Sleepless? 7 Tips to Become a Super Sleeper

5 minute read

The British Professor of Psychology Richard Wiseman describes in his book, Night School: Wake Up to the Power of Sleep, the latest findings on sleep.  Based upon these studies, he gives tips on becoming a super sleeper.
And if you feel sleepy, you should sleep.  People who sleep poorly are more likely to die early in addition to being more susceptible to diabetes, weight gain and stress.  According to Wiseman, sleeping well is the key to feeling happy: good sleepers turn out to be 25% happier and have 40% less stress than bad sleepers.

7 tips to Become a Super Sleeper

1. Unlike some dietary rules, it may help to eat something that is rich in carbohydrates before bed.  But it must contain no more than 200 calories, so think about a cookie, banana or small muffin.
2. Fantasize.  An experiment in America revealed that people focusing on something very pleasant fell asleep more than 2x as fast as people who did not.
3. The concept of association also helps with sleep problems.  For example, when sleepless, try falling asleep to the same music.  After a while, your brain will associate the music with sleep and cause you to fall sleep.
4. Make sure your bedroom is really dark and pleasant.  Too much light prevents your brain from making melatonin, which makes you not tired.  At night, ambient lighting and little to no computer/phone screens help to fall asleep.
5. Turn off the heater . The best sleeping temperature is 65 degrees with a humidity of 65 percent.
6. If you take a nap during the day, take care not to take more than 20 minutes, otherwise you may have trouble falling asleep.
7. In the evening take a bath to make you fall asleep sooner.  This has to do with the right body temperature that gives the brain a signal that it's time to go to sleep.

Sleeping well means that you get the amount of quality sleep you need (average 7 to 8 hours, per person), no more and no less, and all sleep periods.  Richard Wiseman explains what's happening in our minds and our bodies during sleep, "Sleeping Sleep, Sleeping."

Need more tips to become a super sleeper?