By fAVIOLA VALENCIA-ARANDA
Are you losing sleep due to your small business goals? Well, you could be derailing your efforts to reach those goals faster. Sleep is crucial for your health and wellness — and even your success. So, here is how you can help yourself get more of it.
Your Tech Could Be Keeping You Up
Being a successful small business owner often means being attached to your laptop and smartphone. But if you make a habit of bringing those devices into your bedroom, you could be disrupting your sleep quality.
The bright blue light emitted from cell phones, computers, tablets, and televisions prevents your brain from producing the melatonin needed to fall asleep soundly and stay there for enough time.
Getting those devices out of your room is a good first step to enhancing your sleep levels. While most tech should be banished from your bedroom, some smart devices are actually made to help you sleep.
If you have problems getting your business to-do list out of your head, using a noise machine can help calm your brain, or you could look into a vibrating alarm clock so you are not jolted out of your dreams by noise.
“Selfcare is so important for the daily and business life, so take care of yourself, we only have 1 life, so let’s take care of it the best we can! – Faviola”
Quality Sleep Is Key to Your Success
In business, a busy schedule is prized. However, if your schedule as an entrepreneur is getting in the way of your sleep hygiene, you could be impacting your success.
You need sleep in order to focus on getting your business up and running and to keep yourself healthy enough to do your best every day. So, freeing up some of that work time for more sleep can actually be more beneficial for your business.
If bouts of insomnia are keeping you up, know that sleeplessness is common among entrepreneurs too. All the emotions and thoughts that are racing through your head can make it hard to wind down, even when you schedule to sleep. If you cannot get the seven to eight hours you need every night, at least take steps to improve your sleep quality. Keep your bedroom cool and dark so you can get the most out of the rest you do get.
Your Night Routine Plays a Critical Role
Even if you get your tech out of the bedroom and schedule time for sleep, it still may not be enough.
Your nighttime habits before bedtime affect your sleep quality as much as what you do in your bedroom. Try winding down your work assignments earlier and getting into bed so that you can get an earlier beginning to your day.
If your usual nighttime routine includes checking emails and answering phone calls, you may need to adjust those practices too. In order to get the rest, you need to be successful, you have to guard your personal time.
Set out-of-office hours that will give you time to unwind before crawling into bed. Doing so from the start will help you maintain that positive balance between your work and life as you become more successful.
But Your Health Routines Have an Impact Too
The way you care for yourself during the day matters just as much too.
For example, many entrepreneurs reach for the most convenient food and beverages to keep themselves going. Before you reach for that high-fat snack, however, you should know that it could end up keeping you awake.
More fat and processed foods in your diet can lead to disruptions in necessary sleep processes, as well as digestive issues that can make you too uncomfortable to sleep. An imbalanced gut can lead to an upset stomach, constipation, and other problems that can make it harder to sleep.
So, think about meal prepping some healthier options, and also consider getting in daily workouts, which will help you sleep better too.
Sleep is not an option, especially if you hope to start and run your own small business. Your brain needs sleep in order to focus and get those crucial business tasks done.
So, if you are looking for long-term sleep as an entrepreneur, make sure that better sleep hygiene is listed on your shortlist of life and business goals.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
