How to Not Suck at Sleep: 5 Simple Tips for Catching More Z's

View full article on nomeatathlete.com

By Jackson Long and Matt Tullman

Developing a consistent — healthy — nightly routine for yourself can be profound for syncing up the body clock and promoting restful sleep. Here’s one way to incorporate some of the tips, but don’t be afraid to modify it based on your circumstances (because, life and kids). The important part is getting the body used to winding down and waking up around the same time.

30 minutes before bed: Wind down with a book and cold-environment bedroom. (And maybe enjoy a... sleep aid like Som — see below for Matt Frazier’s note.)

Note from Matt Frazier: To wrap up this post about sleep, I want to point you in the direction of a new sleep product I’ve experimented with, and that (much to my surprise) I actually really like.

My occasional sleep troubles are well-told on NMA Radio, and I’ve found this product (called Som) to be really helpful on nights when my mind is racing and I can’t fall asleep, or when I need to acclimate to a new time zone. It’s been particularly helpful before the two trips to Europe I’ve taken in the past few months. (And just so you know, I don’t have any financial or affiliate relationship with Som, but the company’s CEO John Shegerian is an acquaintance, he sent me a few cans to try out, and I want to help spread the word around their launch this week.)

Som is designed to be drunk a half hour before you get in bed, to help you fall asleep. I’m normally suspicious of any sort of sleep aid, but Som is drug-free; its active ingredients are naturally produced in your body or found in a healthy diet (magnesium, vitamin B6, l-theanine, GABA, and melatonin), and of course it’s vegan. And for what it’s worth, it tastes really good; I actually think of it as a treat on the occasional nights when I drink one before bed.