I really like this ap….it gently brings you back to you circadian rhythm by teaching you and sending reminders..very interesting & effective. It also tells you best timing of last meal and peak energy times for focused work.It even tells you time of last coffee.
Bringing the Two Laws of Sleep together.
To quickly rehash: the Two Laws of Sleep are based on minimizing sleep debt and heeding the call of your circadian rhythm. Your sleep and daily energy are the most effective levers you can pull to improve your productivity, outlook, and physical wellbeing. While these laws operate independently of one another, they also play off each other:
Falling into step with your circadian rhythm means finding your ideal sleep duration and sleep regularity, which ultimately helps you curb your sleep debt. And when your sleep debt is low, you have more energy across the board and so your circadian peaks will be more productive and your dips will be less pronounced.
Find your natural sleep schedule.
First thing's first, your circadian rhythm craves consistency, and taking small steps towards a more consistent sleep schedule is one of the most powerful moves you can make if you want to start sleeping more and feeling better.
A secret is that your body is already sending signals letting you know when to go for the gold and when to rest. But because our bodies are also evolutionarily programmed to override feelings that might slow us down and compromise our survival (i.e. exhaustion), these signals sometimes get drowned out. But the more consistent you’re able to be with your daily (and nightly) schedule, the more readily you’re able to tune into what your body’s telling you and make small personalized changes accordingly.
Here are our top tips for sustainable consistency:
Protect your wind-down time:
Your body naturally slows down in the evening to give you plenty of time to decompress before bed, and it’s important that you take this energy dip as a cue to call it quits on your workday. Here you’ll want to switch into relaxation mode and avoid anything that requires excess mental or physical energy or causes stress. Consider this wind-down window as your body rewarding you for making it through another day, and treat yourself to a warm shower or bath, a gentle yoga session, or some other enjoyable, low-stakes activity.
Get acquainted with your Melatonin Window:
If you remember from yesterday’s email, your bedtime should fall within your Melatonin Window, as this is the circadian phase when your brain is producing the optimal amount of melatonin to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. As your brain produces melatonin, all of your internal systems respond by powering down. Your body knows when it wants to go to bed--you just need to listen and prioritize sleep during this time. Sleeping according to your ideal circadian timing leads to higher quality sleep, more energy during the day, and improved overall health and wellbeing.
Establish a pattern:
Have you slept in on Sunday and felt groggy for most of the morning? That's because your grogginess--aka sleep inertia--is overlapping your morning energy peak. Keep your wake time consistent (within an hour or so) even on weekends to prevent disruption to your circadian rhythm. Not only this, but studies also show that irregular sleep-wake patterns negatively impact performance and mood.
Be more productive by arranging your day's activities according to your peaks and dips.
When you wake up, ask yourself: what requires my highest level of attention and focus today? Your morning and evening peaks are the best times to schedule critical decision-making, presentations, analysis, collaboration, homework, etc.
Defer mundane or routine tasks to the first 90 minutes after you wake up or your afternoon dip, when your energy, focus, and attention will naturally be limited. Your afternoon dip is also a great time to exercise, meditate, or get outside for some sunlight.
Optimizing productivity and performance.
Your circadian rhythm and sleep debt produce daily changes in critical aspects of your physical and mental performance. Here’s are some suggestions on how to use these levers to your benefit:
Harness your peaks: If you have some flexibility in your schedule and optimizing your performance is a goal, then make it so you’re tackling your most high-stakes activities during either your morning or evening peak.
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Be proactive about sleep debt: The lower your sleep debt, the sharper and more energized you’ll feel during your peaks. So if you have an upcoming meeting or event where you need to be at your absolute best, begin preparing in advance by getting your sleep debt as low as possible. This will ensure your energy peak will be at peak potential when you need it most
Don’t forget about naps: Naps are a great way to pay down sleep debt without disrupting your circadian rhythm. Use your afternoon energy dip to grab a power nap (20 minutes) for a quick pick-me-up, and full-cycle naps (90 minutes) for more enduring restorative benefits.
You can reduce the impact of energy dips.
While you can’t outrun your energy dips, there are things you can do to minimize their impact. Here are our suggestions:
Lighten the cognitive load: You can still be productive during your dips--productivity just looks different! Use this time to get routine or mundane tasks out of the way so you can preserve your peaks for what matters most.
Keep sleep debt in check: As touched on earlier, low sleep debt is your most effective tool for keeping dip-effects to a minimum. Your dips will be less disruptive the more well-slept you are.
Consider caffeine: Drinking caffeine at a slow pace in the morning is a great way to feel less groggy during this natural low-energy period. But don’t forget that caffeine stays in your system for up to 10 hours, so don’t make it the default for your afternoon dip or you run the risk of disrupting that night’s sleep.
What's Next?
At this point, you might be wondering how we come up with the predictions we do. How do we know when your first peak will kick off, or when your Melatonin Window will be? These are great questions. What it comes down to is tracking the exact right sleep data points, which we then pair with our “secret sauce” (aka our proprietary algorithms) to get your highly accurate and personalized energy schedule each day. Tomorrow we’ll spend a little time demystifying the whole process for you.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, message us in the RISE app.
Jeff from Rise 💤
It looks like this…
