If you sleep less than 7 hours a night, read this:

When you regularly get less than 7 hours of sleep, you increase the risk of: • Stroke • Depression • Weight gain • Loss of memory • Heart complications • Increased blood pressure Apply these 10 habits and you’ll experience the best sleep you’ve ever had…

1) Journaling Stimulation, like TV or playing on your phone, creates open loops. Putting them in a journal closes them. How? Journaling lets your mind actively come up with solutions. Once it’s written down, your brain sees it as stored. As a result, your mind rests.

2) Limit blue light before bed This artificial light comes from screens like your: • TV • Phone • Computer It makes your brain think it’s daytime and suppresses melatonin. Avoid blue light 1 hour before trying to sleep. If you can’t, invest in blue-light glasses.

3) Cut caffeine early Caffeine destroys the quality of your sleep. This stimulant blocks your adenosine production. What’s adenosine? The hormone responsible for promoting sleep.

Caffeine will stay in your body for roughly 10 hours. So if you go to bed at 10pm: Don’t have caffeine past 11am. 8 hours of quality sleep beats 4 cups of coffee any day.

4) Sleep at a consistent time Sleep is regulated by your circadian rhythm. This is your system's clock. If you go to bed early one night, then late the next, you throw it off. Create a regular time to go to bed and wake up. You’ll fall asleep quickly and wake up energized.

5) Optimize your room To optimize for sleep, focus on: 1) Light 2) Comfort 3) Temperature The easiest way to cover all three: • Blackout curtains • An air conditioner or fan • A high-quality pillow and mattress This is an investment in your health, not an expense.

6) Let your mind relax The open loops created by stimulating activities gives your brain a problem to solve. It keeps the analytical part of your mind engaged. These “problems” keep you awake. Schedule a zero-work time 1 hour before bed. Your brain needs the break.

7) Meditation Take 10 minutes out of your day to meditate. In many studies, meditation has been shown to: • Reduce anxiety • Calm your mind • Lower your heart rate Which all helps you fall (and stay) asleep. Great apps if you’re new to meditation are Calm and Headspace.

8) Get sunlight Get natural light for 5-15 minutes after waking. This helps your circadian rhythm know the day is starting. And by doing so, regulates your sleep cycle and makes it easier to fall asleep. The earlier the light exposure, the earlier you fall asleep.

9) Keep temperatures cool The optimal temperature to keep your room is: 60°F to 67°F (15.6°C to 19.4°C) This helps your body stay cool, and at a temperature that promotes sleep. Invest in a portable A/C unit or fan if necessary.

10) Don’t exercise at night The body prepares for sleep by reducing your: • Heart rate • Brain waves • Body temperature But exercise increases your: • Heart rate • Levels of arousal • Body temperature Make it a rule to not exercise 3 hours before bed.

10 tips for consistent sleep: 1) Journal 2) Reduce blue light 3) Cut caffeine early 4) Sleep consistently 5) Revamp your room 6) Let your mind relax 7) Meditate before bed 8) Get sunlight exposure 9) Cool your temperature 10) Don’t exercise late at night

Enjoyed this thread? Retweet the first tweet to help others. Want more content like this? Follow @Pickle for content on improving your life through productivity. twitter.com/mpickle/status…