Midday Changes
We have officially made it to our midday changes. The material that we will cover in this video is not a substitute for what we discussed earlier in the series on mornings, however we must implement it on top of what we have already learned. Keeping these behaviors in mind during the day will ensure you will fall asleep quickly and feel well rested the following morning.
6 Daytime Tips to Sleep Better at Night
1. Track Your Steps
We will start where we left off, with exercise. Like I said before, we want to exercise early in the day so we can optimize our sleep. We also want to make sure our non-exercise activities are at a reasonable amount as well. These include moving around during the day for work, errands, or chasing after kids. A good way to quantify your non-exercise activities throughout the day is by tracking your steps with your phone, smartwatch, or pedometer. If the only physical activity you focus on is your workout and spend the rest of the day sitting around, the workout may not be enough activity to have a positive effect on your sleep. Staying active outside of your workouts will do wonders for your sleep.
2. Recommended: 8,000 – 10,000 Steps a Day
What I recommend is to measure how many steps you normally get in a day. Once you have that number, try increasing it slightly by 10% and see how you feel and how you sleep the following night. I recommend aiming for 8-10 thousand steps per day and I have found this to be a very good activity level for most of my clients. If you have a hard time hitting this goal, you can try setting an alarm to get up and move. You can walk instead of driving places and take the stairs instead of elevator. None of this is overly complicated, you just need to remember to do it, and setting a goal is a great way of making sure it will happen.
3. Try Shorter Workouts and Work Up From There
If you aren’t able to make it into the gym early, then it is still beneficial to work out as early as you can to help optimize your sleep. Exercising early will fit in better with your body’s natural rhythm. If you find that you feel fatigued when you train early, then I suggest you start with a shorter workout of about 20 minutes, and work up from there. This is better than pushing yourself too hard with a difficult and lengthy workout when you have very little energy.
4. Caffeine Consumption
When it comes to caffeine consumption, I treat it just like exercise. The earlier the better and making sure it’s in the correct amount. How people respond to caffeine is different from person to person. Some people feel the effects for a long time with a very small dose, others can consume a large amount and not feel much. There are a few reasons for this variability.
5. Caffeine Metabolization
Firstly, how you metabolize caffeine is largely genetic. Some people are fast metabolizers, some are slow, and some are in the middle. For the most part, you will have figured this out already through experience. Some genetic testing services can help you identify this as well.
Another factor is tolerance. Much like other substances, your body can build up a tolerance the more you consume it. Someone who rarely drinks coffee, then drinks a large amount will feel more of an effect than someone who has one every day.
Other things in your diet or lifestyle will change how you metabolize caffeine in your body. Certain foods can speed or slow down how fast caffeine is eliminated from your body. Grapefruit can slow down caffeine clearance meaning it affects you longer, but vitamin c or sulfur rich foods can help clear it faster. Smoking drastically increases caffeine clearance, so if you quit smoking and continue to drink the same amount of coffee, you may find it affects you a great deal more. Medications can have a significant affect as well so it’s important to be aware of the drugs you are taking.
Taking in to account all these factors, it’s important to determine a “cut off time” for your caffeine consumption, meaning after this time, you won’t consume any more. I recommend your cut off time be as early as possible. You may not feel the effects later in the day and evening, but the lingering impact of caffeine can have a profound effect on your sleep.
6. Recapping Light Exposure
We talked earlier about light exposure and how we want to maximize it earlier in the day. As the day progresses, we still want you to get some light, but be mindful about how this light exposure can keep you awake. Wearing sunglasses if you go out later in the day is a good idea as it will help you wind down. In Canada during the summer months, it is light much later, so this tip is season specific.
As you can see, the midday changes are largely just continuing behaviors we have made earlier in the day. Take the time to make sure your morning and midday changes are going well, before joining me on the next video for evening behaviors to improve your sleep.
Chris Munro
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In this 10-part sleep series, personal trainer Chris Munro emphasizes the importance of getting enough nightly zzz's and regulating your sleep cycle. Explore how to improve your quality of sleep from the moment you wake up until your head hits the pillow.
Explore why regulating your internal clock, or staying consistent with what time you wake up at in the morning is crucial for your health. It will also discuss why using the alarm on your phone is not good sleep practice.
Chris discusses how and why light exposure in the morning, as opposed to sound, can be a great first step in sleep improvement and help you feel better.
Is it really that important to eat breakfast? What about intermittent fasting diets - are they healthy? Chris discusses why it’s bad practice to skip a morning meal, the detriments it can have on your sleep patterns and healthy foods to eat for breakfast.
Do you tend to feel sluggish in the morning? Chris explains how exercising in the morning will not only improve your energy levels throughout the day, but also help your quality of sleep at night.
Chris discusses how to monitor and limit your caffeine consumption so you can still drink coffee without ruining your sleep patterns. He also reviews an average daily step count goal, and the importance of staying active outside of your workouts.
Alcohol makes me drowsy, but does it help me sleep better? Chris outlines a few guidelines for what you should aim to eat and drink in the evening to ensure optimal sleep quality. He explores the negative impact drinking alcohol too close to bed will have on your nightly rest.
Are you on your cellphone and/or iPad late at night? Chris explores how artificial light, including electronics, should be avoided in the evening, and details tips to decrease your exposure.
Chris looks into the many things you can do right before bed, and during sleep that will help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your nightly zzz’s. He will touch on things like bedroom temperature and light, routine, and activities to do.
In this final video in this sleep series, Chris emphasizes the importance of consistency and routine. He also addresses a few common sleep problems, such as nighttime wake ups and how to avoid these.