Sleep Smarter Book Review

I learned about Shawn Stevenson and his book, Sleep Smarter: 21 Proven Tips to Sleep Your Way To a Better Body, Better Health and Bigger Success  when he was invited as guest on Onnits Total Human Optimization Podcast. In his book, Shawn points out some of the many reasons why sleep is important and gives tips on how you can optimize it. Some of the tips given were obvious but others forced me to really evaluate some of my own nightly rituals (like drinking coffee in the evening).

Some of the Side effects from lack of sleep:

• Encourages Depression and Heart Disease
• Reduction of Glucose to the Brain
• Stress
• Less Creativity

Some of the Benefits of better sleep quality:

• Improves brain Function
• Increases Physical Energy
• Boosts Metabolism

By following the tips, I was able to improve my overall sleep quality and lessen the amount of times I woke up throughout the night. Getting a solid 8+ hours a night has made a huge impact on my daily family, fitness and work life. I think the book is a must read that's full of some "duh, no shit" tips but also many advanced tips. 

Still not convinced you need to get your ass more hours in the bed? Check out these other articles on sleep:
Sleep Loss=Weight Gain
Coffee doesn’t give you energy, it just fools your brain into thinking it isn’t tired

Being Colder May Be Good For Your Health

Also  check out this TED Talk: Jeff Iliff: One more reason to get a good night’s sleep | Talk Video | TED.com