Written by: Nicolas Augst
Reading time: 5min to boost your system for free
In this article, we’re tackling the essential, yet so underrated... Sleep.
You’ll learn how to set up simple things to implement today to improve your sleep and understand why it’s so important. It should even be at position #1 for health and performance priorities.
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Want to optimize your memory, be more focused in class, and stop feeling like a zombie by the end of the day? Good news: sleep is one of the best weapons for a SuperStudent. Yet, it's often the first thing we sacrifice when we want to work more.
Spoiler alert: sleeping less won’t make you more productive. On the contrary, good sleep is an underutilized lever that can literally transform your efficiency.
Those who learn the most are those who sleep the most: Babies.
Why sleep is essential
Sleep isn't just downtime. It’s a strategic moment where your brain works behind the scenes to:
✅ Consolidate your memory: During the night, your brain sorts, organizes, and reinforces what you learned during the day. Without good sleep, it’s like trying to store your notes on a broken USB drive or in a cloud without an internet connection.
The result? The next day, your notes aren't there anymore.
✅ Optimize your concentration: Less sleep = more difficulty staying focused. And let’s be honest, trying to catch up with 3 coffees and a 5-minute nap is far from optimal.
✅ Regulate your energy and mood: Poor sleep increases stress, mental fatigue, and even cravings. Everything that pushes you to procrastinate instead of working effectively.
In addition to having a positive impact on your mood and energy, consistent good sleep gives you the power not to get distracted.
In short, sleeping is like a cheat code to boost your cognitive abilities.
4 levers to sleep better (and perform like a pro)
Rather than just telling you to "sleep 8 hours" (we know you know, but you don't always do it), here is a 4-step system to optimize your sleep easily.
1. Create a sleep routine (and make it automatic)
As with any habit, the secret is consistency.
- Set a stable bedtime (even on weekends, yes really).
- Adopt a small pre-sleep ritual: reading, stretching, journaling, calming breathing like cardiac coherence, meditation... which can last 3 minutes at the start
- Avoid screens 1 hour before sleeping. Blue light is the enemy of melatonin, your sleep hormone. Its effect can be worse than alcohol on the quality of your sleep.
- If you can't avoid screens, use the "Flux" app (on Mac) which automatically adjusts your screen temperature (reducing blue light) based on sunset.
- You can also set up an automation on your iPhone so that at a certain time, the screen turns red (meaning no more stimulating blue light before bed). It’s distracting at first, but you get used to it quickly. Let me know if you want a more complete tutorial for this.
2. Optimize your sleep environment
- Total darkness: Invest in blackout curtains or a sleep mask.
- Ideal temperature: Between 16 and 19°C (61-66°F) for deep sleep. Don't hesitate to air out the room a bit before bed.
- Take a hot shower: 30 minutes before bed, even in summer. Your body wants to cool down, and it does so through your blood. The idea is to dilate your vessels as much as possible for maximum heat exchange; if you can keep your skin a little damp after the shower, it will be even easier for your body to lower its temperature.
- Silence or white noise: If you are sensitive to noise, a white noise app can help.
3. Manage your energy during the day
- Sunlight is your best ally: 10-15 minutes of natural light in the morning to regulate your circadian rhythm.
- Strategic caffeine: No coffee after 2 p.m. if you want quality sleep. It interferes with the fatigue receptors in your brain... which means your brain won't realize when you are actually tired. Wonderful when you need a morning boost, but detrimental when you want to establish a good sleep routine and you're drinking it in the afternoon. The half-life of caffeine (the time it takes for your body to eliminate just 50%) is 8 hours... I'll let you do the math if you drink one at 5 p.m.! There are good alternatives like herbal infusions or chicory (PS: the theine in tea uses the same mechanisms as caffeine).
- Move your body: Exercising improves sleep quality, but avoid late-night sessions.
4. Master the nap (without falling into the fatigue trap)
- Power nap of 10-20 min max if you are tired.
- Long nap (90 min) if you want to compensate for a short night, but never in the late afternoon.
The SuperStudent Action Plan
- Choose ONE action to implement tonight. Ex: fixed bedtime, no screens before bed...
- Use the "Don’t Break the Chain" method: check off every day you follow your ritual.
- Adjust and optimize over the weeks. The more you improve your sleep, the more you will see the difference in your performance.
If you want to know more about the quality of your sleep, I invite you to take the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.
It’s your turn. Your sleep can become an ultra-powerful weapon for your studies, provided you optimize it intelligently.
So, what are you starting with? 😴🚀
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