Another data point: IIRC, Will MacAskill says he gets 9 hours or he doesn’t function at his best. (I think I heard that in his Tim Ferriss interview.)
Some things that have helped me to sleep, in case they help you:
10 minutes of sunlight within 2 hours of your average wake time, preferably within 30 minutes. In practice I like to get more sun than this, as it makes me more alert.
Soft lights at night. E.g. I have a lamp with a 5W LED (and an extra paper shade to stop flare from the top); and right before bed I switch to a string of tiny LEDs that runs on AA batteries.
Get physically tired at least once per day. We are meat robots and the meat needs to move. Even if I can’t get properly tired, I engage in some kind of deliberate movement.
Trigger action plans for the habits that make my sleep worse: e.g. If I’m scrolling social media, pause for two deep breaths. (Gives me a boost of alertness and a few seconds to reassess what I’m doing.)
Don’t aim for sleep. Aim for a restful meditation. Sometimes I just drift in and out of light sleep – it’s restful, and often results in falling properly asleep.
Another data point: IIRC, Will MacAskill says he gets 9 hours or he doesn’t function at his best. (I think I heard that in his Tim Ferriss interview.)
Some things that have helped me to sleep, in case they help you:
10 minutes of sunlight within 2 hours of your average wake time, preferably within 30 minutes. In practice I like to get more sun than this, as it makes me more alert.
Soft lights at night. E.g. I have a lamp with a 5W LED (and an extra paper shade to stop flare from the top); and right before bed I switch to a string of tiny LEDs that runs on AA batteries.
Get physically tired at least once per day. We are meat robots and the meat needs to move. Even if I can’t get properly tired, I engage in some kind of deliberate movement.
Trigger action plans for the habits that make my sleep worse: e.g. If I’m scrolling social media, pause for two deep breaths. (Gives me a boost of alertness and a few seconds to reassess what I’m doing.)
Don’t aim for sleep. Aim for a restful meditation. Sometimes I just drift in and out of light sleep – it’s restful, and often results in falling properly asleep.
Thank you for the thorough post.