The impact of sleep on our mental state
TOP 3 TIPS TO IMPROVE SLEEP
Introduction
Sleep is a critical pillar of our daily lives, yet it’s often treated as an afterthought. While comfort and personal preference matter, the idea that we should just sleep “whenever and however” is a trap. To truly function at your peak, you need more than just rest — you need a disciplined strategy. It sounds harsh and at first, if you are used to staying up all night and not paying attention to your mental and physical health, it might seem impossible. However, great things do require some small sacrifices, so let us begin with the three tips.
Tip 1: Reject the “Sleep is for the Weak” Myth
Stop viewing sleep deprivation as a badge of honour. Staying up late for frivolous reasons — like scrolling through apps or binge-watching movies — only exacerbates anxiety and helplessness. Using coffee to mask exhaustion is a temporary fix for a permanent problem; true strength comes from giving your brain the recovery time it actually requires. Besides that, remember that using caffeine to wake up and stay active only to then have that same ingredient keep you from falling asleep late at night, only reinforces this cycle of bad sleep hygiene and morning grogginess. I am not saying that you should quit caffeine for good and cold turkey. Instead, try to slowly taper off and go back to one to two cups of coffee a day. Both of these cups should be ideally before 4p.m. This is because caffeine half-time is typically around five hours, which means half of it exitst your system after five hours of consumpation.
Tip 2: Prioritize Consistency and Quality
Aim for a minimum of seven hours of uninterrupted sleep. “Good sleep” isn’t just about the total hours; it’s about maintaining a steady rhythm. Avoid the “yo-yo” schedule of going to bed at 11:00 p.m. one night and 1:00 a.m. the next. Keeping consistent intervals allows your body to regulate its internal systems effectively. Now, seven hours is not a set in stone number, some people may need eight hours, especially if they are sleep-deprived or they do exhausting labour work during the day. Try to find the amount of sleep ideal for you by experimenting. The second part of tip number two is the most important however. By going to bed and waking up at the consisten times leads to more REM-sleep and therefore better sleep quality making you feel more fresh in the morning. Try it for at least a week and you will see change!
Tip 3: Respect the Midnight Boundary
Endeavor to be in bed and asleep before midnight. If you stay awake past this threshold, your body’s natural “second wind” or internal alarm may activate, making it much harder to drift off later. By retiring earlier, you work with your biology rather than against it. I believe you can see this in your own life, when you went to bed at lets say 2 p.m., did you really feel fresh when you woke up? Even if that waking was at around 11a.m, were you feeling fresh? I willing to bet that you did not. That is because by retiring to bed so late you force your body to release some adrenaline to allow you to function during "overtime", but that adrenaline does not allow afterwards to have a good, deep sleep. So skip all those overnight unneccessary ventures and go to bed before midnight.
Conclusion
If you prioritize your sleep regimen, your sleep will prioritize your mental health. Be smarter than the trend of burnout — choose quality rest to ensure you can operate at your optimal level every single day.
About the Creator
Charilaos Spanoudis
Clinical geneticist
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