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The (Stupidly) Simple Trick I Used to Get 45 Minutes More Sleep Per Night

04/03/2014 by Mark Kennedy 1 Comment

[su_quote]Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds.” ~JoJo Jensen, Dirt Farmer Wisdom, 2002[/su_quote]

sleep

The above quote is spot on.

Inadequate sleep (quality and quantity) tarnishes your health in many ways. Here are just a few:

  • increased risk of depression
  • lowered short-term memory
  • greater risk of obesity
  • increased risk of type 2 diabetes
  • lowered libido

We’re all busy I know. And there are only so many hours in the day.

Sleep however, must be prioritized – perhaps even above exercise.

Turn Off Your Alarm

There are lots of ways to get more sleep. One that has really worked for me lately is turning my alarm off.

For years I’ve been getting up around the same time using an alarm on weekdays (for work). I always found myself waking up an hour or so before the alarm goes off and looking at the clock. Because I knew that I only had an hour more sleep, that last hour was usually not quality sleep. Sometimes I’d just toss and turn until I had to get up.

Useless.

When my wife and I had our first child a couple of years ago things changed.

Yes, those first few months with a baby, sleep is like gold – hard to find, but very precious.

Fast forward a year and a half however, our son sleeps really well and tends to get up around the time we need to be up for work. I hesitantly decided to try going without an alarm, trusting that I would wakeup naturally and my son would remind me to get up if I decided to hit the virtual snooze button.

The Results

The results were really amazing.

I found myself still getting up at the same time naturally, but the last hour (or sometimes two) or so of sleep was WAY better.

No more looking at the clock to see how many more minutes of sleep I had. I trusted that I would wake up at the right time or my son would let me know when it was time to get up.

By simply turning off the alarm, I figure I added about 45-minutes more sleep each night.

That’s huge.

Since ditching the alarm I definitely feel sharper throughout the day and rarely get that afternoon, knocked on your ass, hitting the wall feeling anymore. I also crave a more consistent bed time – probably because the amount of nightly sleep I am getting is more consistent.

Prioritize your sleep and find ways to improve it. You’ll feel better and that will transpire into many aspects of your life.

What sleep tips do you have?

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: sleep

Comments

  1. David says

    05/26/2014 at 12:57 am

    Hahahahaha Loved this Man! Simply awesome .The problem Part which you described is excatly same with me….bang on for that. I know i should trust my instincts, but sometimes its too late when i dont put an alarm plus i dont have a Son.But still worth giving a shot.

    Reply

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Hey, I’m Mark.

Hey, I’m Mark.

As USATF (USA Track and Field) certified coach and a former Kinesiologist, I created Healthynomics as a personal outlet for me to stay in touch with my passion of exercise science and healthy living.

I enjoy helping people get fit and improving their health by sharing my experiences and the knowledge from industry experts.

Lately, my focus has been on helping new runners get started.

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