How to sleep 8 hours in 4 hours – 10 ultimate hacks

Every person is aware of the benefits of a sound sleep. But, do you actually get a sound sleep. As per all the researches, the amount of sleep needed is different in different age groups where a child needs the most sleep. But, as a matter of fact, 8 hours is the optimum time a person should sleep for. If you are the one who is looking for options to sleep for lesser duration and still feel restful and fresh, this article discusses all the necessary hacks for it.

Yeah, it’s true that it is not possible to get the benefits of an 8 hour sleep in just 4 hours and that with feeling fresh and energized, but still there are ways to make you get the best quality sleep in those 4 hours so that you do not feel tired and frustrated when you wake up. Sleep is actually a cycle consisting of four stages. A person need to go through all these stages to get a good quality sleep. If you want to complete this whole cycle in just 4 hours that normally takes around 8 hours, you will need to follow certain hacks. Here are 10 useful hacks you can follow to achieve this :-

Read a book before bed

Stress is one of the worst sleep killers. Your anxiousness can badly affect your sleep routine. And, one of the most successful ways to help reduce this stress is to read a book. Reading a book before going to sleep is very beneficial in de stressing your brain. You don’t really need to read long paragraphs and pages for this purpose. All you require is to feel sleepy. There are a few researches proving that just 6 minutes of reading before bed are enough to make you feel sleepy. In such a short duration, your brain will feel relaxed and you’ll get in the mood to sleep.

Try polyphasic sleep

If you don’t feel like sleeping continuously for 8 hours, give way to polyphasic sleep. Polyphasic sleep involves sleeping multiple times for shorter durations in a period of 24 hours and not once. While there are no proper researches and medical proofs suggesting the effectiveness and side effects of this hack, there are people who have witnessed an improvement in their sleep quality. They were able to sleep more in less time with this trick. There are many cycles you can follow. The most popular cycle is sleeping for 20 minutes for six times in a period of 3 hours in one day. These naps are done at equal intervals within that period.

Maintain a proper sleep routine

Your body has a biological clock that works according to the patterns that you decide. You can alter this clock to work your way. One way to get the good quality sleep is to maintain a proper sleep routine. A distorted daily routine with no exact times for sleeping and waking up can mess with your natural pattern. Help it by deciding a sleep routine and sticking to it. Maintain the same time to go to sleep and to wake up. Follow that particular time all days (even during the weekends). By doing so, your brain will develop a certain pattern. You won’t even need an alarm to wake up as you set your biological clock by maintaining sleep routine.

Reduce your caffeine intake

We drink coffee in the morning because it helps in recharging the mood. It’s because the caffeine present in tea, coffee and sodas actually act as a brain stimulant. It can stimulate the brain activity and reduce drowsiness that makes sleeping more difficult. Hence, it is advised that you should limit the consumption of caffeine. You should not drink caffeine at least 6 hours before bedtime. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you should try to avoid it completely. Along that, any kind of liquid taken before going to bed can disrupt your sleep. It is recommended that you should avoid other fluids too before bedtime.

Stay away from screen

Your eyes need a break from the screen to get into the mood of sleeping. After you’ve exhausted your eyes by glancing at the screen on phones and laptops all the day, if you still keep staring at them, the blue light emitted from such devices will interfere with your body’s natural circadian rhythm. This interferes with your body’s biological clock that decides when it’s the time to sleep or wake up. Hence, you should take a break from electronic devices like laptop, phone, computer or television before going to sleep. Your natural alarm clock system will function properly and you won’t face any sleep problems.

Exercise regularly

One hack you can follow to get sound sleep in less time is to exercise regularly. Indulging in a heavy physical activity will work wonderfully in making you fall asleep easily. You won’t need much effort to relax your brain down and it won’t feel stressed. Exercising in itself is good for your physical and mental health as along with improving blood flow and burning calories, it releases stress reducing hormones in your body. You will feel tired by exercising. However, you should not participate in any heavy physical activity prior to bedtime and maintain enough time difference between exercise and sleep.

Make your bedroom dark

If you are looking to get an 8 hour worth of sleep in 4 hours, you should try to set a dark and peaceful environment for sleeping. A dark environment will let melatonin release in your body. Melatonin is hormone that tells your body that it’s time to sleep. Make your bedroom completely dark and peaceful before going to sleep. Switch off the lights to feel cozier. The bedroom should not be too cold or hot as the temperature can also affect your sleep. Open the windows if it’s hot and let the room temperature be somewhere between 64° – 72° F.

Use journal before bed

People who are over occupied with things and who need to complete new tasks often find it difficult to fall asleep. Generally, their brain gets active right before the bedtime. And, thinking about those endless tasks and activities makes it difficult to get good sleep. If you want to get good quality sleep in less time, you can try using a journal before bed. Whatever the thoughts and ideas rise in your head, simply note that down on the paper. Just keep the journal within a hand distance on a bedside table. You can also note down your anxious thoughts to make them get out of your head. You’ll sleep freely and be having new ideas for the day ahead.

Take a hot bath before bed

Sometimes, the tiredness that you felt all day need to be healed in simple manner. Sleeping will be nicer and easier if you take a pre bedtime bath. And, if need a more particular answer, go for a hot bath. While a hot bath can soothe your muscles, increase the blood flow and relax down your brain before you go to sleep, a cold bath can actually increase the alertness of your brain. That’s why it’s recommended to take a cold shower every morning. Take a hot bath just before sleep and let your body get into the sleeping mood.

Focus on what you eat

Focusing on what you eat can have an impact on your sleep. Try to maintain an overall healthy diet while trying to sleep 8 hours in 4 hours. You can try drinking chamomile tea just before bedtime. The tea has numerous soothing properties making it easier to fall asleep. Cheese and crackers are a good snacking option before going to sleep. They contain a protein that helps in releasing serotonin, a compound that makes your feel happy. Hot milk is another thing to drink before bed.

These are the 10 hacks that you can follow if you are looking to get an 8 hour sleep in 4 hours. Remember that these hacks are suggested to make the sleep more sound and pleasant. If you feel frustrated after you wake up, it suggests that you need more rest. If you do not get enough sleep, you may experience drowsiness, loss of appetite, frequent tiredness and yawning and bad decision making and focus. The chances of getting depression, anxiety, hypertension and stroke may also get high. You can find more ways to increase your energy if you need to limit your sleep. Plan according to how your body reacts.