Every human on the planet is born with a magic sleep number. This is the amount of sleep your brain needs to run all of its programs at night. It’s non-negotiable.
Think of a washing machine or a dishwasher.
What happens if you stop the laundry 20 minutes early? Or the dishwasher? You land up with soaking wet clothes and soapy dishes. It’s an incomplete process.
Your brain cleans itself, stores memories, works through emotions and orchestrates many events at night while you lay in bed sleeping.
When you identify and honor your magic sleep number you unlock all of your human superpowers.
wake up feeling refreshed
sustainable energy throughout the day
improved memory
creativity
boosted immune system
That’s just to name a few of my favorites and what makes it worth it to me to get in bed on time every night. Which the other piece to the sleep puzzle many people are missing.
To get enough sleep you need to be on a rhythm that allows your body to get the right amount of sleep before you need to be awake in the morning. Keeping your bedtime and rising time consistent every day of the week is the secret to solid, deep, restorative sleep.
To identify your magic sleep number, allow yourself enough time for 9-10 hours of a sleep every night for at least a week. Not 7-9, like the guidelines say. Let’s assume you need nine hours and work from there.
The first several nights might be erratic if your sleep has been, well, erratic. After that you can fall into a rhythm and find out. You might even already know how much sleep you need, but not be on a rhythm. Aim for that amount and get into bed early enough to get it for a week.
You’ll know when you’ve found your groove, because you will feel like a new person.
It’s not always as simple as getting into bed and going to sleep, so, if you need help with finding your ideal bedtime and/or your magic sleep number, check out the 5-Week Sleep Program.
Photo by MUNMUN SINGH on Unsplash
