Sleep Smarter Summary 21 Essential Strategies by Shawn Stevenson

Even the richest man in the world says he focuses on getting great sleep because it helps him to do one thing that helps make him wealthy.

I will share that one thing with you later in this summary, but first, understand that better sleep will help you to…

Look more attractiveImprove your moodBurn more fatBuild more muscleImprove your ability to focus

This is a book summary of Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson.

1. Know The Value Of Sleep

In addition to the benefits of sleep I just mentioned, it strengthens your immune system, balances hormones, increases metabolism, boosts physical energy, and improves brain function.

2. Get More Sunlight During The Day

Morning light signals your hypothalamus to wake up. It also regulates your natural body clock and promotes a healthy secretion of melatonin which helps you fall asleep at the right time.

Sunlight is best absorbed between 6:00am and 8:30am. 90 minutes of direct sunlight is optimal.

3. Avoid Screens Before Bedtime

Blue light from electronic screens causes your body to produce more daytime hormones like cortisol and it suppresses melatonin production.

Turn off the screens at least 90 minutes before bed.

At the very least, install f.lux on your mobile device or wear blue-light blocking glasses.

4. Have A Caffeine Curfew

Adenosine is a chemical that builds up in your body throughout the day. When enough has built up, it causes you to be tired, signalling you to go to sleep.

But caffeine blocks adenosine build up and so you are tricked into staying awake longer when your body is actually begging you to sleep. Caffeine is also a nervous system stimulant so avoid having it after 2:00pm.

5. Be Cool

When it’s time for your body to rest, your core body temperature drops to help initiate sleep.

If your bedroom is too hot or cold, it can cause sleeping difficulties. Studies have found that between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal.

6. Get To Bed At The Right Time

For most people, you get the highest quality sleep between 10:00pm and 2:00am. This is because it aligns with the natural rhythms of your body and nature.

Around 10:00pm, internal metabolic energy is increased to repair, strengthen, and rejuvenate your body when you’re asleep.

But if you’re awake when this is happening, you may experience a “second wind” of energy and find it difficult to sleep.

7. Rub Magnesium Into Your Skin Each Day

80% of the population in the US is deficient in magnesium, an anti-stress mineral that serves countless important functions. Research shows that a large amount of magnesium in supplements is lost in the digestive process, so use an oil to rub it into your skin for maximum absorption.

8. Create a Sleep Sanctuary

Your bedroom should only be for sleep and sex. Do not work in your bed, otherwise your brain associates your sleeping space with work and your mind will have difficulty relaxing.

Open a window or use an air purifier to ensure the air your breathing is negatively charged.

Invest in one house-plant to improve air quality in your home. Even the sheer sight and smell of plants promote calmness and encourage healthy sleeping patterns.

9. Orgasm

You release serotonin and oxytocin during orgasm which help reduce stress and therefore help you sleep better.

Prolactin is also released and animals injected with it become tired immediately. Men produce 4x more prolactin with having an orgasm through intercouse instead of masturbation.

10. Black Out Your Bedroom

Your skin has light receptors. Picking up light through your skin can interfere with your sleep. Cover up lights from electronics and alarm clocks.

Use blackout curtains to block artificial light beaming through your windows like the lasers that come out of Sam Oven’s eyes.

11. Exercise In The Morning

Cortisol spikes in the morning for the purpose of encouraging you to exercise. Your body isn’t designed to exercise too close to bedtime.

A study showed that people who exercised at 7:00am instead of 1:00pm or 7:00pm slept longer and had up to 75% more deep sleep.

Stevenson also suggests lifting weights instead of running, because lifting triggers your body to release anabolic hormones that help you sleep better.

12. Keep Electronics Out of Your Bedroom

A study found that using cell phones before bed caused people to take longer to reach deep stages of sleep and they spent less time in deep sleep.

Phones emit EMF’s which can disrupt your sleep.

The World Health Organization has classified cell phone radiation as a Class B carcinogen.

If you can’t remove the phone altogether, at least put your phone into airplane mode at night to prevent the electro magnetic demons of the underworld from eating you alive.

13. Lose Body Fat

Being overweight puts stress on your organs, nervous system, and disrupts your body’s hormonal system.

You produce more of the stress hormone cortisol that wreaks havoc on your sleep.

And the worse your sleep gets, the more weight you gain. It’s a vicious cycle.

Stevenson suggests you eat more protein and fats than carbs so you can tap into a fat-burning state.

14. Go Easy On The Alcohol

Alcohol disrupts the super restorative REM sleep. That’s why you feel like crap in the morning.

It may also cause you to wake up in the night and urinate which messes your sleep cycle up.

If you want restorative sleep, stop drinking a few hours before bed.

15. Sleep In The Ideal Position For You

Your sleep position affects numerous things. Most people prefer to sleep on their side. Move your shoulder slightly forward so it’s not directly under you and don’t have your head propped too high on your pillow.

Sleeping on your stomach or back may help if you have sleep apnea but be sure to do your own research.

16. Meditate

Meditation in the morning has been proven to help test subjects sleep better at night, let alone all the other benefits like lowering stress and reducing inflammation.

17. Use Smart Supplementation

Make lifestyle changes before you even think about supplements. The natural herbs Stevenson recommends are Chamomile, kava kava, valerian.

Others he suggests are 5-HTP, GABA, and L-Tryptophan but you will have to do your own testing to see what works for you.

Now as promised at the beginning of this video, the number one thing that Jeff Bezos says he gets from a great sleep, his improved decision-making ability.

He says that his job is to make just 3 high quality decisions per day, and he’s not going to be able to do that with poor sleep.

18. Be Early To Rise

Research published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology showed that early birds are more proactive than evening people, and they tend to do great in business.

It also showed that early birds anticipate problems better and minimize them more effectively which Stevenson argues is a huge leverage point in business today.

19. Wear Light & Comfortable Clothing To Bed

Don’t wear more than you need to and don’t go crazy with covers and electric blankets.

Wearing comfortable PJ’s not only acts as a psychological trigger to tell you it’s time to sleep, but it also has to do with regulating your body temperature.

20. Get Grounded

Research is growing that shows the benefits of earth’s electromagnetic energy. Making direct contact with the earth’s surface grounds your body and allows negatively charged antioxidant electrons to enter your body and neutralize positively charged free radicals at sites of inflammation.

Walk on grass during the day or sleep on a grounding mat to reap the benefits.

21. Follow an Evening RoutineSummary

Let’s recap.

Today you learned 21 ways to optimize your sleep including…