starting on Monday, you will actually be logging sleep information from Sunday night. b) Upon awakening on Monday morning, fill in the required information in the Monday “Complete in the Morning” section. c) Upon starting your bedtime routine, fill in the required information in the Monday “Complete in the Evening” section. d) In the “Notes” section, feel free to write down any specific things that you observed that had negative or positive impacts on your sleep.
STEP 5: a) Proceed to the next day of the week – Tuesday, then Wednesday, then Thursday, etc. b) Follow the same steps outlined in STEP 4 for each day of the week.
STEP 6: a) Once you have completed the Sleep Number Tracker worksheet for 7 consecutive days, calculate your average Sleep Number percentage by adding all 7 days percentages together and dividing it by 7. (This will give you your starting Sleep Number percentage.) b) Review your entire worksheet and add any additional notes about what you observed from tracking your sleep.
Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.
Additional tips to deal with physical pain to improve sleep quality include:
Tea tips for a better night’s rest:
• Drink tea at least 30 to 45 minutes before your bedtime.
• Steep 5 to 10 minutes for maximum flavor and nutrient benefits.
• Use 6 to 8 ounces of filtered tap water or natural spring water.
• Use certified organic tea.
• Add one tablespoon of raw honey for a touch of sweetness.
• Avoid table sugar or artificial sweeteners (Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet, etc.).
Tips to finding the right guided meditation for you:
• Look for meditations that produce delta wave frequencies.
• Listen to a sample of the meditation if possible before the purchase.
• Be certain you like the voice of the person narrating the guided meditation.
• Be confident you like the background music – which may include nature sounds, waves, classic or new age music, chanting and other sounds and music.
• Use ice or heat as directed by your doctor.
• Do some very light stretching before you go to sleep.
• Receive regular chiropractic adjustments to ensure your spine stays in a healthy and neutral position. (Consult your doctor to make sure this is appropriate for your condition.)
• Sleep on your side. This position helps keep your spine in a neutral alignment and can lesson types of back pains.
• Try a different pillow that supports your sleep style (back, side or stomach).
• Take a warm bath with magnesium bath salts.
• Try acupressure or acupuncture treatments to reduce pain or inflammation.
• Watch your posture throughout the day. If you sit or stand a lot, make sure you are maintaining good posture and spinal alignment.
• Do some weight training to strengthen and support your body. If you have various injuries, the imbalance in your muscle groups could be causing or at least contributing to your pain or discomfort.
• Wear comfortable and supportive shoes. (Where applicable, use orthopedic inserts.)
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day. It is generally recommended you drink at least 8 cups of water each day.
• Reduce or avoid sugar in your diet. Sugar directly contributes to pain and inflammation in the body.
If you are suffering from gastrointestinal issues like acid reflux, heart burn, irritable bowel syndrome or ulcers.
Tips to a better night’s sleep:
• Avoid eating two hours before bedtime.
• Avoid trigger foods/ drinks: spicy, fatty or fried foods, tomato-based foods, garlic, onions, alcohol and caffeine.
• Avoid eating large dinners.
• Try taking digestive enzymes and Betaine HCL with your meals to improve digestion. (Many people think they have too high stomach acid when, in many cases, it is actually low stomach acid that causes digestion problems.)
• Drink only four ounces of water (or less) with your meals. If you drink too much water, it dilutes your stomach acid and can increase digestion issues.
• Try slowly introducing probiotics into your diet. They have been known to help people with GI problems.
• Take at least 400mg of magnesium daily. Studies have shown that it helps support the
• Try ginger or licorice root teas to calm your stomach.
• Sleep on your left side. Studies have shown that sleeping on your left side can help reduce nighttime heart burn. I have been diagnosed as diabetic or pre-diabetic.
• Eat healthy throughout the day to stabilize your blood sugar levels. The more balanced your sugar levels are during the day, the better you will sleep at night.
• Limit the amount of fluids you drink two hours before bedtime (fewer trips to the bathroom). Also, try elevating your legs for several hours during the evening, which may reduce the amount of fluid retained in the lower body.
• Avoid caffeine after 2pm.
• Avoid nicotine and alcohol after 6pm.
• Get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.
• Develop a sleep routine and use it every night to help improve your sleep quality.
• Make your room as dark as possible and cool (60 to 70ºF).
