Sleep isn't everything, but it impacts everything. Anyone who suffered and struggled with sleep knows this to be true. And in this session sleep smarter to perform better. I'm going to show you how to use our unique evidence based, solution focused approach to help you optimize your sleep. This talk isn't about quick fixes, it's about building lasting change into your day so your nights are restful and re energizing.

Hi, I'm Glenn Lubert, founder of Stamina Lab where we help our clients optimize their energy, focus and resilience through our unique evidence based health optimization platform and I know what it's like to struggle with sleep. As an entrepreneur, I suffered from severe insomnia, never quite falling asleep while my brain was running a marathon of ideas, stress and deadlines. It led to brain fog, slow and before decision making and my insomnia got so bad I had to tell my executive team I was impaired and I needed their help. It wasn't until I put sleep at the center of my life that everything changed. I researched how to build my entire day around how to get the best rest and recovery and continue to focus on what difference this would make in my life when I was able to consistently sleep well.

And that insight led to Stamina Lab developing our REST framework. R est. It's a solution focused approach to optimizing recovery so you can perform at your best. No one's journey to optimizing the sleep is linear. No lasting change is.

There are days when you do things better and then there are days when you have a tough night of sleep. The problem with most approaches is that they try to fix what's not working. They focus on your sleep problems. Many approaches have strict schedules and rules and require tracking every minute of sleep and every negative activity that could have impacted your sleep. This often leads to negative emotions and emotions create behaviors so negative emotions become roblocks to lasting change.

Those approaches can make sleep feel like another task on your to do list. But what if optimizing your sleep was easier than you think?

Rest is a solution focused approach to lasting change that starts with values and identity, reinforcing progress through experimentation, alignment and awareness. Instead of focusing on what's broken, rest helps you root change in who you want to become, making sustainable transformation feel natural and effortless. Rest is a solution focused approach that helps you make lasting changeing your sleep habits so you can live the full, healthy, rewarding life you want. And it starts with one key factor that drives all sustainable change your values. Rest then helps you make progress by identifying and amplifying what you're doing that's already working instead of what's not.

Rest helps you harness the same power of mental imagery, creativity and imagination that all top performers in the world use so that their desired behavior feels natural and effortless. The result? Lasting transformation in your sleep and your life. Let's start with R of rest. Root your change in your values and who you want to be.

What difference would this make for you to get consistently better sleep? I mentioned that at the beginning. That's how I did it. What difference would it make? And this is fundamental to our solution focused approach.

Maybe you'd have more energy, focus or be more present. And what difference would that make for you? You really drill down. So this is very intrinsic to who you are. When you're showing up as your best version of yourself, what does that tell the world about who you are and what you stand for?

Identify what's important to you. Why does this change matter? Clarify the impact. What difference will this make in your life? And then shift from fixing to embodying.

Instead of trying to fix bad habits, align with your ideal self. Ask yourself what do I value most about my health, energy and well being? What difference will improving my sleep and recovery make in my life? And if I were already living in alignment with my values, what would I be doing differently, even a tiny bit differently today? That would tell me I'm moving in the direction of change.

So for example, instead of saying I need to fix my sleep schedule, shift to I value being present with my family and good sleep allows me to show up fully. What would I be pleased to see myself doing even today? That would show me and my family that I put my being fully present as my top for priority. Because sustainable change starts with who you want to become, not what you need to fix.

So we all know these eight core components of sleep hygiene and I'm going to go through them in some detail here just to refresh your memory on them. The reason I am because I want you to look at what's the first clue you'll notice that will tell you that this one of these things will fit for you. And I think that's important to understand and this approach is that we look for things that are customize to you. This is where you're rooting your change in your values and identity. What would fit for you?

What would be the first clue you notice that this would fit for you? So let's start with the first item on the list. Timing. Our body loves consistency. So we want to have a consistent wake up and sleep time seven days a week.

And often this comes in the habit of sitting an alarm for waking up, which we're all familiar with that one, but also alarm for winding down and going to sleep it when is our bedtime and I settting an alarm for that. This often leads to the challenge with bedtime procrastination in the evening. And so this is when you really want to go back to this question. What difference would it make for you to get consistently better sleep? Reminding yourself of that question when you're showing up as your best version of yourself, what does that tell the world about who you are and what you stand for?

This also helps with getting up. If you have trouble getting up at a certain time or you want to get up earlier and build that consistent sleep schedule, it's about to asking yourself those questions at that time when those alarm goes off. What difference would this make for you to get consistently better sleep? To be on this consistent time of sleep, wake up and sleep wind down.

The next item is light. Light is so important for our circadian rhythm. This'what we have, the consistent wake time and sleep time is we're trying to create a circadian rhythm and the best way to do that is to set it around light. So sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening. And what's interesting about light is that when we get up in the morning, when we get natural light, that's when our clock, our circadian clock starts and like 14 to 16 hours later we start to get tired and fall asleep.

So the idea is the sooner we can get that sun, sunrise, sunrise, sun, outside is the time when we're going to be able to start that clock. And it's getting outside. Yes, you can get light through the window, but it's highly diffused. So one of the habits of people try to start right away is to get sunlight right outside the first thing in the morning, go get their coffee, their or their tea and get outside and start that circadian clock. Because a good night's sleep begins when you first get up.

Then at night you want to have the, it's the sunset that triggers to say that hey, you know, we're getting to the end of the day here. So you want your light in your house to mimic those, those colors of the sunset, those, those oranges and red hues that we would have with the sunset and electronics. You, there's a lot about electronic light that you have and, and the latest research shows that it's really not about the blue light from your TV or your iPad or your iPhone. It's more about the content that you're looking at. Is it stimulating you?

Is it activating your brain? That's more what's happening with your electronics. So if your favorite TV show on Netflix is on and you want to watch it in the evening, feel free to watch it. If as long as it's winding you down and making you, making you get to that moment where you're going to be in a relaxed, calm state.

All right, let's talk about the bedroom. You know the bedroom, we want to create a aleeep cocoon where we're inviting ourselves to go into the bed. This is part of that desire to want to go to sleep, to beat that bedtime procrastination, to say hey, oh yeah, I actually do want to get into bed because I have that comfy sheet or I have a mattress pad that changes the temperature for the evening and I have my nice pillows or I'm reading a really great book or I'm even changing the, the smell in the room to have some type of a soothing calming with a candle or some lavender smells in there that will help you calm yourself in like a spa, you know, where you're going to be able to be relaxed but you just want to make it your space. You're inviting space for yourself. So that way you're looking forward to going to bed.

Then there's a temperature, you want to make it almost uncomfortably cold because what happens is our body goes into that hibernation mode when we have a really cold environment. So having that temperature set in the evening, it's one of your wind down activities, is set the temperature. I have it in mind. So after I brush my teeth, I set the temperature down. It's kind of the pairing of those two habits and it reminds me to keep the temperature cold in the evening.

And if you ever slept in a hot, in a hot climate where it's so uncomfortable to sleep and that makes sense because you're not able to get into that hibernation mode. So again, listen for these ideas that I'm giving out here and which one would resonate with you you could see yourself doing. That's where you start. Things that resonate with you, things that are easy for you, things that are fun for you. It's not about fixing everything, it's starting with things that, that really resonate with you.

The next item on the hygiene list is food and drink. So you want to limit this two hours before bedtime to have any food or drink even three hours turns out happy hours. The actual good time to have a drink if you're going to have a drink because it gives enough time for the alcohol to get through your system. Doesn't the alcohol might help you fall asleep or or pass out from the alcohol but it doesn't doesn't give you that restorative sleep that we want to have as as leaders and performers top performers we want to be able to have that restorative sleep. So putting that food and drink to hour two to three hours before bedtime and also caffeine you wantff Caffeine prevents the natural 14 to 16 hour circadian cycle from working because it suppresses the sleep that's going to be coming on.

And so you want to limit caffeine to earlier in the morning or for me it's at 2:00 is my a time where I stopped drinking caffeine gives enough time for the caffeine to half life to get low enough in your body so it doesn't impact your recovery. The next one is sound having some big long delta waves. These are the slow waves. That's why they have a wave and giving that feeling of getting their brain into the same brainwave mode that you would be when you were asleep. I use an app called End Endel IO I think is a website and it mimics these brainwave that you're going.

You're going to need to help get you to restorative to sleep and help you fall asleep faster. Next item is exercise. You want to have exercise at least three hours before bed. Okay. Yeah that makes sense because we're stressing put stress on our body getting the stress hormones up and running when we're exercising.

But even having any exercise during the day, any movement during the day is essential for helping getting our body to have that need for that rest and recovery in the evening. And obviously exercises tons of benefits but just trying to get some movement in the day. Getting outside again for the circadian clock, getting that sunlight and getting some movement is essential for rest and recovery. And then building a wind down routine so that way you help fall asleep. And this ritual is you know things that are part of your wind down routine.

So they again like I said saying the temperature down in. In in your house so that it's a cool temperature. You know having some wind down tea if it's your favorite Netflix show or something a good book. Whatever your ritual is's to start building it now with things that you really enjoy. I think that's great.

