Sleep is the most evident and pleasant thing that can increase our quality of life, performance, beauty, and mental acuity. Yet, we need to be more proficient at using it.

As a person obsessed with sleep, I want to present my observations based on a bunch of books I read about rest and on the experience of three years of using the OURA RING sleep tracking ring.

The gadget is excellent; it’s probably the best purchase I’ve made in the last 10 years. I have the model 2, and now the model 3 has come out, which also tracks daily metrics. This ring is good because it is not only comfortable to sleep in but also considered very accurate, which is essential for this topic.

Perfect sleep

Let’s start with perfect sleep. Many things will seem obvious and familiar knowledge, but they are worth remembering.

Ideal sleep is 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a row. It is desirable to go to bed before 24 hours, better at 22:00, but you understand it is only sometimes possible. In the period from 22 to 2 a.m., melatonin and something else (on the scientific) is released, you fall into a deep sleep, and the body is actively physically restored. Hence, the clear head, high performance, health, and other pluses.

If you lie down at 1 a.m. because of an exciting TV series and get up at 9 a.m., even though you slept 8 hours — it could be better.

Preferably go to bed and get up at the same time, always, just always, even on weekends. Believe me, it’s incredible and it becomes easy after a couple weeks. It’s the perfect way to get proper sleep.

Experience with the OURA RING

Now, the non-obvious things that have come to light through experience (and that we don’t notice).

1. We are sleeping LESS than we think we are.

Over the past 3 years, my sleep efficiency has averaged 93-94% — meaning that out of my 8 hours of sleep, I’m only really sleeping 7.5. And that’s a perfect figure; you may have less than that. Going to bed at 24 and getting up at 7, you seem to sleep a standard 7, but in reality, it is not; it is probably 6.3 -6.5 hours (which is not enough).

Important: I don’t notice these wake-ups physically, but they are there.

2. We sleep worse than we think we do.

The body does many things for perfect sleep, but we actively interfere with it. That’s just the way we are as humans. For example, drinking coffee in the evening or reading the news at bedtime.

Caffeine is eliminated from the body in 9 hours, so a cup of coffee drunk at 15:00 in the afternoon interferes with your sleep at 23:00. I’m a huge coffee, so I’ve solved the problem with decaffeinated coffee and only drink herbal teas in the evenings.

Alcohol. Here’s the bad news. In short, alcohol and sleep are the main enemies. The effects are drastic. Even half a glass of wine drunk at an early dinner affects sleep metrics, and I won’t even talk about large doses. If you’ve had a little alcohol, you may not feel the change in sleep, but it’s there, the metrics change, trust me. And yes, if you thought the dude can’t drink, no, he very much can, haha.

Evening and night sports training
I won’t even talk about night sports training, you should sleep at night, not run and pull weights. About evening I can not say unequivocally, everyone has his own way, and it is a matter of habit and sports form. I had a negative experience. There was an experiment: swimming pool from 22 to 23. Normal sleep was disturbed. But you may have your own way, I can’t judge.

Dinner has a definite effect. I am not an expert here either; I try not to eat after 20 hours.

3. Good and evil sleep is an accumulative thing.

You can’t get enough sleep in one go; your orgasm needs at least a small cycle to get into the perfect tone. For example, my vitals are perfect if it takes me a week of regular, undisturbed sleep. Once again, a consistent sleep schedule is everything.

There is good news: one lousy night, a short sleep does not radically disturb your tone (although it is probably also individual). The critical point is that you may not get enough sleep every day, just a little bit at a time, and not notice it. This is where gadgets like OURA help us.

Now for some tips.

Standard:

Good mattress and pillow, «night mode» on all gadgets 2 hours before bedtime (better no gadgets at all, haha), blackout curtains in the bedroom.

Cold room with fresh air — preferably, the bedroom should be ventilated and cooled down to 19 degrees Celsius one way or another.

Personal:

• Earplugs are a magical thing for a great night’s sleep. There are 100500 kinds, made of different materials. You can buy a test set of other materials and find the perfect ones, for example, «OHROPAX earplugs test set.» I use the classic OHROPAX or Quies wax ones.
• A sleep mask is another magical thing. Just trust me. I use the OHROPAX silk mask, too. Bonus: You’re like a pop or rock star in your crib.
• Meditation — well, everything is clear and transparent here
• In general, a set of evening rituals that help you get into sleep mode: air out the bedroom, read a paper book, meditate, etc. Here, I can recommend the Telegram bot «Slippy,» an exciting thing that helps to work out such rituals.

To conclude this article, I emphasize that sleep is a mandatory part of our lives and a powerful tool to improve its quality. We have looked at ideal sleep, regularity, and the impact of various factors, such as caffeine and alcohol, on sleep quality.

The experience of using the OURA RING has confirmed that monitoring and understanding your sleep contributes to better optimization. Whether you are a sleep professional or just starting to care for your sleep, these lessons and tips will help you gain a new perspective and capitalize on its potential for a happier and healthier life. Remember, sleep is not a luxury but an integral part of our well-being that should be valued and improved.