#43 - Generation Zzz?

If you’ve ever stayed up all night, you know how important sleep is. You may not realize how major the consequences are even with only shortened sleep. Despite the fact that sleep is most critical during the teen years, a 2014 study found that 90% of American high schoolers are chronically short of sleep. Sleep deprivation has numerous negative effects:

• Difficulty learning or performing on tasks that involve brain use

• Trouble focusing

• Slower recovery from workouts

• Higher risk of injury in sports

• Worse coordination (ex. Free-throws, serves, pitching, etc.)

• Each hour of lost sleep increases chances of depression by 38%

• Messed up metabolism and higher risk of obesity

• Increased risk of substance abuse

And that’s only an abridged list! Clearly sleep is critical—who’s the crazy one now saying “you can sleep when you’re dead?!” Getting quality sleep plays a major role in your goals no matter what they are. So, how to help yourself? Below is a list of common problems and solutions for improving your sleep.

Most teens follow an erratic sleep schedule waking up early during the week and sleeping very late on weekends. This kind of variance actually decreases the quality of your sleep. In addition to the raw number of hours you sleep, there are numerous ways to improve the quality of those hours you are asleep and routine is one of those. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Your sleep quality will be better, you will feel more awake, and you will fall asleep faster.

Another major way to improve sleep quality is to get more hours of sleep before midnight; these are the best hours of sleep you will get. That’s why you feel more alert after going to bed early than staying up late and sleeping in.

The darker your bedroom, the better—your brain will get better sleep, so close shades, shut off glowing screens (or turn upside down), and unplug or cover any lights/LEDs/clock faces/etc. Another approach one of my roommates uses is an eye mask—a great idea if you sleep with your mouth closed and can handle jokes about being a sleep princess…

To help yourself stay accountable, download a sleep tracking app. I like SleepBot (android). Your body keeps track of your sleep debt for up to two weeks (it knows if you’re behind for that long). This app is a great way to make sure you keep your sleep debt away and perform your best in your sport.

Many people are negatively impacted by screen time prior to sleep. Electronic screens give off a type of light that messes with your brain’s chemistry making it harder to sleep. Try avoiding screens for an hour before bed and see if you sleep better. I always turn down my screen brightness in the evening because I found that it helps me fall asleep faster.

Avoid anything that gets you fired up around bedtime. I can’t watch inspiring sports movies, discuss politics, or do strength training.

I’m a sleep enthusiast and I’m proud of it. I don’t fall asleep in class, I feel alert, I recover from my workouts quickly, and I can get more done. Once I made sleep a priority, it changed my life—I study less, learn faster, recover faster, and can enjoy every waking moment more. Try these “sleep hacks” in your life and see what happens! Just remember, if you’ve been short of sleep, it could take two weeks to catch up and start feeling good.