If there’s one thing I love to do, it’s’ to sleep. When it comes to my sleep, I don’t like to mess around, I need all the hours I can get. I’m sure we’re all sick and tired of hearing that we need to get more sleep, but I don’t actually think you realise how powerful sleep can be.

Not to be dramatic but sleep really is the key to success. It can improve your appearance, your productivity, employment opportunities and even your love life. Fear not, you don’t have to spend hundreds on a sleep specialist, I’ve already done all the hard work for you.

Firstly, before we dive into how sleep can give you that main character energy, we need to understand how sleep actually impacts your daily life and what good and bad sleep looks like.  

Breaking down sleep, the good and the bad...

Essentially, sleep is what allows our body and brain to function properly. Getting enough sleep helps us with retaining new information and memories as well as concentrating on tasks and being more creative. The brain is constantly overstimulated, being on social media 24/7 and then watching Netflix or typing on a laptop all day makes your brain goes into stimulation overdrive. 

Your brain is basically on Kris Jenner mode, doing the most all the time. This is why sleep is so crucial because it’s where your brain has the time to rest, process information from the day and form new memories and skills. 

Getting a good night’s sleep means getting at least 7-9 hours as a healthy adult. The difference between getting 5 hours sleep and 8 hours is monumental, it can make or break those pathways of memories forming which means it’ll take you longer to develop skills, memorise them and utilise them. Even Beyonce gets a minimum of 8 hours, if it’s good enough for yonce then it’s good enough for us all. 

Getting good sleep is not just about how many hours you get too, but it’s about replenishing your mental health and resetting your brain to a clean slate every night. Think about how lovely it would be to wake up well rested, prepped and ready for the day as opposed to waking up deprived, crusty and generally agitated. 

When we don’t get enough sleep, we become irritable, unproductive, demotivated monsters! This then starts to affect our work performance.

Due to the lack of sleep, developing new skills becomes more difficult which directly affects your performance at work. If you’re trying to aim for a promotion or a different higher paying role then you need to be able to demonstrate that you can learn new skills quickly. No one likes a slow coach. Without the right kind of sleep, you can lose your ability to concentrate and focus on tasks. Being caught asleep on Zoom is the last thing you want your employer to see if you’re trying to aim for that promotion and aiming high is what being the main character is all about.  

Think about it, sleep can directly impact your earnings too if you’re too tired to perform your current job effectively, meaning your chances of climbing the ladder to a higher paying position is significantly lowered. 

Say for example you work in commission-based sales, if you sleep better and wake up well rested it means your performance will be much better, leading to more sales. It’s simple really, the more we sleep the better we will be at our job, which can increase our earnings. 

Even on a surface level, lack of sleep can even affect our appearance. Studies show that sleep deprivation can cause a hormone imbalance that can encourage overeating and irregular appetite. When the health in our body depletes, we lose confidence in our body and ourselves. Basically, if you want a hot girl summer, start embracing a hot girl slumber.

So, now that we know why sleep is important and what good and bad sleep looks like, how can we start to fix our current sleeping patterns? That’s the million-dollar question. 

Fixing your sleep, tips tricks and advice...

Thanks to innovations in sleep research in the last decade, we know now more than ever what makes the perfect sleep and what to do to gain that sleeping beauty type of sleep. 

• Switch off the phone! Not looking at a screen for at least half an hour before you sleep is crucial for removing brain stimulants and allowing yourself to rest. I know how tempting it is to scroll through Insta one last time, but sacrificing sleep isn’t worth it

• Don’t eat before you sleep, your body can’t fully rest if its processing food

• Listening to natural sound waves like rain or ocean sounds can improve the quality of your sleep as the rhythms can act as lullabies. The vibes are also immaculate, they make you feel like you’re sleeping in the amazon

• Napping during the day even for an hour can make up for any loss of sleep and help you feel more energised. Napping can offset the loss in productivity, boosting your ability to perform during the day

Final Takeaways 

So, I know there’s been a lot of information here, but the main takeaway from this should be to focus on how you sleep and consider changing your sleeping patterns to improve your life. Remember, sleep affects so much, our earnings, employment, body and mind. So, go out and go sleep like a boss!