Today (January 3rd) is the Festival of Sleep Day. I’ve always been a big fan of sleep, so I thought the day should be marked. I also believe improving your sleep can make you more money.
Having suffered with chronic fatigue, I understand the importance of getting enough rest and how lacking energy can impact all aspects of your life and your health. Your finances are no exception sadly.
This is why I’ve decided to write this post on how improving your sleep can make you more money. I’ve also included some simple tips on how you can improve your sleep.
In this post I’ll cover:
- Why sleep is important
- How improving your sleep can make you more money
- Other ways sleep can help you make more money
- Simple ways to improve your sleep
Why sleep is important
We’ve all heard that adults should aim to get between 7 and 9 hours’ sleep a week.
But why?
Sleep is essential – it is as important to our bodies as eating, drinking and breathing. It is vital for maintaining good mental and physical health. Sleeping helps you recover from mental as well as physical exertion.
Sleep and health are strongly related – poor sleep can increase the risk of having poor health. This is a vicious cycle as poor health can make it harder to sleep.
How improving your sleep can make you more money
Sleeping more may seem counterintuitive to making more money, but it can genuinely help.
Simply put, good sleep gives you energy and time. You can use both of these to make more money.
When I am lacking energy, I waste a lot of time “resting”. I don’t work productively, and I don’t get things done. Normally, I’ll do the bare minimum needed to get through the day.
On the other hand, when I’ve slept well, I feel far better. This is when I have the energy to pursue freelance opportunities and work on commissions. This in turn makes me more money.
If I slept well every night, I could likely increase the amount of freelancing I do by a significant amount.
I am aware not everyone can use a lot of their spare time to do freelance work. You may have caring responsibilities or other priorities.
However, you may still find improving your sleep can improve your financial situation. Even, if sleeping better gives you the headspace to improve your budgeting or spend 15 minutes a day taking part in paid surveys, you could see a tangible difference.
Other ways sleep can help you make more money
There are other more subtle ways improving your sleep can help make more money.
If you improve your sleep, you will likely find you have more energy. This means you may be able to perform better at work. As a result, you might be considered for a promotion and a pay rise.
You may also have more energy to shop around for deals and find discounts. I also am more likely to cook from scratch when I’ve slept well. When I am tired, I am far more tempted to opt for a takeaway or a ready meal to save the extra effort. These expenditures add up over time and can have a significant impact on your budget.
Ready meals can also leave you feeling more sluggish and therefore contribute to worse sleep, thus perpetuating the cycle!
This isn’t technically making more money, but saving money will still leave you better off at the end of each month!
Simple ways to improve your sleep
Reading all of these tips is all well and good, but how can you actually improve your sleep?
I’m no doctor, but I have found the following three tips help me sleep better.
Put your phone away
Try and turn your phone off or put it on do not disturb at least 30 minutes before you go to sleep.
This has multiple benefits.
Firstly, it will help relax you. Social media, WhatsApp messages, and voice notes can all be stressful at times. This is not conducive to good sleep.
Scrolling on social media can also be time consuming and distracting. Without realising, 30 minutes or an hour can pass by easily. This puts your bedtime back further and further.
Read a book
I’m often guilty of watching Netflix until I go to bed. While this can be relaxing, sometimes the temptation to watch one more episode gets the best of you. The light from the screen can also disturb your sleep.
Instead, try reading a chapter of a book before you go to sleep. I find this to be much more relaxing and I end up asleep much quicker.
Get some fresh air and/or exercise
This will have to be done earlier in the day. Exercising late at night can actually make sleeping much harder.
However, getting some fresh air everyday and moving your body – if you are able to – may well improve your sleep.
Don’t forget to follow me on social media @Katie20Percent to keep up to date with all my latest posts and content!
If you found this post about how improving your sleep can make you more money, then please like it and share across social media or send it to your friends. I’d also love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Do you think improving your sleep can make you more money? Do you value your sleep? Comment your thoughts below!
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