The Golden Rules of Sleep

Do you want to be alert? dynamic? full of energy? in a good mood? productive? creative? healthy?
Do you want to have good concentration? memory? decision making skills?
If so, you need to get optimal sleep...

1. Get An Adequate Amount of Sleep Every Night Identify the amount of sleep that you need to be fully alert all day long, and get that amount every night. At minimum most people need to obtain at least sixty to ninety minutes more sleep than they presently get...

2. Establish A Regular Sleep Schedule Go to bed at the same time every night, and wake up without an alarm clock at the same time every morning, including weekends. Do not try to check up on lost weekday sleep by sleeping in on the weekends. If you sleep late on Sunday, you won't fall asleep at your regular bedtime that night and your internal clock will be off: you will be sleepy when its time to be refreshed and alert. Your brain does not have a different biological clock for weekdays and weekends.

3. Get Continuous Sleep. For sleep to be rejuvenating you should get your required amount of sleep on one continuous block. Six hours of good, solid sleep is often more restorative than eight hours of poor, fragmented sleep. Don't allow yourself to doze on and off for many hours.

4. Make Up For Lost Sleep. Pay back your sleep debt in a timely fashion. Make up for any lost sleep as soon as possible. Sleep loss is cumulative. If you lose several hours on a given night, you will become more and more sleepy in the ensuing days, even though you get your "normal" sleep. So pay back your sleep debt. But remember: You cannot replace lost sleep at once. When you sleep longer to catch up, try to do so by going to bed earlier than usual. You cannot make up for large sleep losses during the week by sleeping in on the weekends. A nap during the day can help you pay back your sleep debt. The important rule is to return to your regular sleep schedule as soon as possible.

Calculate Your Personal Sleep Quotient 1. Start by selecting a bedtime when you are likely to be able to fall asleep easily. Settle on a time at least eight hours before you need to get up. Maintain that bedtime for the next week and keep track of the time you arise. You might wake up too early for a few days if you've been conditioned to a short sleep schedule, but if you're sleep-deprived, that maladaptive conditioning will soon give way to longer sleep. 2. If you haven't been sleeping enough, don't change your rising time. Instead, go to bed thirty minutes earlier than usual for the next week. Add fifteen to thirty more minutes each week until you wake without an alarm clock and feel alert all day. 3. When you establish your correct bedtime, you might try to cut fifteen minutes and see if that procedures feelings of drowsiness the next day. Then you'll know for sure if you've identified your individual sleep requirement.