13 Tricks for Golden Slumber (From Those Who Can’t Afford a Rough Night)
For Shakespeare, sleep may have been ‘the main course in life’s feast’ – but with irregular work hours, sleepless children and financial anxieties to contend with, too many of us are going without. Here, a panel of pros for whom a solid kip is paramount share their best tips.
Get Ahead Of The Game
‘Good sleep starts the moment you wake up,’ says Alastair Lockwood, an eye surgeon and ophthalmologist. ‘Light absorption during the day – both natural and artificial – helps your body stay alert, then increases the quality of your sleep in the evenings.’ Lockwood ensures he gets his fix as a matter of priority. He advises breaking your desk shackles with a garden workout or lunchtime run, and buying a desk lamp with a daylight bulb for the months when sunlight is scarce.
Get Back Into Books
‘Read novels!’ enthuses Ollie Gallant, DJ and presenter. ‘For 10 years, I had to wake up at 4.45am to do a 6am breakfast show. The one thing that transformed my sleep was reading fiction. It takes you away from the stresses of the day in a way that watching TV doesn’t.’ Often wake up in the night? ‘Instead of thinking, “Crap, my alarm goes off in two hours,” I’d reframe it and think, “Great, I can read a chapter of this book.” In 15 minutes, I’d be asleep.’
Draw Up A Schedule
‘If you have a young family, a supportive partner is important,’ says Rajesh Nair, consultant urological surgeon at St Thomas’ Hospital and Harley Street. ‘I do complex operations that can last up to eight hours, so I need my sleep.’ Nair suggests writing a weekly sleep plan. ‘It might be Monday, Tuesday you’re busy, but Wednesday your schedule is lighter so it doesn’t matter if you sleep less,’ he says. ‘That way you and your partner know in advance whose turn it is to wake up.’
Listen ToThe Buzz
Having served as an army nurse in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan, Phillip Hall – now a counsellor with Help for Heroes – has bedded down everywhere from freezing police cells in Kosovo to under-siege military bases in the Middle East. ‘The key thing is having a fan on,’ he says. ‘Even in a war zone, that white noise blocks out those little jolts that might keep your subconscious on alert. I do the same if I’m in a hotel or at home.’ White noise apps are also available, when trying to sleep becomes a heroic endeavour.
Beat The Clock
‘Checking the time can heighten anxiety about not being able to fall asleep,’ explains Lockwood. ‘If you have a clock that you can see from your bed, take it out of your room, or turn it around to face the wall.’ Don’t underestimate the ill effects of ambient lighting, either – the glow of a phone or clock, the flash of a passing car. Blackout blinds or an eye mask are essential night-time items for Lockwood.
Compress To Decompress
An intensive fitness regimen can add soreness and stiffness to the long list of things keeping you up at night – not ideal for those who need to be fresh to train again by 6am. ‘I like to get some compression on my legs before I go to sleep,’ says Liam Fraser, who plays football for the Canada national team. ‘Normatec has a good range of recovery products. But even a simple stretch can really help blood flow in your legs.’
Get Some Air
As a pilot for a major airline with 16 years of experience, Tim Wings (not his real last name) has plenty of experience operating on minimal thrust. ‘We use the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, a numbered scale on which if we’re too tired, we’re legally not allowed to fly,’ he explains. ‘I often leave home at 4.30am and might do three short-haul flights in a day.’ For powering down, he’s a proponent of breathwork. ‘If I’m struggling to sleep, I’ll breathe in for three seconds, hold for three, exhale for three,’ he says. ‘It gets my body in the right frame of mind.’ A good way to combat pre-sleep turbulence.
Do A Mental Clear-Out
As an A&E doctor and parent, Qian Xu’s shift patterns are the definition of ‘erratic’ – and zoning out on the job is not an option. When she does get a chance to sleep, she struggles to silence her mind. ‘Rather than keeping it all in my head, I’ll write my thoughts down in my notes app,’ she says. She also sets calendar reminders for everything she needs to do the next day. Mental offloading is a study-proven strategy for reducing pre-sleep anxiety – and far superior than ‘just trying not to think about it’.
Set A Later Alarm
Much is said about exiting the office promptly, but early morning presenteeism is a problem, too, with habitual overtime linked to lower productivity. The world won’t fall apart if you’re not at your desk for 8am – as cancer surgeon Nair knows. ‘Sure, there are days when you’d ideally like to get into work early,’ he says. ‘But there are those days when you have to be in early, and knowing the difference is key.’ When a later start means a stronger performance, Nair has his priorities in order.
Reframe Your Rest
‘When sleeping in a tent in Iraq at 42°C, and knowing you could be called to attend to wounded soldiers at any point, you need a strategy,’ says former soldier Hall. For him, shifting his focus to relaxation – rather than just sleep – helped. ‘I might have seven hours off and only sleep for four hours, but I’ve spent the rest of those hours giving my mind time to wind down.’ The stakes might not be as high in your household, but taking the pressure off could help you win the battle.
Get Some Supplementary Assistance
A reliance on sedatives can be harmful and delivers diminishing returns. Fraser prefers to keep it natural when he needs to be match-ready. ‘I take a shot of tart cherry juice, which is a type of anti-inflammatory. It promotes sleep and helps my body recover.’ If he wakes up in the night, he’ll sometimes take a melatonin tablet. ‘If you’re changing time zones, taking something to force your body to sleep can be good,’ he says.
Know Your Limits
Working flat-out is a false economy. While many of us feel guilty about easing up at work, stress and sleep deprivation will ultimately hinder your ability to perform to your best. Practise self-discipline, says surgeon Nair. ‘Recognise, “I need X hours of sleep to function” and don’t compromise on that,’ he says. ‘I don’t let patient care suffer. If I’m tired, I think, “If this were my family member, would I want them to have this level of care?” If can’t fully deliver, I’ll ask someone else to do it.’ Say it with us now: d-e-l-e-g-a-t-e.
And When All Else Fails…
Just give up and get up, says Galal Yafai, a British boxer who won gold in Tokyo. ‘When I’m fighting the next day or making weight, it can be pretty hard to sleep. There are occasions when I haven’t been able to sleep more than four or five hours. I don’t fight it. I get up, then try to sleep again in a few hours.’ Stressing about your lack of sleep will only compound the problem. In fact, research shows that our emotional reaction to missed sleep can be more damaging to productivity than our physical tiredness. A strategic daytime nap is your ally. If not, strap on your gloves, slip into your best suit and face the new day swinging.
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