Every generation has its specifics. Music, mindset, and movements. When it comes to millennials the first thing that comes to my mind is technology. You as a millennial are the first generation that grew up with the technology that we didn’t have 25 years ago. But growing up with smartphones and the internet as if they were an extended part of humanity can also come with drawbacks when it comes to sleep.

But let’s get started by having a brief look at a couple of things that are specific for this generation.

A couple of good facts

Let’s start off with great news. Millennials sleep over 7 hours a night on average. Even though a slightly higher number would be even better of course. This is great news. Furthermore, you are focused on a good work-life balance. And it comes even better. You have a deep belief that you can achieve anything if you only work hard enough for it. Finally, you are the generation that grew up with the technology that we all rely on today.

So where are the drawbacks of having a good night’s sleep?

Millennial Sleep Risks

Even though you are well-positioned to have a great and fulfilled life there are a couple of things that are worth having a look at. Let’s examine them together step by step. That way you can see what may relate to you.

Late screen device usage

As using smartphones, tablets and other electrical devices feel so natural to you (generally speaking) you have a high risk to use them right until you hit the bed. Apart from the fact that you could use the last hour before you go to bed as “me-time”, this will also expose you to so-called blue light. As a result of this, your Melatonin (sleep hormone) production may be reduced leaving you with a longer time span to fall asleep or even lower sleep quality.

Constant Availability

If you max your device usage out and it during the nighttime this brings in additional risks. Not only are you exposing your body to blue light again, but you also get your brain active at a time where it should rest (technically it is not really resting when we sleep – but you get the point here). Furthermore, the messages you see do not only have the potential to bring you into a good mood…

Competitive Mindset

As millennials widely believe that their success depends alone on their mindset and hard work the environment that they work in is highly competitive. If you don’t believe this is the case then try to get a job at google. Even though a certain amount of competition is certainly healthy and necessary to achieve great things the pressure can have a serious backdraw on sleep and overall well being too.

Dynamic Sleep Schedule

Not wanting to miss anything and a “work hard – party harder” attitude often results in an overly dynamic sleep schedule making it harder for our body clocks to perform on a consistent basis.

High Debt

With an average debt of over 40.000 $ the generation millennial has a heavy burden to carry. Finances are the #1 reason for divorces. As long as one has high debts it is hard to feel free in regards to changing jobs or taking other risks that might be more in line with individual interests. Consequently, this can further increase feel-bad levels materializing into bad sleep.

Social Pressure

A high competitive attitude in combination with social media can lead to higher levels of social pressure. Always feeling the need to post the next superb looking photo or the need to post the coolest holiday pictures can easily lead to distraction and dissatisfaction with our real lives.

The Millennial Sleep Fix

If you are a millennial – you belong to a great generation! You are also well positioned to have a great sleep already and have an average of over 7 hours of sleep. Looking at the risks here are a couple of quick fixes to improve your sleep quickly.

Here are my personal top 7 for you:

• get rid of technology in bedroom
• more me-time
• get into a regular sleep schedule
• move from competition to creation
• transform work-life balance to a balanced life
• reduce stress through meditation

Try to focus on reducing tech usage in the pre-sleep hours and reduce the competitive edge a bit. Doing these two things alone will help you to not only improve your overall sleep quality but also your well being. If you want more information all around this topic – check out this week’s sleeptrust podcast episode and follow me on instagram and facebook.