I would flip the script on Virginia Wolf and her famous quote that “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”.

Sleep reins supreme.

Near every aspect of life can be improved with a solid night of quality shut-eye. Want to increase your fitness, focus, decision making, relationship, and energy levels? Start with improving sleep.

Kick Start and Humble Pie

Not just any ol’ sleep though, what I’m slowing working towards is that consistent, quality sleep.

I thought I was doing well, or at least “well enough”. Normally there’s no point in trying to reach me past 8pm but then there are other nights where it’s midnight and I’m still scrolling social media. But I’d sleep in so it’s cool, right?

I purchased a Whoop monitor last spring. It was perfect, as someone that needs little reminders to manage stress and health, Whoop’s focus on recovery, strain, and sleep seemed ideal.

I was quickly served humble pie. The trending data highlighted my bad habits, which includes “sufficient yet inconsistent” sleep habits. Cool cool cool.

Do Less, Better Update

In last week’s newsletter I mentioned that progress includes setbacks. One of my setbacks was that I was binging shows/movies beyond just here and there. It was a time suck and I didn’t feel great about it. So I deleted both Netflix and Prime accounts, which has been a mix uncomfortable and freeing.

Added bonus of removing evening screen time? My sleep quality analytics started improving.

The (Happy) Curve Ball

Things were looking good, then I had an annual physical and the labs revealed some red flags. The doctor prescribed supplementation for those specific deficiencies. After two months of supplementation, I became a human energy bunny. Is this what it feels like to have all systems in the green?! Instead of being tired, I was full of beans in the evenings. I started walking more, working out, dancing even. I needed to burn myself out during the day or sleep times would creep up to midnight again. I view this as a win-win.

The Path I Took

Besides jettisoning tv/movie subscriptions and increasing movement during the day, here are a few other habits that support a good night’s rest:

• No food a few hours before bed

• Cooler thermostat setting at night

• Taking magnesium after supper

• Reading in the evening

• Ditching the morning alarm

What works for you will likely differ.

Ok, but what about worrying about all the things that need to be done the next day? Our minds are brilliant at keeping us up at night. Well, that’s where the “do less, better” mentality comes in again. If I can’t get in done during the 10 hours I’ve set for myself then it’s taken off the list completely. And since I know that I can get what I need to done during the work week, that time is scheduled for work/errands/demands - I choose not to worry about it.

The Results

It’s too early to celebrate real results but I can say that there have been more recoveries ‘in the green’ on Whoop, and even thought my sleep hours are still inconsistent, the quality is A1.

Bonuses for a Big Life

Additional resources that I think have big impact on our potential for living a big big life.

Although there are a lot of great health monitors out there, this one is my favourite and keeps me drivin’ between the mayo and the mustard in regards to enjoying optimal health. Get a free WHOOP 4.0 and one month free when you join with my link.

Anyone else thoroughly enjoying the Huberman Lab podcast by Dr Andrew Huberman?! Sign up for his monthly Neural Network newsletter and you’ll gain access to past articles, including the Sleep Tool Kit.

There’s a new resource page at vickiemlanthier.com! It will continue to build over time and includes the worksheets and exercises that I use to support having that big big life we all deserve.