As you may have noticed, over the last few weeks we’ve discussed a lot about the power of a morning routine, and while we’ll have much more about that coming up soon… getting high quality sleep should be your number one focus when trying to improve your habits and life.
At Pavlok we believe getting high quality sleep is one of the best things you can do improve your life. Being well rested is especially important for having more willpower and implementing positive habits.
Unfortunately, you’ll read a lot of blogs and books out there that push the “Hustle! #NOSLEEP” lifestyle, which for many, does much more harm than good.
Of course, we believe in working hard in any area you’re trying to improve, but you shouldn’t sacrifice quality sleep in the process. If you’re looking to dive into the science of sleep, we highly recommend Arianna Huffington’s recent book “The Sleep Revolution.”
In today’s post, we’ll be sharing 5 products that will help you get better quality shuteye — all tested personally by the Pavlok team.
1. Philips Wake Up Light
One of the reasons many people are so groggy in the morning is because they wake up to a blaring alarm in the wrong stage of sleep.
Making sure you wake up at the ideal stage of your sleep cycle goes a long way in making sure you wake up with the most energy and focus as possible.
The Philips Wake Up Light is programed to wake you up gradually within a 30 minute window and it’s light mimics the sunrise, so your body is woken up naturally.
It also includes a variety of soothing sounds from nature and elsewhere so you wake up feel refreshed and ready to go.
2. Melatonin
For most people, getting to fall asleep is the biggest roadblock to actually getting high quality sleep.
Maybe you toss and turn for several hours before finally reaching dream land.
Melatonin is easily one of the most effective supplements to help you fall asleep and quickly.
Melatonin is a hormone found naturally in the body and responsible for adjusting your bodies internal clock. Unfortunately, many of our bodies “internal clocks” are a little off.
When taking Melatonin, you’re basically telling your brain — it’s time for bed. It won’t work for everyone, but for many, it does just the trick.
Note: We don’t play doctor at Pavlok, but one of the benefits of melatonin over a prescribed sleep medication, is melatonin is not addictive by nature. Please speak with your Dr. first.
3. Flux
One of the reasons our bodies “internal clocks” are so off, is we’re constantly being bombarded with unnatural light, particularly from our computer and phone screens.
So it’s no wonder why after watching Netflix for three hours before bed, you struggle to finally get some sleep after shutting your computer down.
Fortunately, there’s an awesome application that alters the color of your screen to emulate the respective time of day, so your body and eyes know it’s getting close to bed.
Using your phone and computer’s GPS signal, Flux will alter your screen light automatically. After using Flux for a few weeks you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
You can download Flux here.
4. Swannies Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Altering the light from your computer screen and phone are one thing, but there’s still plenty of bad light that affects your sleep — your TV, Kindle, the light outside, etc.
Blue Light Blocking Glasses are designed to block ANY incoming bad light so you’re free to continue on as usual.
Most blue light blocking glasses are anti reflective and anti glare so it actually reduces quite a bit of stress on your eyes as well.
Just pop these bad boys on an hour or two before you go to sleep.. and you’re good to go.
These glasses are game changing.
5. Aroma Therapy + Music
Another fantastic combo for getting to bed at a decent hour is aroma therapy + soothing music.
You can get an aromatherapy mister and humidifier for just 20 bucks.
It’s a nice ritual to get your brain in the mood for sleep and helps you relax after a long or stressful day.
My favorite go to is Lavender while listening to The Monument Valley soundtrack.
I fall asleep almost instantly.
6. The Pavlok
The best way to improve any area of your life is to start tracking.
If you’re trying to lose weight, log what you eat.
If you’re trying to gain muscle at the gym, log every workout.
The same goes with sleep.
Use the Pavlok to help you track your sleep.
Over time as you continue to track your sleeping behavior, you’ll discover patterns on what your body does and does not respond to.
Maybe you start to notice your sleep quality is significantly better when you don’t drink. Or maybe you notice you get more sleep if you read before bed.
The only way to find out is to track it, the Pavlok and our app will help you get there.