The very last thing you do before bed tends to have a significant
impact on your mood and energy level the next day, as it often
determines how well and how much you sleep.
Successful people understand that their success starts and ends
with their mental and physical health, which is almost entirely
dependent upon their getting enough sleep.
That is why good bedtime routines are a key ritual for so many of them.
Here's what many successful people do right before bed:
1. They read.
Experts
agree that reading is the very last thing
most successful people do before going to sleep — President Barack Obama
and Bill Gates are known to read for at least a half hour before bed.
Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "
You Can't Be Serious! Putting Humor to Work," says he
knows numerous business leaders who block off time just before bed for
reading, going so far as to schedule it as a "non-negotiable item" on
their calendar.
"This isn't necessarily reserved just for business reading or
inspirational reading. Many successful people find value in being
browsers of information from a variety of sources, believing it helps
fuel greater creativity and passion in their lives," he says.
2. They disconnect from work.
Truly successful people do anything but work right before bed, Kerr says. They don't obsessively check their email, and they try not to dwell on work-related issues.
Studies have found
if you associate your bed with work, it'll be much harder to relax
there, so it's essential you reserve your bed for sleep and sex only.
Michael Woodward, Ph.D., organizational psychologist and author of "
The YOU Plan," agrees,
saying, "The last thing you need is to be lying in bed thinking about
an email you just read from that overzealous boss who spends all their
waking hours coming up with random requests driven by little more than a
momentary impulse."
Give yourself a buffer period of at least a half hour between the time you read your last email and the time you go to bed.
3. They unplug completely.
The blue light from your phone
mimics the brightness of the sun, which tells your brain to stop
producing melatonin, an essential hormone that regulates your circadian
rhythm and tells your body when it's time to wake and when it's time to
sleep. This could lead not only to poor sleep, but also to vision problems, cancer, and depression.
If you don't believe the research,
take it from Huffington Post cofounder, president, and
editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington. After collapsing from exhaustion,
Huffington completely revamped her approach to sleep, and as she details
in her book, "Thrive," she has completely banned iPads, Kindles, laptops, and any other electronics from the bedroom.
4. They make a to-do list.
"Clearing the mind for a good night sleep is critical for a lot of successful people," Kerr says.
"Often they will take this time to write down a list
of any unattended items to address the following day, so these thoughts
don't end up invading their head space during the night."
For example, Kenneth Chenault, CEO of American Express, writes down three things he wants to accomplish the next day.
5. They spend time with family.
Woodward says it's important to make some time to chat with your partner, talk to your kids, or play with your dog.
Laura Vanderkam, author of "
I Know How She Does It" and "
What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast," says
this is a common practice among the highly successful. "I realize not
everyone can go to bed at the same time as his or her partner, but if
you can, it's a great way to connect and talk about your days."
6. They go for an evening stroll.
Joel Gascoigne, cofounder and CEO of
Buffer, takes a 20-minute walk every evening before bed. "This is a wind
down period, and allows me to evaluate the day’s work, think about the
greater challenges, gradually stop thinking about work, and reach a
state of tiredness," he writes in a blog post.
While it’s a popular belief that exercise before bed can prevent sleep, the National Sleep Foundation actually found in 2013
that exercising whenever you can, even at night, helps you sleep
better. Numerous studies have also found walking to reduce stress and
anxiety.
7. They reflect on the good things from the day.
Kerr says many successful people take the time just before bed to
reflect on, or to write down, three things they are appreciative of that
happened that day.
"Keeping a 'gratitude journal' also reminds people of the
progress they made that day in any aspect of their life, which in turn
serves as a key way to stay motivated, especially when going through a
challenging period."
It's easy to fall into the trap of replaying
negative situations from the day that you wish you had handled
differently. Regardless of how badly the day went, successful people
typically manage to avoid that pessimistic spiral of negative self-talk
because they know it will only create more stress.
Benjamin Franklin famously asked himself the same self-improvement question every night: "What good have I done today?"
"Remember to take some time to reflect on the positive moments
of the day and celebrate the successes, even if they were few and far
between," Woodward says.
Vanderkam adds: "Taking a few moments to think about what went right over the course of the day can put you in a positive, grateful mood."
8. They picture tomorrow's success.
Many
successful people take a few minutes before bed to envision a positive
outcome unfolding for the projects they're working on, says Lynn Taylor,
a national workplace expert and author of "
Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job." "For most, this is not a task or exercise; they're wired with a gift of solid resolution skills that come naturally."
9. They meditate.
Many successful people use the 10 minutes before bed to meditate.
Dale Kurow, a New York-based executive coach, says it's a great way to relax your body and quiet your mind.
10. They plan out sleep.
"Much has been written around the dangers busy people face running
chronic sleep deficits, so one habit I know several highly successful
people do is to simply make it a priority to get enough sleep — which
can be a challenge for workaholics or entrepreneurs," Kerr says. One way
to do that is to go to bed at a consistent time each evening, which is a
key habit all sleep experts recommend to help ensure a healthy night's
sleep.
Vanderkam further suggests that you plan out when you're going to
wake up, count back however many hours you need to sleep, and then
consider setting an alarm to remind yourself to get ready for bed. "The
worst thing you can do is stay up late then hit snooze in the morning,"
she says. "Humans have a limited amount of willpower. Why waste that
willpower arguing with yourself over when to get up, and sleeping in
miserable nine-minute increments?"
11. They keep a hygiene ritual.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends
you create a hygiene ritual that sends a psychological signal that you
are getting ready for bed. This can include brushing your teeth, washing
your face, flossing, combing your hair.
12. They skip the wine.
When researching her sleep manifesto, "
Thrive," Huffington consulted a number of sleep specialists for tips. One of her favorites is avoiding alcohol right before bedtime.
While alcohol can certainly help you fall to sleep,
the National Institute of Health finds that
it robs you of quality sleep. Alcohol keeps people in the lighter
stages of sleep from which they can be awakened easily and prevents them
from falling into deeper, more restorative stages of sleep, the
institute finds.
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