7 Sleep Habits of Highly Effective People

A good sleep is not only about how much you sleep, but also how well you sleep.

1. Use the Power of Self-reflection

Highly effective people take time for self-reflection. By doing so, they find out which tasks and projects paid off and which didn’t.

And reflecting on your day before going to bed is particularly helpful as it allows you to let go of the mistakes and negativity of the day.

As John Dewey once said “We don’t learn from experience, but we learn from reflecting on experience.”

If you want to be effective, you need to move forward. And the best way to do so is by reflecting on your experiences before going to bed.

The only rule for practicing self-reflection is honesty. You need to admit your faults and mistakes so that you can let go of them.

Here are some of my favorite questions you can answer before going to bed:

How did I feel today?

What am I proud of?

What didn’t go well today?

Did I accomplish all my daily goals?

What made me happy today?

What could I do differently and better?

Answering those will help you to let go of the experiences you made throughout the day. Plus, it will help you find out what you can change and improve.

“Finish each day before you begin the next, and interpose a solid wall of sleep between the two.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. Sleep in Cold, Dark, and Noise-free Rooms

Great sleepers adopt their bedrooms to get the most of their sleeping hours. This includes darkening your room, keeping it rather cool than hot, and avoiding noise.

When we’re exposed to too much bright light, our bodies can’t differentiate between day and night. Thus, falling asleep becomes harder and the quality of our sleep drops. Dim the lights at least 30 minutes before going to bed to ensure your body can calm down and prepare for a good night’s sleep.

Also, make sure to darken your bedroom so that you’re not exposed to lights while you sleep. You can also use a sleep mask to ensure complete darkness.

If you can’t avoid noise in your bedroom, you can use earplugs to ensure calmness.

A sleeping mask and earplugs are also great companions during travels so that you can ensure a high-quality sleep, no matter where you are.

According to Shawn Stevenson, author of the bestselling book Sleep Smarter, there’s no facet of your mental, emotional, or physical performance that’s not affected by the quality of your sleep.

That’s why it’s crucial to make these small yet powerful changes and sleep in dark, cold, and noise-free rooms whenever possible.