Better Sleep, Better Life

Welcome! If you are here you have probably subscribed to my blog and read my “Professional Pilot’s Guide for Better Sleep and Jet Lag Recovery”

On this page you can find some of my additional recommended resources that can improve your sleep. And if you improve the way you sleep it is guaranteed to improve your health and overall wellbeing.

Know the Value of Sleep

If you are having some serious sleep problems and if it’s negatively affecting your life, you HAVE to do something about it!

Good sleep is extremely important to your wellbeing. Personally I wish I had realized it earlier in my life. I finally understood when I was having sleep problems myself and decided to read this book with my Kindle:

Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success

This is the book I would recommend anyone to buy if you are suffering from sleep deprivation.

Earthing Products

After I found out about the importance of touching the ground and spending time outside I started looking for alternatives.

I live in 7 million people city, which is built with concrete. It is difficult to really get in touch with nature when you live in a big city, and for sure I wouldn’t want to walk with bare feet around here.

Luckily I found some excellent earthing products from Amazon that help me ground myself while at home. I purchased two Earthing Universal Mat that I keep in my office.

I keep one mat on the desk so my arms lay on it while I write on my keyboard. The other mat I keep under my feet. This way I’m in touch with the ground even inside my home!

There are many other earthing products available also. If you don’t get to go out much I would recommend you to search and read reviews of the earthing products in Amazon.

Get In to the Sun

As I mentioned in my sleep guide you should spend some time in sunlight everyday. Unfortunately it is not possible for many of us. When I researched about it I looked for products that simulate sunlight.

I found out that there are many light therapy products available that simulate sunlight. Those are widely used and seem to work for many people. But because I travel a lot I can’t carry around anything big and heave.

Valkee 2 Bright Light Headset - New Model Black

I ended up buying a Valkee Bright Light Headset that shines bright light to your ear canals that is supposed to help your body to start producing the daytime hormones. There is a lot of controversy about this product. It has been called a scam because there is not much scientific proof that it works.

I decided to buy it any way because I liked the idea and I was desperate to improve my sleep. It is an expensive product but I think anything is worth to try if you are suffering.

Although there is no scientific proof of the effects, many people who use the product are satisfied, myself included. I don’t know if I sleep better because I shine some light to my ears, but it seems to help me wake up. In the end I think I sleep better because of combination of the methods I use.

Decaffeniate your Life

In my sleep better guide I discussed you should avoid too much caffeine intake. I found out it really helped me when I switched to decaf coffee. Compared to regular coffee the decaffeinated products have a lot less caffeine them.

They still can have the great taste and smell though, so the good feeling of drinking coffee is still there. There are many brands of decaf coffee, but personally I like the Starbucks Ground Coffee Decaf House Blend Medium mainly because I trust the brand.

Keep the Bedroom Cool

In many apartments, especially in my native Finland, there are no air conditioning units to cool down the apartment. That’s because they are usually not needed due to the cold climate.

But even if you live in colder climate there might be an issue that you bedroom gets too warm to disturb you sleep. Fans and ac units may no be convenient ways for you to cool down.

In that case I would recommend checking out different types of cooling mattress pads. These mattress covers not only protect your mattress but also keep you from getting too hot at night. The hypoallergenic choices, such as Bamboo Mattress Pad with Fitted Skirt - Extra Plush Cooling Topper - Hypoallergenic - Made in the USA, Queen, are excellent if you suffer occasional stuffy nose at night, like I do.

Magnesium

As I discussed in my better sleep guide you should watch what you eat. There are many different nutrients you should get from you food, but the magic mineral is magnesium.

There are many good magnesium supplements easily available. They are an easy way to at least partially help with magnesium deficiency.

The best way for the body to absorb magnesium is through the skin, which is why magnesium bath salts can be very effective way to get good sleep and help your body get the minerals it needs.

If you don’t have a bathtub then there are alternative magnesium sleep lotions or magnesium creams that you can rub on your body at bedtime.

This is one of my favorite products to help me sleep:

Ancient Minerals Magnesium Bath Flakes 8lb - Pure Genuine Zechstein Magnesium Chloride - Bath Salt Supplement - Best for Topical Skin Absorption in Bath and Foot Soaks

Melatonin

You should do your best to let your body to naturally produce melatonin. Sometimes, however, you might want to use some melatonin supplements.

For example when you are jet lagged and want to fall a sleep fast then melatonin supplement should help.

I carry some melatonin with me whenever I travel, but I try to avoid using it too much. If you start to use them regular daily basis it will start to limit your body’s ability to produce the hormone naturally. That’s why be careful using it too often.

Clear You Mind

Meditation is a good way to clear your mind if you are under a lot of stress. There are many meditation videos available online that are a good way to get started. Following instructions on videos is like having a personal trainer in your home guiding you.

If you are interested about more information about meditation there are many good books available also. I am currently reading the Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program.

It seems very informative and got excellent reviews on Amazon. I will be doing the exercises while I’m alone in my hotel rooms during business trips. 🙂

Don’t Forget the Pillow!

Pillow is an item you probably use at least eight hours during every 24 hour period! Even the best pillows I have found cost less than 40 bucks.

I would not try to count my pennies when I’m buying a pillow. It is invaluable in order for you to get good sleep and feel rested in the morning.

There are many memory foam pillow in the market these days. Even better there are pillows that help your head stay cool at night.

I used to turn around in bed and turning my pillow several times at night because my head was getting hot or the pillow was getting flat. Now I use a memory foam pillow with cooling gel and I love it!