Sleep
This isn’t glamorous- but sleep is the most underrated foundational element for health and performance. If you’re lacking adequate sleep you will be underperforming, and you’ll be so sleep deprived that you might not even be aware of it.
Top sleep tips:
- Build a pre-bed ritual- we’re creatures of habit, try to build a stable pre-bed routine and ritual that winds you down before bedtime. You can’t expect to flick the light switch off and expect your brain to shut down the same way.
- Avoid blue light from screens- blue light inhibits the secretion of melatonin, a hormone which regulates your body clock. Laptops, tablets, and phones should be avoided prior to bed. That Mail-On-Line article will still be there in the morning.
- Try to stick to the schedule at weekends- wake up at the same time every day. Otherwise, you’ll succumb to a phenomenon known as social jetlag. Get out of bed, grab the coffee and suffer through knowing that you’ll feel better the next day.
- Eat slowly- this is as simple as it gets. Eating slowly will ensure that you properly digest and assimilate the food you are eating. It will help to put you in a parasympathetic state and ensure proper digestive function.
- Breathe- try to practice some form of meditative breathing. There are loads of apps which can help out. We like the Wim Hoff Method, Stress Doctor, and Headspace. You don’t have to be a hardcore yogi to benefit from this simple practice. A very simple method that you can try right now is called Square Breathing- inhale for 5 seconds, hold the breath for 5 seconds, Exhale for 5 seconds, hold the exhale for 5 seconds. Try that for a couple of minutes next time you feel overwhelmed.
- Float- this is a little harder to implement. We would recommend that you pay a visit to our friends at Float On. Floating is a fantastic antidote to the stress of the city and can have a life-changing impact. We would advise trying once per week for 3-4 weeks to really start to feel the benefits.