Ready to Hack your sleep? We chatted with three entrepreneurs to learn how they prepare to get the best night’s sleep they can. Here’s their top sleep tips.
Tips for Good Sleeping: How to Get Better Sleep
Most modern day workplaces prioritize long hours, value go-getters who never seem to leave the office, and offer unlimited caffeine to keep you going. While we have nothing against the many delicious forms of caffeine or hard work, study after study has shown taking time away from the grind to sleep well will actually improve your performance.
One important part of sleep is how you prepare for it. Screen time in the hours before bed, poor diet or too much caffeine can dramatically influence how much sleep you get and the quality of it. In addition to having the best mattress and a firm supportive pillow, having good sleep habits is important. We touched base with a few successful entrepreneurs to learn what their sleep habits are and how that sleep influences their waking hours.
Sleep tips from Matthew Hannus, CEO and Cofounder of Bound
Matthew Hannus just launched Bound, an app that combines the experiences of reading and video gaming into a new reading platform. The app is geared for readers from the mobile generation and provides opportunities for fiction writers to play with new formats and medium.
On to Matthew’s sleep habits. He says he has habits in place before sleep, but that as a dad he’s even more concerned about his kids’ sleep habits, a valid concern for any parent. Even so Matthew’s routine is on point.
“With 2 growing kids, I admittedly spend most of my time worried about developing their sleep habits that I often neglect my own. However there are a few things I do:
- The first thing I do in the morning is make the bed. Nothing is better than having the bed ready when you are ready to sleep.
- I always drink a giant glass of cold water.
- I stretch. It helps relax me.
- I listen to podcasts.They usually put me to sleep within 15 min – but at least I get the first part in!”
Matthew went on to say that he believes his sleep habits are important but they don’t have to be difficult. Even a simple routine can signal to your body that it’s time for sleep.
Sleep tips from Bruce Wang, CTO of Synq.fm
Bruce Wang founded a startup before moving into his current role as Chief Technology Officer at Synq, an API platform for video. His company is rethinking the way companies upload, store, transcode, and deliver video online.
Bruce says that his sleep habits depend on the type of day he has. When he has to work late, he has trouble getting his brain to turn off and rest. He describes his sleep strategy after a long day at work as “shutting down” his brain so that it quits trying to work and can rest. Days he’s not at work late, he says he finds it easier to just fall asleep.
“I sometimes work late, and when I do that, I need time to ‘shut down’ my brain. This sort of is a problem, because even if I am tired, I can’t really just sleep, so I end up browsing, watching Youtube, or catch up on news. So I guess my routine is to ‘numb my brain’. I think getting good rest, and having a schedule routine is important. I went from a late night coding person to a morning person (having kids helped :), and I think having that routine is good. I don’t really even think I can sleep in late anymore anyways.”
Sleep tips from Sarah Moe, Founder and CEO of Sleep Health Specialists
As the founder of a startup that helps companies promote healthy sleep habits in their workforce, Sarah Moe has a thing or two to say about a good night’s rest. Her Minneapolis based company works with both corporations and individuals to provide sleep education, assessment, and action plans to make sure people are getting the sleep they need.
Sarah says that good sleep affects more than just how groggy you feel in the morning and even more than how you perform at work. Getting good sleep can change your mood, improve your decision making abilities, and enhance your overall health. No wonder she’s so invested in promoting healthy sleep!
“As a sleep specialist, I try to practice healthy sleep habits as often as possible. I make sure to stop looking at my phone at least 1 hour prior to bedtime, as well as drinking a cup of (decaf) tea right before bed. It's a great way to relax, let my mind wind down, and tell my brain it's time to go to sleep! Having good sleep hygiene is incredibly important, as the quality and quantity of our sleep impacts every aspect of our lives. When we aren't getting the proper rest, we are unable to function at the level we are capable of. Everything from motivation, judgment, productivity, perception and even our overall health can be tied back to how we sleep -which is why it's my secret weapon to successful days.”
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