5 Quick and Easy Hacks for Better Sleep and Recovery
One of the most underrated and unmentioned aspects of physical (and mental) performance is sleep.
Sleep deprivation has become a badge of honor among many of the hardcore entrepreneurs and business people.
However, this is a huge mistake.
Getting sufficient sleep, and more importantly getting high quality sleep is one of the most important things that you can do to improve your performance in the gym, in the board room, and in the bedroom.
Luckily, there are a few simple hacks that I am about to show you that make improving sleep quality a breeze.
1. Blackout Your Room
The quickest way to get better sleep is to eliminate all light pollution from your room.
Even small bits of outside light can interrupt your sleep patterns, release cortisol in your body, and degrade the quality of your sleep.
The best way to solve this problem is by installing blackout shades or curtains in your room to totally eliminate any incoming light.
Alternatively, if you have too many windows or simply cannot afford this solution, you can purchase the sleep master sleep mask for about $20 on Amazon.
While it won’t work as well as total darkness, it is a step in the right direction.
2. Take a Cold Shower/Bath One Hour Before You Turn In
I know that this sounds awful.
And to be entirely honest, it does.
But if you can suck it up and endure the cold, this is one of the greatest hacks to beat insomnia and get some great z’s.
As Tim Ferriss put it “It’s like getting hit with an elephant tranquilizer”.
This hack is simple, get into the shower, turn the water all the way cold, and stand there for 10 minutes.
If you want to really knock this out of the park, then buy a couple of bags of ice and sit in the cold water for ten minutes, slowly inching yourself into the hellish mixture until every part of your body apart from your head is submerged in the icy goodness.
3. Turn the Thermostat Down
Studies have shown time and time again that our bodies recover best when the room temperature is kept around 68 F.
So if you want to improve your sleep in under 10 seconds, turn the thermostat down a couple of notches and bundle up.
4. Enjoy the HACV Cocktail
While I still don’t know why this hack works, all I know is that it works.
If you want to have some of the best sleep of your life, then about 30 minutes before bed, boil some water, and mix in 1 tablespoon of raw organic honey and 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
You can also mix this cocktail in with your favorite decaffeinated tea, but be warned, if you choose the wrong mixture, you might be in for some wild dreams.
5. Play Tetris
That’s right.
Tetris.
Studies have shown that playing repetitive but visually stimulating games like Tetris right before bed, help insomniacs overcome their tendency to get lost in thought while they try and sleep.
This hack has even been used to help individuals overcome addiction to substances like nicotine and heroin.
Just make sure that you download a blue light blocker on your phone before you start playing!
