Fix Your Sleep by Fixing Your Room

One of the most important steps to a great night of sleep is creating a great sleep environment.

You can do all the sleep tricks, supplements, and breathing exercises you want, but if your room isn’t a good place to sleep, your sleep will struggle.

So what actually makes a room good for sleep?

The goal is simple:

Make your room like a cave.

Cold. And pitch black.

Make Your Room Pitch Black

When it’s time to sleep and you shut the lights off, your goal should be this:

If you put your hand right in front of your face…
you still shouldn’t be able to see it.

So many people have light sneaking into their room—streetlights outside, LEDs from chargers, TVs, or other electronics.

You might think a tiny charger light won’t matter.
It does.

Even small sources of light can disrupt sleep quality.

Simple ways to black out your room:

• Blackout curtains
  These are a game changer, especially if the sun comes up before you do.

• Sleep mask
  You might be thinking, “Nahh, I’m not doing that one.” I thought the same thing.
  
  But I started wearing one when I worked in college basketball and we were constantly on the road. Hotels are full of little lights everywhere. I wore a sleep mask once, and never went back.
  
  I still wear it every night. It makes life simple. No matter where I am, I can make sure it’s dark when I sleep without changing the whole room.

Make Your Room Cold

Have you ever tried to sleep in a hot, stuffy room?

That might be my worst enemy in life.

Heat and sleep do not go well together.

Research suggests the ideal sleep temperature is around 65–68 degrees. That may sound cold to some, but it can make a massive difference in sleep quality.

One simple trick:
Take a warm shower before bed. The hot water raises your body temperature, and when you cool off afterward, your body naturally shifts into a better state for sleep.

Keep It Simple

These aren’t drastic lifestyle changes.

But making your room dark and cool can dramatically improve your sleep.

This is your first step toward better recovery, better performance, improved injury resiliency, and better body composition.

Go check these off tonight.