Good morning superpower seekers! I’m sipping my green tea early this morning and I’m excited to start getting stuff done today.
For the record, yes my tea has caffeine in it, and it is currently 6:04 a.m. Solidly three hours before my caffeine curfew. In 2021, I have sat down and planned out my weeks for sleep and for activities. Take that, Caffeine Chameleon!
This is a two-part show today! I’m really excited to talk about an experiment I did over the summer. Sweet Dreams Mattress & Furniture sponsored 4th of July firework and music festival events in Denver and Mooresville North Carolina. Naturally, I suited up! And I had a sandwich board made to display a sign that says “I’m a sleep superhero. Ask me anything!”
I got the occasional troll from time to time, but most questions I got were sleep-related!
But I didn’t know what to expect! I didn’t want to get stumped or give wrong information. So what I did was write down a few of the questions I expected and practiced answering them. In part one of the Q&A episodes, I’ll read you my top four questions I enjoyed practicing. Questions I wish people would ask me! And in part two, I’ll read the questions I was actually asked by the public! And there is a super twisty twist in part two nobody will expect unless you were there at the event!
I’m ready to go here. I am standing under the A/C vent so my cape is swooshing! My pink glasses are super polished and ready for action!
Frequently Asked Questions!
1. What’s the best habit you can practice to get better sleep?
Maximizing the sleep you get every night is critical to unlocking your superpowers. That’s right! You have superpowers locked up inside!
In the hierarchy of habits, there are few at the top that can really boost your levels of sleep performance. Habits like a regular bedtime routine, diet, and exercise are in that top tier category. However, one habit stands above the rest in the eyes of this superhero and it happens to be the easiest to do!
Sit down and take five minutes to plan your sleep schedule every week. Whether you do this on Sunday or Wednesday isn’t a big deal if you choose a consistent day every week.
I’ve got an easy planner you can use to make your sleep schedule. Text me at 704-706-2436 and ask. It’s free! I call it the Seven Day Sleep Challenge. This not only plans your week, it measures sleep cycle potential. See just how many sleep cycles the Sleeping Bandit and his gang of sleep villains steal from you!
Do you have an event coming up? A meeting you are getting ready for? Need some superpowers to get a little bit more organized or prepared? Plan out your sleep schedule and give yourself seven and a half to nine hours a night.
This habit is so easy it sounds dumb. But it’s our atomic level habits—the ones so small you can barely see them in our daily lives—that add up to have the biggest impact. In our lingo, we say “Little little little BIG!”
Join me and learn new ways to improve your sleep and start your journey to unlocking your superpowers!
2. What is the best time to go to sleep every night?
There is no perfect time for us all to knock out for eight hours and be ready the next day, or all of our circadian rhythms would be synchronized. From birth, we would all fall asleep at the exact same time and wake up together, too. But that’s not how it works!
The wild variations of our sleep habits trace back to our hunter-gatherer days. Most of the tribe slept at night but some took turns doing the watch duty.
The Master Class, The Science of Sleep suggests that night owls, folks who stay up late naturally, have ancestral ties to the night watchers of eras long ago. However, this ancestry does not define us.
We can choose to set our circadian rhythm and not let our circadian rhythm set us! You can take control of certain habits that allow you to enjoy a “normal” bedtime. And science has found that you will get the most benefit from sleep between the hours of 10 p.m and 2 a.m.
So when I plan my sleep, I try to be lights out by 9:30 p.m. and up and at ‘em at 5 a.m! I want to maximize my sleep and awaken superpowers every day. I get the chance to do that by being asleep in the goldilocks zone of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
3. I don’t get good sleep and nothing I try works. I feel like I’m stuck and this is just how I sleep.
It sounds like you are frustrated and you have given it a fair try. A few times. Thank you for trying! If you’re frustrated because you’re not getting results, you can’t give up. Not yet.
Unfortunately, there is no overnight pill or process that gives you results quickly. Good sleep habits take a long time to show results. Consider this. When you lose weight because you eat healthier you may notice a big change right away but then a plateau for a long time. People on that plateau get discouraged.
In fact, because you’re not seeing results it makes it feel like you’re wasting your time. Perhaps you have been eating so good, you deserve that snack now. Or people working out work out for a long time and don’t see much change fall off the wagon.
Sleep is the exact same way. You have to follow the habit even if it doesn’t feel like it’s giving you any results, and really stick with it. My best advice is to start with one thing at a time.
Start by making a sleep schedule and identify your foundation of sleep. After a time, making one change for a few weeks will help you determine ways to see significant results in your sleep.
And on top of that, you’ll get better results from diet and exercise, too! If you take the same approach to maximize your sleep as you do a workout or weight loss plan, I know you will achieve your goals!
One percent better sleep doesn’t sound like a lot the first few days, ut if you’re trying for a long time and you achieve 1% a day, you’ll be sleeping like a superhero!
4. How much sleep should I be getting every night? Some people have told me they feel fine after only four to five hours. I don’t feel like I need eight to nine hours of sleep. Do I?
One word: Superpowers. Let me answer the question with a question. Can you do something for 17 hours straight? What about 20 hours straight? No breaks. If you need to use the bathroom, it takes you two or three minutes, and you’re back at this task for 20 hours. No checking your phone for 20 hours in this exercise either.
This task can be something as easy as dribbling a basketball or maintaining focus for 20 hours. It’s incredibly difficult and I don’t know anybody who can do something that long.
When you get four hours of sleep a night, your body stays awake for 20 hours. It’s supposed to do whatever you expect it to do plus other critical functions like aid your digestive system, your immune system—and the list is a mile long.
Experts recommend planning out seven and a half to nine hours of sleep every night. By getting less on a consistent basis, you are putting an incredible strain on your body and run the risk of being misdiagnosed at the doctor’s office if you happen to go there.
Short-term sleep deprivation side effects look a lot like some scary chronic illnesses. Long-term sleep deprivation side effects actually are scary chronic illnesses.
Plan out your sleep! Don’t let others lead by bad example. Lead by a good example and show them what it looks like to have superpowers!
Well, that should do it for today. There are still 30 minutes left of my morning routine for smashing monsters for loot!
I will get that done before the rest of my day takes off! It is a ton of fun playing video games and being productive at the same time!
That’s what superpowers do for me! How much more could you accomplish in a day with your superpowers turned on?
