Guest Contributor: Cavan Chan (陳宗陽)
High-performance lifestyle zeitgeist | corporate trainer | transformation coach
Yes, I get it… Most people in the city believe that SLEEP is a waste of time. When they hear that that I am a sleep coach, the first questions they typically as are along the lines of:
➡️ “How can I sleep less?”
➡️ “Can you help me to join the 5am club?”
➡️ “Which supplements can knock me out quickly?”
As a certified sleep science coach with a background in functional medicine (the root-caused approached to health), I definitely DO NOT recommend people to sleep less. And as you’re probably aware, there’s not a shortcut or quick-fix when it comes to sleep either.
However, there are ways to optimise one’s sleep practices. By introducing simple changes in our day-to-day habits and bedtime routines, we can enhance our cognitive performance & elevate our focus. In my field of work, I specialise in personalising these effective and efficient sleeping for each one of my clients.
The key to unlocking your potential and taking you on a journey to optimising your sleep consists of simple yet effective techniques including:
🏆 Helping you to understand your body and listen to its needs.
🏆 Sustainable lifestyle modifications
🏆 Optimising your environment
🏆 Introducing appropriate nutritional supplementation
The beginning of your journey is to establish your own sleep hygiene routine that best suits your needs without the use of medicine in the process.
Though it may be obvious to some, it is surprising to find that many of my clients are unaware that sleep is the foundation on which the pillars of health sit. The quality of our sleep is more important than both exercise and diet when it comes to creating a healthier you.
Not only do we use sleep to repair our cells and muscles, but also to clean and clear the toxins in our bodies. We need sleepy to consolidate our memories and create new ideas.
So while it may see like a good idea to cut down our Z’s to meet that deadline, we’re actually limiting our mental sharpness and not reaching peak performance.
It is, of course, important to recognise that each person’s body is different, and therefore, so are our needs when it comes to bedtime.
Without there being a one-size fits all rule, the best way to optimise the quality of our sleep comes down to understanding our own unique circadian rhythms. The option is available to spend a small fortune to map out your DNA and take a deep dive into your genes, but if you want to avoid an expensive journey a fast and free alternative is to try Dr. Michael Breus’s chronotype survey.
The team at DORMU did a great job outlining each chronotype, and what this survey does is to provide you with an approximate estimate of which one best fits you. Whether you’re a lion 🦁, bear 🐻, dolphin 🐬 or wolf 🐺, the survey results will layout some guidelines on how to go about planning your day according to your unique circadian rhythm. I also highly recommend you to take a deep dive into Dr. Breus’s book, The Power of When.
Have fun with the survey, the results may surprise you. Should you have questions at the end, do reach out to the team at DORMU or reach out to me at the link below for a complimentary, no-stings-attached discussion.
Find out your sleep chronotype - take the survey today!
Cavan Chan (陳宗陽)
High-performance lifestyle zeitgeist | corporate trainer | transformation coach
Cavan is a passionate Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, Certified Sleep Science Coach/Breath Coach, NASM certified trainer/nutritional specialist with a strong interest in optimising (biohacking) body & mind performance.
