Your Worst Enemy Is Probably You
Stop cheating yourself. You can’t cut corners on sleep and not have it affect you:
Being tired actually makes it harder to be happy.
Via NurtureShock:
“Sleeping on it” does improve decision making and can help you follow through on your goals.
Lack of sleep makes you more likely to get sick and more likely to behave unethically. There is such a thing as beauty sleep:
Lack of sleep makes you dumber.
Via Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School:
Yes, some people don’t need much sleep but they’re exceedingly rare. Out of 100 people who think they can go without much sleep, only five really can.
So What Makes For A Great Night’s Sleep?
1) Exercise during the day promotes good sleep at night.
Via Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep.
2) Keep it cold.
Via Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep.
3) Avoid light before bed, and that includes TV’s and computers.
Via Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep.
4) Avoid coffee or alcohol at night.
Via Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep.
Also:
5) Mattress quality doesn’t matter. The only factor that was relevant with regard to beds was when traveling, people sleep best on a mattress similar to the one they have at home.
6) Keeping a consistent sleep and wake schedule is more important than you think. Shifting Daylight Savings Time around lowers SAT scores. Jet lag can be devastating to performing at your best.
This piece originally appeared on Barking Up the Wrong Tree. Join over 145,000 readers and get a free weekly email update here.
Related posts:
Read next: 7 Mental Health Resolutions for 2015
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- Coco Gauff Is Playing for Herself Now
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com