Tesar-Reynes

A recent article from the Huffington Post by Ph. D. Michael Gervais talks of the correlation between the high performance of Olympic athletes and sleep. I couldn’t help but think of thousands of us that hack it at a weekly 8-6+ and can never seem to get enough sleep in our lives. The four sleep strategies of elite athletes, which Mr. Gervais highlights in his article, apply to us just as much as they do a Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt.

1. Allow for pre-sleep readiness.
2. Be consistent with sleep patterns.
3. Clear your mind.
4. Account for jet-lag.

I’ll add one more to the list, which is:

5. Prepare for tomorrow at the end of today.

Rather than waking up in a panic, rushed mode in the morning, I try taking a few minutes to pen whatever I have to accomplish for tomorrow at the end of my work day. Such behavior leads me to sleep better. I have identified the challenges of the next day and tried to prioritize their demise. My brain has aligned the probable and less worrisome thoughts fly through my subconscious as I slumber….all because I took the time to pro-actively think about them the day before.