How to personalize your sleep

In the third part of this five-part series, I explain what it means to personalize your sleep and why that is important.

First, a quick recap. 

In Part 1, we talked about valuing our sleep. Read here.

In Part 2, we talked about prioritizing our sleep. Read here.

Now let’s move on to figuring out and understanding your personalized sleep requirements.

Did you know that we don’t all need the same amount of sleep?

The CDC recommends that adults aged 18 to 60 sleep for seven hours or more per night, however that is just a recommendation and doesn’t apply to everyone.

Here is a quick example of how different bodies need different amounts of sleep to feel rested.

I once heard Gabby Bernstein say on one of her podcasts that she needs nine hours of sleep to feel refreshed and rested the next day, so I decided to experiment with sleeping for nine hours. In just a few days I felt worse than when I slept my usual seven and a half hours! My husband has more energy than anyone I know and only needs about six hours of sleep to feel at his best. He automatically wakes up after six hours, raring to go.

See what I mean? Different bodies need different amounts of sleep.

How do you figure out what the optimum amount of sleep is for your body? 

You EXPERIMENT! 

Yup, trial and error. That is how we figure out most things in life.

Here are a few questions to consider before adjusting your sleep schedule:

Are you a night owl? Or an early bird? We know that “night owls” tend to get sleepy later in the evening, and “early birds” don’t feel good when they stay up too late. Neither is superior; you get to decide your ideal bedtime. 

How long does it take you to fall asleep once you are in bed? A good sleeper can easily fall asleep within 15 minutes. If it takes you longer, try a later bedtime and see if you drop off more quickly.

How do you feel after 6 / 7.5 / 9 hours of sleep? Experiment with each for a few days and see how you feel. Once you work out what feels best for your body, continue for an entire month and then reassess. If you feel more energized and sleep more deeply, then you know you are on the right path. 

By being willing to experiment I fully expect that you will be able to find out how many hours of sleep is ideal for your body. I encourage you to play around with it and see what works best for you.

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Does experimenting with your sleep feel daunting? It may seem straightforward, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to make the changes necessary to ensure a good night’s rest. 

That's why I'm offering a completely free 20-minute Optimal Sleep Assessment. In this session via Zoom we will figure out your biggest hurdle to getting the restorative sleep you need AND what action you can take towards improving your sleep. 

Sign up today for your Optimal Sleep Assessment. The sooner you do it, the sooner you will be able to sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed and energetic!