Are You Getting the Best Sleep Possible?

Are You Getting the Best Sleep Possible?

No matter how active you are or how well you eat, NOTHING can replace a good night's sleep.

A proper night's sleep has immeasurable benefits, including reduction of stress, weight loss, allowing the body to heal, repair, and detoxify itself, keeping your heart healthy, boosting memory retention, and lowering the risk of depression, just to name a few!

But are we truly getting the most out of our sleep? Since we spend literally 1/3 of our lives sleeping, we should take every measure we can to ensure we're feeling rested when we wake up.

Over the last many years, I've come up with a structure and some good habits in preparation for my bedtime. The results and benefits have been nothing short of life changing, and I hope they'll do the same for you!

How Much Sleep Should You be Getting?

According to the National Sleep Foundation (yup. That exists.), the ideal amount of sleep varies with age. I can't say there's a rhyme or reason to any of these numbers, but here's what they recommend:

Ages 14-17 = 8-10 hours
Ages 18-25 = 7-9 hours
Ages 26-64 = 7-9 hours
Ages 64-beyond = bonus time / you're still alive?!?

In an ideal world, we'd all find this allotted amount of time to rest. Unfortunately, life can be busy as well as unpredictable, not to mention that we're all hustling to slay our daily dragons. With that said, how do we ensure that we get the proper amount of sleep each night? Well, the answer it quite simple:

Make it a priority.

Yeesh. It just got super adult in here. But fear not! The following suggestions are practices I've implemented into my daily life, so much so that NOT doing any of these things would feel weird. These will all help ensure you get the most out of your night's rest:

- Stick to a schedule
Even though life can get busy, in making sleep a priority it's important to try and have your bedtime at or around the same time each night. In doing this, your body, will know and feel when it's time to start shutting things down for the night.

- Take inventory of your 'Bedroom Environment'
Living in an NYC studio, our bedroom is pretty much a part of the rest of our apartment! Fortunately, our layout has given us a small nook in which to place our bed in. We were also able to hang some drapes about 2/3 of the way down the length of the mattress so we can block out any excess light and a minimal amount of noise. We also have some plants in the apartment, providing fresh oxygen to the entire space.



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Lighting is also an important part of establishing your sleeping environment. We have a single candle lit with a very soothing scent, as well as some soft hanging lights above our windows and behind our bed frame, making the majority of the apartment dark. Mood lighting, if you will. It does in fact feel romantic in a way, except this date is a date with yourself. This all ties into making yourself and your quality of sleep a priority.

Another helpful perk is soft music! My personal favorites are the Sleep Meditation music videos on YouTube, most of which are 8 hours long!

-(this might be the toughest one) UNPLUG from your electronics


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I've made it more or less of a habit to unplug from all electronics 1 hour before I wanna be asleep. If you're like me, you spend a lot of time either in front of your TV, computer, or phone. It's a part of our daily lives now, which has a lot of great benefits! But when it comes to shutting your brain down, staying glued to any one of these devices does the exact opposite.

One of the greatest settings on my IPhone is the 'Do Not Disturb' function, which shuts off all alters to you while you prepare for bed. You can modify it for certain people to be able to contact you in case of an emergency. There's also a night light setting on it, which softens the light from your phone, making it easier on your eyes! If you MUST check your phone before bed, the night light setting is a great alternative to keep stimulation at a minimum.

Another great tip regarding your phone is keeping it as far away from your bed as possible. The electromagnetic waves that pass through your phone can still stimulate your brain the closer it is your body, even if you're not holding or using it. I place mine on the opposite side of the room, out of reach and out of mind.

-Exercise regularly



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Do some type of exercise at least once a day, even of it's walking! An hour total is preferential, keeping your heart healthy and your stress levels low! This is especially beneficial if you work at a job that has you sitting most of the day.

-Stretch for a few minutes

If you have an open area to do so, give yourself 5 minutes to do a full body stretch before bed. This will help release any lactic acid in your muscles, as well as provide them some much needed oxygen through deep, focussed breathing. It makes ALL of the difference, believe me.

-NO alcohol or caffeine late in the day



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These can both keep your heart pumping and the sugars flowing through your bloodstream. Try to keep caffeine intake before noon, and if you're going to drink, give yourself a few hours before you go to bed, allowing it to digest properly and help your body shut down. If your digestive track is still working, then you'll be awake!

These are all great ideas for constructing a 'Bedtime Routine.' As an actor there are certain habits and traditions I've adopted when preparing for a shoot or a live performance, none of them to be skipped over or missed. I know that if I make time for these things, make them a PRIORITY, then I feel secure in the task set before me, even if it's sleeping and recharging my body!

LASTLY, dear reader, there are a few supplements that can greatly help you find the perfect nights sleep, which include probiotics and omega oil! Below are descriptions and benefits for both supplements, as well as links to the ones Megan and I use:

ProBiotic - Most professionals recommend taking a probiotic either in the morning or at night before bedtime. The reason being is because the acid levels in your stomach, as well as the pH balance are both very low, allowing the bacterial strains in the probiotic to attach themselves to the intestinal lining with ease and work more efficiently. We carry EVERYTHING in our guts, including our emotions! If it's not balanced properly, our entire system is thrown off.

Click here for ProBio5!

Omega Oils - These oils are proven to help with joint and and arthritic issues, and taking them before bed helps minimize chronic joint pain, be it from overuse or old age! And when you wake up the oils help you out in the morning, helping fight dry eyes, gum health, and again, aching joints.

Click here for MegaX!

There are multiple options for these kinds of supplements online, but the ones above are the ones we take regularly, and we absolutely swear by them. :)

The world is a crazy place, now more than ever. We need to be kind to each other and ourselves, and that starts with creating good habits and taking the absolute best care of ourselves, mind, body, and soul. I hope these tips will be helpful for you in getting the best night's sleep possible, so that you can indeed Rise & Be Well!

Love, light, and blessings to you all, today and always.

-Ben


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