Tara A. Clancy, M.A., is a sleep strategist on a mission! Her goal? To get you to stop thinking about sleep and start thinking about sleep performance! She knows firsthand that all sleep is not created equal. But when we say goodbye to sleep performance problems, we say hello to the energy, focus, and calm that lets us reach our goals in life and love! Tara is an award-winning speaker, the host of The Counterfeit Sleep® Podcast, and the creator of the innovative Sleep Performance Program™ and she recently sat down with me to discuss how to sleep more productively.

What is sleep performance?

We all know that getting the right amount of sleep each night is important. However, even though you may be getting the right number of hours of sleep and even though you might wake up feeling great, you may not be properly rested if you are tired throughout the day. Ideally, we should be powering up for eight hours when we sleep and then we should be fully powered for the remaining 16 hours. We shouldn't need naps or caffeine to get us through an afternoon slump. 50% of men and 25% of women are dealing with a sleep performance problem and the vast majority of them have no idea.

How do we know if we are dealing with a sleep performance issue?

The ultimate test is to simply check in with yourself. How are you really feeling throughout your day? Ask yourself: “How am I operating? Do I have the physical stamina? Do I have the mental focus? And do I have the emotional bandwidth to deal with what's going on inside of me?” Really check in and note how you feel is the first step. Awareness is key, right?

What is an exercise we can do to improve sleep performance?

Go to bed “empty” using a 3-2-1 strategy. Three hours before bed, finish your last meal to allow plenty of time for digestion so that your stomach is empty when you go to bed. Two hours before bed, finish your last liquid of the day so your kidneys get to process everything before bed. Lastly, one hour before bed, empty your brain. Open the Notes app in your phone or grab a pen and paper from your nightstand and empty your brain of what's on your mind. Do this for three consecutive nights and see if this makes a difference in how you feel. If you have corrected this issue then great! If not, then you know you need to find a more solutions on the next level.

How do you sleep? Have you ever stopped to really assess your sleep performance? I encourage you to try these steps tonight!

Contact Tara Clancy: http://hipersleep.com

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