6 tips for getting better rest from the NBA's sleep doctor

Getty Images

There is one unimpeachable truth about being a parent: You never get enough sleep. Of course, your level of fatigue might not match that of a professional athlete during a championship run or astronaut hurtling at 5 miles per second — but close enough.

Dr. Charles A. Czeisler, Director Of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School is the go-to guywhen NBA and NHL teams, NASA and the Secret Service need to get their Zs. Hell, Shaquille O’Neal wouldn’t be able to sleep in his 2 California King beds if not for “Dr. C.” who diagnosed him with sleep apnea. And while being alert may not always be a life and death (or sudden death) situation for the average person, Dr. Czeisler’s advice can at least help you feel a little more like a woke dad.

Keep A Consistent Bed And Wake Time

Phalinn Ooi/flickr

Dr. Czeisler says that the best thing you can do to achieve the 7 to 9 hours of sleep you need each night is go to sleep and wake up at the same times everyday. Go ahead and tell your baby a Harvard-educated specialist says no more 3 AM feedings.

Realistically, you won’t be able to control your new human alarm clock in the next room, and the younger the kid, the earlier you’re rising. So he says you should start by impose an earlier bedtime for yourself. Yes, Dr. C just killed all your joy of catching up on Mr. Robot. “Parents are kidding themselves if they think they can get by on 4 to 5 hours of sleep. It will catch up with them,” says Czeisler. Don’t worry, you’ll soon have to stay up really late just to catch your curfew-breaking teen coming through the door.

Recognize Your Kid’s Sleep Patterns

Flickr / Andrew Malone

Like previously mentioned, your toddler’s sleep schedule is an unstoppable force, but you’re not an immovable object. Instead of trying to force their naps, bedtime, and when they get up to accommodate you, you may be the one that has to do some accommodating. The arrangement is temporary, because a 2-year-old’s sleeping habits are different from a 10-year-old’s. And you have to admit — you’re super flexible.

Nobody Gets Screens Before Bedtime

Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images

After dusk, minimize exposure to electronic screens as much as possible, Czeisler says, because they interfere with sleep. You’ve probably heard the reports on how “blue light” is no longer just for K-Mart specials, but the wavelength emitted from your phone, tablet, and computers. Cut that out.

If you are going to stare at your iPhone or laptop in bed, download an app like F.lux or turn on the Night Shift setting that reduces blue light. You can also invert the black text on a white screen to white on black to reduce eye strain.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider