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Getting a full night’s sleep is one of the quickest ways to optimize your health and daily performance, but it’s not always possible to sleep the recommended 7+ hours every night. Is it possible to sleep less but still reap the benefits of a full night’s sleep? Well, sort of.
There’s no substitute to a healthy sleep schedule, but improving your sleep quality can help reduce the amount of time you need to sleep each night.
Want to know how to get good sleep in 4 hours (or less)? Here are our best tips:
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Is it Healthy to Sleep 4 Hours?
We want to start by stating that we don’t recommend making the 4-hour sleep schedule a habit. We understand that sometimes getting less sleep is unavoidable, but is it healthy to sleep so little?
It’s hard to say. The amount of sleep people need varies widely. Research suggests that some people are genetically wired to require less sleep, around 4 or 5 hours per night. Other people only feel rested when they get a full 8 hours of sleep (or more).
You can get accustomed to a certain sleep schedule, which means you may feel rested after getting only 4 hours of sleep after doing it for weeks or years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s healthy. Not getting enough sleep is associated with several health complications, like poor focus, weight gain, and an increased risk of many chronic health conditions.
Of course, sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got, and 4 hours may be all you can spare. In that case, how quickly you fall asleep and the quality of your sleep really matters. Here are some tips to help you get good sleep in 4 hours or less:
Ready to learn how to pack a full night’s sleep into only four hours? Here are some tips to help you fall asleep, get high-quality sleep, and to help you navigate the next day productively and efficiently:
If you want to fall asleep without struggle, you need to take some time to wind down without looking at screens, which includes your phone, computer, television, or any other screen that emits light directly into the eye. Most of these devices emit blue light, which blocks melatonin production and will make it more difficult to fall asleep.
It may even help to “wind down” in a dimly lit room. You could consider reading a book, flipping through a magazine, knitting, or doing any other activity that allows you to sit still and relax.
If you often have difficulty falling asleep, you may consider keeping sleep-enhancing supplements on hand to help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. There are various different herbal supplements out there that may do the job, but we recommend avoiding melatonin and over-the-counter sleep-aids because they have a tendency to make you feel groggy, not rested, the next day.
Many people find success with herbal remedies like valerian root or passionflower. Another option is hemp-derived CBD and CBN or hemp-derived terpenes known to enhance sleep, like myrcene.
Hemp products designed to enhance sleep may help support sleep in a gentle manner that doesn’t leave you feeling groggy or unable to wake up in the morning, which is crucial when you only have a few hours to sleep.
In areas where it’s legal, people may use cannabis to help enhance sleep at night. Delta-8-THC is another hemp derived supplement that may act as a legal alternative to traditional THC.
Read about CBN for sleep or Delta-8-THC for sleep to learn more.
You can combine your natural sleep supplementation routine with aromatherapy techniques, like diffusing lavender oil or using a lavender lotion before bed. Lavender contains terpenes that are known to support rest and relaxation. This method could be used during the “wind down” routine we described above.
It may go without saying, but you’re going to want to avoid alcohol and caffeine before bedtime. Both substances can act as a stimulant and may reduce sleep quality. Try to avoid alcohol entirely the day before you need to get good sleep in only four hours, and avoid caffeine for at least 6 hours before bed.
Don’t eat a huge meal and then lay down for bed. If your body is working hard to break down a large or fatty meal, you’re likely to experience reduced sleep quality.
If you’ve ever slept in a hot room, you know how much it can impact your sleep. Sleeping in a cool room can improve your sleep overall, including your REM sleep cycles, and help you feel rested. Just make sure you aren’t too cold, which can also wake you up in the night.
This is another obvious point, but it’s not always the easiest thing to do, especially if you live in a busy city or neighborhood. Still, noises can interrupt sleep quality, even if they don’t wake you up. Try to sleep in a quiet room, or take the steps to block out any intrusive noises. One option may be to run a fan, which may help drown out noise by acting as “white noise.”
After taking the following steps to help you fall asleep quickly and rest as well as possible, you should also take steps to wake up quickly and effectively. Start by opening your blinds and letting in the sunlight, which can help stimulate your brain and body to feel awake and not groggy, despite only sleeping a short amount of time.
Exercise gets your blood pumping, which stimulates alertness and energy. Exercising in the morning can get you going, even after a short night’s sleep.
Follow your exercise routine with a quick cold shower. This may sound unpleasant, but the trend actually caught on as part of a “positive stress” routine used by billionaires and successful entrepreneurs to get going in the morning. Cold water is stimulating and can help you avoid grogginess without caffeine, which may cause you to crash later in the day.
Finally, make sure that you prioritize your day accordingly when you know you got less sleep than usual. This may mean doing the most important tasks first, if possible. Try not to save anything that will take a lot of mental or physical energy for the late afternoon, since you’ll probably feel tired a little earlier than usual.
If you’re looking to optimize your wellness and your sleep routine, we recommend checking out our Dream Collection. It uses the unique powerhouse combination of CBD and CBN to help improve relaxation and increase restfulness to help optimize your sleep routine.
Yes, sleeping 4 hours or less a day can cause insomnia as well as other sleep disorders.Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, which can lead to chronic sleep deprivation and a host of other health problems.
Consequences of not getting enough sleep include fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, weakened immune system, weight gain, and an increased risk of developing chronic conditions such as depression, anxiety, heart disease, and diabetes.
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