Prioritize Your Sleep: The Best Decision I’ve Made After 40
I know, I sound like a broken record, but trust me, the one thing I’ve truly learned and will stick to after turning 40 is to prioritize my sleep.
We live in a culture where we take pride in working hard, often at the expense of our sleep. We think staying out late partying, waking up with a hangover, binge-watching TV for hours, or endlessly scrolling through social media is the cool thing to do. But let’s be real—sleep is so underrated.
For years, I struggled with waking up in the morning, felt exhausted by the afternoon, and frequently found myself dozing off in the middle of the day, only to be wide awake again in the middle of the night. It was impacting my physical and mental health in ways I couldn’t ignore. Something needed to change, and fast.
As someone who’s all about the data, I decided to track my sleep. I focused on my sleep patterns and any behaviours that might either worsen or improve my quality of rest. After a year of tracking, listening to countless podcasts, and diving deep into research, I’ve come up with a few simple tricks that can drastically improve your sleep—and make you feel like a brand new person!
1. Sleep Duration
The general recommendation is to get 8 hours of sleep. Anything over that doesn’t offer significant additional benefits. So, I make sure I’m in bed for at least 8 hours. Sure, I don’t fall asleep immediately, but I make sure to stay in bed for about 8-9 hours to account for any time I’m not sleeping right away.
2. Sleep Efficiency
Many sleep trackers will break down your sleep into categories like Deep Sleep, REM Sleep, and Light Sleep. Here’s what each one means:
- Deep Sleep (SWS): This is when your muscles repair and grow after physical activity or strain.
- REM Sleep: This is when your brain is restored, and memories are consolidated. It’s also when the skills and knowledge you acquired during the day are cemented.
In total, Deep Sleep and REM Sleep should make up around 20% of your total sleep hours. For example, if I sleep for 7.5 hours, I should aim for about 1.5 hours of Deep Sleep and REM Sleep combined. While I almost hit this goal most nights, I’m always working towards increasing my Deep Sleep and REM Sleep. Ideally, I want 2 hours of Deep Sleep and 2 hours of REM Sleep, though I’m still in progress and trying to improve this.
3. Sleep Consistency
I didn’t think consistency mattered much until I learned how deeply it impacts sleep quality. Going to bed and waking up at consistent times every day helps regulate your circadian rhythm. It essentially trains your brain to recognize when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to wake up.
I try to stick to a consistent schedule between 80% to 90% of the time. It’s something I’m still working on, but I’ve already noticed a positive difference.
Final Thoughts
My overall goal is to be over 90% which I am almost hit the target. (there are some days with social commitment, family demand etc)
There are so many little things that can impact your sleep—what you eat, whether or not you exercise, and so much more. But let’s start with the basics: prioritize your sleep. Trust me, the benefits are game-changing in ways you can’t even imagine.
Happy sleeping!