Sleep is a skill, not an identity.

Whatever your sleep is like now, know that you can change.

Sleep is a skill, not a trait. If you’re having trouble sleeping, the following strategies have the potential to transform your sleep life.

1. Train yourself to believe you can handle less-than-ideal sleep.

When you worry, your body becomes alert and vigilant. This state of physiological arousal interferes with sleep, and—if it continues over time—you may even begin to define yourself as “a bad sleeper.”

Reframe those beliefs using a nuanced perspective.

For example:

• I might lose sleep occasionally, but other nights will probably be okay.

• I’m not feeling my best, but I can do some exercise / work and maybe find a few moments of joy in my day.

• Sleep is just one aspect of good health. If I don’t sleep well, I can still make sure I eat nutritious foods, drink enough water, and maybe get outside for a few deep breaths.

2. Have a consistent sleep-wake schedule.

Oversleeping can reduce your sleep drive.

Your sleep drive is a biological hunger for sleep that accumulates while you’re awake. When you sleep in, you delay that hunger… which is why you might still be wide awake at 2 am the following night.

Spend only as much time in bed as you need (for most adults, that’s 7-9 hours) and stick to the regular sleep-wake programming, even on weekends when you could lounge in bed until noon.

• If your energy is highest in the mornings, and you’re often the first one to leave a party (yawning), you’re probably an “early bird.”

• If your energy is higher later in the day, and you have a mug that says, “But first, coffee,” you’re probably a “night owl.”

Once you understand your individual patterns, you can try to work with them—waking when you’re more likely to feel energetic and going to bed when you’re more likely to feel sleepy—rather than fight them.

Waking up at the same time, even on weekends and off days, is a well-established way to create a strong sleep cycle.To do this, you can set a bedtime alarm to go off 30-60 minutes before your scheduled bedtime to remind you to start relaxing.

3. Create a safe sleep space.

Anything that disturbs that sense of safety can trigger hypervigilance—a constantly elevated state of scanning your environment for potential threats, closely connected to anger and anxiety. This includes conflict with your bedmate, feeling overloaded at work, or that swirling anxiety triggered by the nightly news.

What you need for better sleep will be specific to your life, but here’s what’s worked for some of our clients:

• Buying some really soft sheets

• Installing an alarm system and improved door locks

• Having something for white noise, or wearing ear plugs

• Decluttering your bedroom, so it feels peaceful and “zen”

• Planning one small moment of pleasure or relaxation for the next day to look forward to

• Resolving that argument with your spouse/friend/mother

• Leaving the TV and some lights on so potential intruders know that someone’s home

• Sleeping with your big, protective dog (OUR FAVORITE)

(- Resources- Precision Nutrition)