Sleep Routine Question

[marknhl]

I’ve been listening to the Jocko Podcast and hearing the advice of getting up early and it makes sense - I want the advantages it provides. . I have an issue with this though and am looking for the best solution.

I play ice hockey at least once per week. The games range from 8-10:30pm, which realistically has me getting to sleep anywhere from 11pm-2am. This is my most consistent exercise as I will not skip that which I love, plus I pay for the season up front.

In order to start getting up early, should I:
1. Quit hockey - little to no chance of this
2. Skip all games past a certain time - there is financial waste here, plus I don’t like absence or missed workouts...
3. Accept that I’ll be tired when games are late - I know that I underperform when I’m tired and this will negatively affect my job to a point

One last item - I notice that if I just sleep (only) on a morning after a very late game, it inevitably throws me off for ~4 days. Maybe I should continue this route but try extra hard to get back on the horse the next day? I’m unsure if this is realistic.

Thoughts welcome. I don’t like any of the options lol.

[mynewunit]

First, there is nothing magic about 4:30. I am on the 5:30 regiment. It moves depending on a lot of variables.

So when is waking up early? Generaly, if you are the first one up in your house, or the first one or first few to work in the morning, you are waking up early. The real place to steal hours from sleep is when you have no need to wake up. Saturday, out of bed before 8. Or 7. Or 6.

After late games don't try to short yourself too much. Set a number that is a minimum. For me, if I sleep less than 5 hours, I don't hear alarms.

[silencedogood]

I struggle like muh to get up in the morning. Once I'm up, I can get going with no issues,  but hearing that alarm clock is rough. This is what I do, not saying it'll work for you because everyone is different.

1. Follow a Ketogenic diet. I find that being in ketosis allows me to function on far less sleep than when I'm not in ketosis. Using exogenous ketones like Keto//OS, Nutriketo, or Ketoneaid before bed is legit if they don't keep you awake. Some people get a bit of a buzz from those drinks. I can drink them and go right to sleep.

2. Wim Hof Method.  Doing the basic Wim Hof breathing exercises before bed gives me amazingly restful sleep. Consult YouTube or download the Wim Hof app for details.

3. Low doses of B complex and Adrafinil before bed. Most people are familiar with B complex.  Adrafinil is an analogue of the prescription drug,  Modafinil. It is one hell of a wakefulness drug and cognitive enhancer. I take a very low dose before bed. This helps me to not sleep so deeply that I can't hear the alarm.

4. You could invest in a Russian Sleep Machine, or CES Machine (Cranial Electric Stimulation). This machine emits a small amount of electricity across the frontal lobe of the brain while you sleep. Your brain interprets this as the electrical impulses of deep sleep. Thus, you can sleep 2 hours and wake up feeling you slept a full 8. I would caution you to use this only on your game nights when you know sleep time will be short. It is not intended for everyday use but once in a while it gets the job done.

Hope that helps!