• Reduce your daily stress by enjoying reading, yoga, meditating or similar relaxing activities before your bedtime.
• Keep a positive, calm and relaxed mindset as you get ready for bed and go to sleep.
• Avoid negative feelings that simply cause difficulties falling asleep.
• Use a consistent noise device like a fan, white noise generator or humidifier.
• Make sure your mattress and pillows properly support your style of sleep (back, side or stomach). I suffer from seasonal or chronic allergies that cause sleeping difficulties.
Tips to help relieve allergies to get a better night’s rest:
• To help lessen congestion at night, take a steamy shower, drink a cup of chamomile tea, use a nasal saline spray or neti pot to help loosen congestion so you can breathe better.
• Raise the head of your bed by using a mattress wedge or bed riser. This can lessen the amount of nasal congestion at night.
• Avoid taking Pseudoephedrine allergy
If you are taking cholesterol lowering medications
• Do your own research and know what’s best for your own body. If you believe that the cholesterol drug is causing insomnia, make your own judgment call to decide whether or not you want to continue taking the medication.
• If you currently take a drug for lowering cholesterol, look for other ways to reduce your cholesterol levels. Improve your diet, exercise and commit to an overall healthier lifestyle.
• Try natural cholesterol lowering supplements (vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc.). Some supplements that have been documented to lower cholesterol include: red yeast rice, niacin, garlic, fish oils (omega-3s), green tea, Vitamin D, coenzyme Q10 and others. (Some supplements can have negative interactions with certain medications. Do your research or consult your doctor or pharmacist.)
• Avoid or reduce the amount of sugars and high fructose corn syrup in your diet. Sugars can worsen cholesterol levels by lowering HDL and increasing triglyceride levels.
• Increase your daily soluble fiber intake by eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Best sources include: apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, nuts, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, blueberries, cucumbers and carrots.
• Increase your magnesium and potassium levels. Both can help calm your body and help your muscles relax.
• Exercise at least 30 minutes per day.
• Make your bedroom as dark as possible and keep it cool (60 to 70 ° F).
• Eat a healthy and well-balanced diet of lean meats and fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Stop working right up until the time you go to bed. Your body and brain need time to naturally wind down and relax.
• If you don’t fall asleep within 30 minutes, leave your bedroom for 30 to 60 minutes and go do a relaxing activity like reading or meditating.
• Keep a positive mental and emotional state about your sleep.
Every person have different health condition some heart problem, some grastrointestinal problem or diabetes. Depending on the health conditions, the medication varies and so varies the quick hacks.
When you find making changes in life to be difficult – remember it is important to always try to better yourself. Love and accept yourself for who you are.
Wake up and go to bed at the same time every night (weekends and holidays included).
• Determine the number of hours of sleep you need to feel your best (usually between 7-9 hours).
• Based on the time you need to get up and the number of hours of sleep you require, determine what time you need to be asleep by each night.
For example: If you need 8 hours of sleep and want to be awake by 7am, you will need to be asleep by 11pm.
• To feel your best when you wake up, try to wake up towards the end of a 90-minute sleep cycle.
For example: Let’s say you require 8 hours of sleep and want to get up at 7am. Calculation: To determine the time you need to get up, take your required sleep hours and multiply the number of hours by 60 minutes; and then divide that total by 90. This will give you the number of sleep cycles.
8 x 60 minutes = 480 minutes / 90 = 5.33 sleep cycles.
• Set your alarm for around 6: 30am. This will awaken you near the end of your 5th sleep cycle.
• With consistency, you will begin to rely less on your alarm clock to get you up in the mornings and more on your internal alarm clock.
Your score should consistently be 90% or greater.
1. Must have completed all 10 sections of the Sleep Survey.
2. Must have scored and calculated the totals for each survey section.
3. Rank all survey sections from lowest to highest score.
4. Print the Sleep Number Tracker worksheet located on page 29 of this book. You can also download and print the PDF at http://mychange.io/sntwks .
5. Use the Sleep Number worksheet to track your sleep for seven consecutive days.
It is vital to track and measure how well the sleep hacks are impacting your sleep.
Please utilize and print out the Sleep Number Tracker, Quick Hacks Tracker and Full Hacks Tracker Worksheets so you can accurately measure and determine which sleep hacks are helping you to sleep better and which ones are not. What’s Working and What’s Not Working?