I think the two most easiest things I like to recommend is to ask yourself, would being outside in the sun be easy for you in the morning? Because that's a great way to get that circadian rhythm going. And in the evening, is there something that you could do that will help signal to your brain that is enjoyable for you and that will help you signal to your brain that it's time to wind down for the evening and remember any sleep is good sleep. At the end of this'talk I'm going to share with you how to download our Wake Up Recovery Guide. This is a common thing.

This is one of the most common things we hear is that I wake up in the middle of the night and I can't fall back asleep. So we have this wake up recovery guide for all these different ideas that you can do. And one of the things that our clients tell us when they learn this is that any sleep is good sleep. So and this prevents you from getting this negative cycle of again, the negative emotions are whatvents you from behavior change. So these negative cycle of, oh, I'm getting bad sleep, I'm getting bad sleep, it is going to work against you.

It's at that roadblock that we talked about at the beginning. And any sleep is good sleep means that if you wake up in the middle of the night or in late morning and you are awake and you can't fall back asleep, you're still getting rest. And I think that's something that, that's important to remember. And sometimes just reminding yourself, hey, I'm still getting rest. Our clients report that just thinking about that, reminding themselves of that allows them to calm and relax enough so that way that they can fall back asleep.

And also I like to point out here that recovery is more than just sleep. You't expand your definition of rest and recovery. There's practices like non sleep, deep rest or something called yoga Nidra, which is a guided relaxation or micro rest, breaks closing your eyes during the day for 10 minutes. It's like a spa for your brain. It just resets everything and really helps.

There. I already talked about nature and movement, getting out in the sunlight, fresh air, mindful walking and mental research like breath work and meditation. These are all going to be in the Wake Up Recovery Guide. But they're all tools for recovery. And sleep is obviously is key part of recovery.

But there's lots of different ways for you to build recovery into your, into your day. So again, look for things that resonate with you. What could you see yourself doing in the next 24 hours that you would notice, you'd be moving towards one of these sleep hygiene habits. All right, let's get back to our rest framework with E. E is for explore and identify what's already working.

Remember, you aren't broken. You don't need to start from scratch, so don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Be your own detective to reveal the strengths, skills and resources you already have that you can marshal to improve your sleep. So instead of focusing on what's missing, focus on what's already working. This is such an 180 degree thinking shift.

I quote from one of our clients, just 180 degree thinking shift is instead of looking, focusing on what's missing, what's broken, what's not working, focus on what's already working. And we're going to amplify those things. And instead of discounting or minimizing what you're already doing, notice what you are doing that helps you sleep at all so you can function as well as you're doing right now. Don't discount those things. And remember, no one's perfect.

No one even does their problems perfectly. You may not be productive, focused, energetic, present or patient because your sleep is lousy, but sometimes it's not as lousy as in other times. Sometimes you fall asleep easier or slep longer than other times. Be your own detective. Drill down on your previous history of success, even it was fleeting or only occasional.

Look for times when you may have been adhering to some of your basic principles of good sleep, which we just went through that resulted and you feeling like you were at your best or at least doing a better than usual look for those times.

To answer these questions, use your mental imagery to notice as many details as possible from what you were doing and how you were doing it, what the people around you were doing, and the environment and things that helps you. Ask yourself, when are times when you've been the kind of person you want to be, happy, at ease, and so on because you got good enough sleep? What did you do to get this sleep? How did you do it? How might the basic principles of good sleep play out for you at these times?

Find instances when you were able to be the kind of person you want to be because you got good enough sleep. Good enough sleep? Reflect back to what and how the basic principle is a good sleep may have come into play. What was different about your routine that day? Ask yourself, what's one small factor I can replicate?

So, for example, instead of falling into the habit of dreading sleep and telling yourself Things like, I hope I can sleep, but I probably won't be able to shift. To remind yourself about better times and past successes. I remember how when I did just a little bit of slow, deep breathing and consciously relaxing my body, part by part, I slept better. It felt so good. So look at these examples.

Go back when sleep was just even good enough for you to perform well. It's not about perfection, so let's move on to the next one S in the REST framework is for structure your approach for future success. So instead of just reacting to tiredness, design your approach to sleep and recovery. Top performers use mental imagery to align habits with their future self. So mental rehearse exercises.

Imagine your ideal day. You wake up refreshed. What's different? What do you notice about yourself that you did yesterday? What do others notice about yourself?

Ask questions like, imagine that tomorrow brings a new day when you're exactly the kind of. You have exactly the kind of energy, focus, or whatever it is that enables you to be your best self. As you go through your day, what would you be doing differently that would let you know things had changed? What would you be doing differently that would show you or putting into practice even just one good sleep strategy. What's one way I can embody my future self today?

How can I make my environment support that change? When you're using your mental imagery or imagination, our brain doesn't know the past, present, or future. So when you are doing this, you already have done this in your brain. So you're already building the neural pathways to do these to these new behaviors. So this is this structure.

