The power of good sleep is often discounted by many busy professionals. Recharging with ample sleep is not an option but a necessity for success. Let’s learn the 5 game-changing steps to a perfect night’s sleep.

Sleep deprivation hits women harder. Biological changes across women’s lifespan which are regulated by hormones like menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause commonly impact sleep. Many of the female professionals I work with get less than 6 hours of sleep and often complain of waking up worrying about work, finances, and deadlines. Their health and well-being suffer because of lack of sleep.

The High Price of Insufficient Sleep: lack of sleep impacts our biological systems and can throw things out of whack. Even one night of insufficient sleep makes our brain fuzzy leading to poor decision-making, stress reactivity, irritability, and incapable to execute tasks. And here’s the real kicker: if we keep skimping on sleep over time, it’s been linked to some major health issues like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even depression.

Here are some practical tips to improve your sleep:

Develop a Strategy: Sleeping adequate hours consistently is a goal you can achieve by understanding what good sleep is by doing research, consulting with a wellness coach, and then implementing the science-backed techniques and measuring the results. Like anything worth striving for it’s a goal you can reach with a plan.

Prep the Room: The most vital part of sleep hygiene is to improve and take care of your sleep environment. The room you sleep in should be cool and dark. Excessive light disrupts the circadian rhythm. Blackout curtains or sleep masks are some good ways to avoid bright lights from outside.

Keep your room free of technological devices because these devices can keep your brain wired. The blue light from these devices suppresses the natural melatonin production in our body, making it hard to sleep. Try to disconnect at least an hour before going to bed. Keep your bedroom cool for optimal sleep. Research suggests keeping the room between 65 and 68 degrees.

Don’t Snooze the Alarm: It is very challenging for our body and brain to get accustomed to a sleep routine if we have irregular sleep patterns. With a regular sleep schedule, you will experience enhanced focus, better cognition, and better mood regulation. This rule applies to weekends and holidays when you might be tempted to sleep in. Consistency is all about feeling refreshed and taking on the day with charged-up battery.

Get Some Sunshine: Our bodies have this cool thing called the circadian rhythm, and it gets all regulated by light exposure. Sunlight is like the superstar of this whole sleep cycle thing. Try to spend at least 30 minutes outside during the day. A healthy dose of natural light will reset your internal clock.

Relax Before Bed: One of the reasons we can’t sleep and stay asleep is because our brain is still active at night thinking about work deadlines or team conflicts. These stressors keep the sympathetic nervous system, the reactive branch of our autonomic nervous system active. It’s much easier to fall asleep if you are relaxed and your mind is calm.

Here are some ways to relax: read a book, try some controlled breathing, listen to chill music, take a bomb bath, or get into some super relaxing yoga poses. Speaking of yoga, even simple moves like the forward fold, legs up the wall, and downward dog can help get your blood flowing to your heart and head. This activates the “rest and digest” side of your automatic nervous system (aka the parasympathetic branch). So not only will these activities help you catch some z’s, but they’ll also keep you sleeping like a champ!

An optimal amount of restorative sleep is vital for health and wellbeing. Try the above suggestions for a good night’s rest. Let me know in the comments how you like to sleep better.