Sleep is therefore essential for good performance at work. But how can you ensure that you sleep well? First, it is important to ensure that you have good sleep hygiene. This starts with adopting a certain number of rather simple habits.

Sleep hygiene is:

• Find a behavioral routine that you can perform, in the same order, every night. For example: take a hot bath, brush your teeth, put on a bathrobe.

• Do not use a tablet or phone one hour before going to sleep. The blue light emitted by these devices blocks the production of melatonin.

• Do not exercise two hours before bedtime.

  
  

  Keep a cool room and a comfortable bed.

Once you have prepared for your night, falling asleep should happen quickly. If this is not the case, there are a few possible strategies. When we have stressful thoughts or worries before falling asleep, we activate, in spite of ourselves, our sympathetic nervous system. However, falling asleep cannot happen if this system is activated. It is therefore important to find a way to neutralize these thoughts that cause us stress.

Of the many strategies that exist, I propose three.

1. Thought Diversion First, consciously redirect all work-related questions to a specific time. As soon as the work-related (or other stressful) thought arises, I redirect it to a time when I can put myself into problem-solving mode.

Thought: “What if the sales department fails to hit the numbers?”

Parade: "I'll think about it tomorrow when I get to the office. For now, it's time to sleep."

2. Develop a narrative

Second strategy: develop an internal narrative that helps you calm down. The most effective narrative is usually one that has a beginning, middle, and end. It should be soothing and enjoyable. It can be fantasy (imagine being the hero of a science fiction story), emotional (imagine attending your daughter's graduation ceremony), or simply situational (imagine sunbathing on the beach). This narrative will block out thoughts related to sources of stress, making your task easier because you will naturally have another thought to turn to.

3. Never look at your alarm clock during the night.

So, how do you fall back asleep more easily after waking up at night? To counteract these awakenings, a very effective strategy is to never look at the time, because this information can become threatening. It can provoke thoughts such as:

"What will I do tomorrow if I don't go back to sleep? I only slept four hours!"

"I won't be effective in tomorrow's meeting if I don't get back to sleep quickly."

The solution? Treat the night as a dichotomous thing. There is a time to sleep and a time not to sleep. This involves using an alarm clock, placing it out of sight, and waiting for the alarm to go off before getting up. Never knowing the time when you wake up also helps neutralize the thoughts that keep you awake.

A tool for you

Sleep is fundamental to the proper functioning of the individual. The trap is to believe that one can function well without good sleep hygiene. Charles Morin's program can greatly help you find restful nights of sleep. I leave you the reference.

Overcoming the Enemies of Sleep , Charles Morin, Éditions de l'homme, 2009.