Help For Entrepreneurs to Get a More Restful Night’s Sleep

This weeks blog comes to you from a guest blogger, Jenny Wise. Jenny is a mother to four wonderful children and a special home educator. Jenny has written an educational and informative piece on simple ways for entrepreneurs to have healthier sleep. Click Here to learn more about Jenny and additional resources she has to offer. 

It’s probably no surprise to hear that entrepreneurs are a group of people who tend to suffer from lack of sleep. We are doers, dreamers, and planners...and it can be hard to turn all that off at the end of the day. Many of us lose sleep because we’re trying to squeeze too much work and “real life” in. The irony is that when we don’t get enough sleep, or when we don’t get quality sleep, we lose productivity and generally miss out on life.

According to Shopify, getting enough quality sleep is necessary for brain function, our overall physical health, and the ability to perform everyday tasks. So how we do stop this cycle and catch the zzz’s we need? Sleeping better takes a little planning and focus, just like our businesses do.

Ask Yourself - Is Your Bedroom a Good Sleeping Environment?

As entrepreneurs, we don’t always have the best separation between work and home life. For some of us, that includes bringing work into our bedrooms, often in the form of clutter and technology. Don’t discount the major impact of these things on your quality of sleep. Even if you don’t bring work into your sleep space, it’s still a good idea to find ways to design a more sleep-friendly bedroom.

To begin with, banish the clutter and all technology because these things distract you and remind you of work when you should be relaxing. Then focus on making your bedroom feel comfy and cozy. Maybe a fresh coat of paint on the walls would do the trick, or maybe you need new bedding or a soft lamp to create the feeling of daylight winding down. When you make your bedroom more sleep-friendly, it’s much easier to stick with the rest of these tips.

Set Sleep-Friendly Habits (And Nix Ones That Are Harmful)

The way you sleep at night is impacted by the choices you make throughout the day. Starting in the morning, work on creating habits that are most conducive to good sleep. For example, exposure to natural light and exercise are good for sleep, but timing matters because some people feel too keyed up if they exercise late in the day. You should also be aware of what (and when) you eat and drink. Cut off caffeine before the afternoon, and avoid foods that keep you up, such as refined sugar.

Schedule Your Day

One thing we all do as entrepreneurs are prioritize our workload. We can never do it all, but setting a schedule that maximizes your work time and downtime makes it easier to let things go mentally when it’s time for sleep. Successful entrepreneurs recommend outsourcing so you can focus your time where you can be most productive.

And while some tasks can be outsourced, there are others you may be able to do more efficiently. Are you spending too much time in meetings or constantly getting distracted by emails? Consider how you can reduce the time spent on these trivial tasks. When you buy back some of your time, you can put it into activities that are more fulfilling and that help you rest better.

Schedule Your Sleep

Even with the best time management, you may still have thoughts that keep you up at night. These thoughts may cause stress about what you didn’t get done in the day, or they may be ideas or excitement about a project you’re working on. Either way, it’s important to identify the thoughts that are racing through your mind, and then set them aside for the night. Very Well Health recommends creating sleep rituals, such as reading or listening to relaxing music. Creating a sleep schedule that includes time to wind down signals to your mind that it’s time for all those annoying thoughts to rest for the night.

Entrepreneurs are notorious for trying to do it all, and getting better quality sleep is one thing that needs to be a priority on your to-do list. Don’t leave your sleep up to chance. Start using these strategies today (or tonight) for good sleep habits that will set you up for success.

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