Mental rehearsal is so valuable. And again, top performers use this to align with their future selves.

All right, now let's move into the last of our REST framework. The T stands for tune into evidence of growth and reinforce change. Even small changes are powerful because they reveal the person you're capable of becoming. The more you recognize your progress, the more momentum you build. So this momentum is really important.

And again, your brain is just building these neural pathways. So by recognizing that, it reinforces that. Because change happens gradually through small winds, noticing micro improvements builds motivation and momentum. It's in the noticing. When you see yourself succeeding, your brain reinforces that the change is real.

This is key for lasting change. This is not about quick fixes. This is about seeing yourself succeed, going back to that identity and values. That's the key to lasting change.

Progress happens in these small clues. So notice when you naturally act like your future self. Ask questions like, what's one small sign that my sleep and recovery is improving. Who else might notice I'm feeling more arrested? What would they see I was doing to help with my sleep?

What's something I want to keep doing because it aligns with my values for better sleep? Look, some of these examples could be like, you start with your wind down routine. You started your wind down routine. You set that alarm for your wind down routine. You stepped outside the sun for a few minutes in the morning, you got some movement into your day, you drank calming tea in the evening.

You, you could notice, you notice something beautiful that day, during the day. That's. I like that one. You close your eyes for five minutes when you felt tired, you fell asleep five minutes faster. You felt slightly less groggy in the morning, you had fewer wake ups than usual.

You felt more refreshed after a midday walk. So looking back on what you noticed you had been doing in those days when you felt just that, a little bit better. So instead of tracking whether you hit an eight hour sleep goal, notice things like, I woke up with more energy today. I felt calmer before bed, I naturally took a short break instead of pushing through exhaustion. The more you recognize progress, even the smallest things, the easier change becomes and it is more fun and more positive.

And again, emotions create behavior. So the more you can have this sollution focused, positive outlook, the easier change is going to have and the more lasting it is that it's connected to your identity. So let's review our rest frameworks and why this works. It starts with identity based change rooted in who you want to become, not just isolated individual habits. It'strength driven.

It amplifies what's already working rather than fixing what's broken. 100, 100, 180 degree mind shift that our clients say. So then it is experimentation over perfection. It encourages flexibility, identity driven actions instead of rigid steps. Remember, there are many paths the same river.

And this is one of our most important lessons that we talk about is that when you're trying to do rigid individual habits and something doesn't work, you have a negative emotion or you just give up everything because one behavior you had did not work. But when there's many paths to the same river, it allows for creativity and imagination to come into play. And so our river that we're trying to go through is that where this healthy person that is get goods to night sleep. And what difference would that make for me? That that's your river, that's what you're really trying to get to.

What difference would make, what else would it make what other people notice about you and that's your river. So when you have that there's many paths you can get to that same spot. So that's experimentation over perfection and then finally noticing small improvements or actions validate the change is already happening and this reinforces change to continue and continue.

I want to really remind you to just have an experimenter's mindset try out something and know that if it doesn't work, it wasn't a failure, you aren't a failure. The experimenter's mindset says that approach gave me new information. How can I apply to the next experiment or find the next path that you're going to go down? Rest is an identity based approach for sleep optimization. R root in your values define your future self.

E envision and experiment Test behaviors that confirm who you're becoming. S strengthen alignment, expand recovery beyond sleep and live in congruence with your values and t turn into evidence. Recognize small signs of progress to reinforce lasting change.

So I said earlier that if you wake up in the middle of the night we have a solution for you. Any sleep is good sleep and when you know that you're getting rest, sometimes this said just enough for you to help you relax and fall asleep. And what we talked about today was a lot of top down visualization self talk. This is how we're trying to get ourselves to get into into the mode of not waking up or being able to fall asleep. But then there's also the bottom up which is the breathing, the exhale, exhalation, the nervouses to manage it.

When you use these two together it's so powerful to be able to manage your wind out or if you wake up in the middle of night. So we created a wake up recovery guide which you can download and use tonight to help with your nighttime wake ups. It also includes a audio of one of our breath work coach doing a breathwork guided breath work for you. So download QR code here Download the Wake Up Recovery so you can use it tonight at or visit Sleep staminaab IO that's Sleep staminaabiet IO I also have one more benefit for you. If you book a complimentary coaching session with us, you will get to understand how we can help you with your sleep.

And if you mention this conference you can get a free month of coaching on us when you sign up for one of our programs. That's a $499 value for a month of coaching when you sign up with one of our programs.

So I hope you got a lot out of this talk and we're able to learn more about how you can use our solution focused approach to help optimize your sleep. Thank you everyone.