Improve sleeping habits and achieve optimal performance with simple solutions for trading insomnia

Trading insomnia is a potential threat and a big challenge in an active forex trading career. With strong emotions of excitement or anxiety, forex traders are more susceptible to insomnia than most professions. For most traders who work at least 4 hours a day, insomnia can affect quality of sleep and affect performance the next day.

Possible Effects of Trading insomnia

Insomnia happens when a person wakes up too early and has difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. According to Sleep Education, insomnia is a common disorder experienced by millions of people. Despite this statistic, 10 percent showed to have chronic insomnia. If you struggle with sleeping at least 3 times a week for at least 3 months, then you may be part of this group. Here are threats of insomnia in a forex trading career:

1. Increases chances of trading errors. Sleep is important when making risky decisions especially in forex trading. Without having the right amount of sleep, traders may have more difficulty in learning or problem solving.
2. Hinders optimized performance for daily tasks. Low energy and poor memory leads to negative performance. If you do not get the proper amount of sleep, it will be more difficult to accomplish and excel in trading tasks
3. Causes health problems. Poor sleeping habits can eventually lead to health concerns. It may cause extreme fatigue, high blood pressure or diabetes.
4. Threatens mental health. Having strong mental health is important when forex trading. Studies have shown that lack of sleep is greatly linked to depression or low motivation.
5. Impairs judgement. Over time, bad sleeping habits affect interpretation and judgement in trading scenarios. With a fast paced forex trading environment, good judgement and alertness is essential to achieve successful trades.

The long term effects of insomnia involve poor quality performance and a short career in forex trading. To determine your current sleeping habit, take a sleep test by the London Sleep Centre. If you feel that you need professional help, please visit your doctor or visit a sleep clinic.Simple solutions for trading insomniaInsomnia can hinder traders from performing well during every trade. With simple solutions, improve your sleeping habits and treat trading insomnia. Here are the best ways to start fighting trading insomnia:

Take good care of mental well being

Mental health plays a vital role in successful forex trading. In a tense trading setup, excellent mental health can manage emotions with the help of a good night’s sleep. Over the years, studies show that trading insomnia is often caused by poor mental well being. According to experts from Sleep Foundation, conditions linked to insomnia include anxiety, depression, stress or emotional trauma. These contribute to difficulty in sleeping and can sometimes lead to other harmful symptoms aside from insomnia. Forex traders can treat trading insomnia by taking care of mental well being. Through better mental health, traders can cope with any psychological or emotional distress from a day of work. Here are simple ways to take care of mental wellbeing:

1. Communicate your emotions and express them with those you trust. Do not keep any worries to yourself. This will prevent any anxious thoughts to disturb your sleep or keep you awake.
2. If you feel overwhelmed, take the afternoon off or a weekend away. The time you take to destress will give better results than forcing yourself to work. When you feel less burdened, you will get better quality sleep.
3. Enhance your skills. Understand that every trader is uniquely skilled. Find your best asset and let it work to your advantage. This improves self confidence and determination when trading.
4. Accept your faults and get help. If you need help in certain areas of trading, remember that there is a vast source of information online or within your community.
5. Be mindful of the moment. Give it your best to be mindful and take care of your current health. Being aware is the first step to achieve better mental health.

Once you improve mental health, you can fight trading insomnia for a productive day of trading. To practice better well being, make sure to have A Daily Agenda for Excellent Mental Health.

Create an optimized sleeping atmosphere

Your physical environment can aid in getting quality sleep and lessen the possibility of insomnia. According to Best Practices for Better Sleep, the stress that comes from forex trading can make it difficult to doze off. By improving your surroundings, you will allow both body and mind to switch to a state of rest from a day of trade.Through a stress-free and sleep inducing environment, traders can minimize insomnia and get a good night’s rest. Here are the best tips for an optimized sleeping atmosphere:

Set aside all gadgets

All electronic devices must be set aside at least an hour or two before going to bed. Research shows that those who watched television or used their phones right before sleeping had more chances of experiencing insomnia. Since traders have to face electronic screens for work, make sure to avoid these devices especially before bedtime. By doing this, you are preparing your mind for rest while lessening digital eye strain.

Invest in a sleep inducing atmosphere

Comfort is key when finding the right products to help treat insomnia. Here are ways you can add comfort to your bedroom:

• If you have an uncomfortable mattress, search for better quality beds or invest in a mattress pad or topper. Physical strain can also cause insomnia or a bad night of sleep.
• Avoid light from coming into the room with blackout shades or a sleeping mask
• Set room temperature to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Experts say this makes for better sleep.
• Aside from your bed, invest in comfortable surfaces like pillows, sheets or pajamas
• Dim the lights at least 30 minutes before sleeping to induce melatonin. You can also use a dimmer switch.

Recondition the mind and associate the bed with sleep and relaxation

One of the most effective ways to prepare for sleep is to condition the mind. By associating the bed with rest, both body and mind can begin to wind down and get ready for sleep. Make sure to avoid working in bed to start the association. If possible, the next step would be to associate the entire bedroom with sleep and relaxation. Convince the mind to leave all troublesome trades and charts on your trading desk.Enhance diet and increase exercise If you are experiencing trading insomnia, one of the most beneficial ways to get better sleep is to enhance diet and exercise. Doing this will not only improve sleep, but also boost overall health.

Food intake tips to minimize insomnia:

• Eat fish or cherries to get more sleep inducing melatonin in the body.
• Limit caffeine intake. Make sure to avoid caffeinated drinks at least 6 hours before bedtime. You should also try to allow your body’s energy levels to function naturally without the help of caffeine.
• Stay away from foods that are high in fat like junk food or sugary treats.
• Try having fortified cereal and milk. Make sure your cereal is high in good carbohydrates. This combination will help you fall asleep.
• Eat bananas. They naturally contain magnesium and potassium which relaxes the muscles.
• If you frequently wake up to visit the bathroom, try to avoid drinking plenty of fluids one or two hours before sleeping.

Exercise tips to try for better sleep:

1. Give 8-Minute Workout: Yoga for Better Sleep a try!
2. According to Men’s Health, working out during the morning is best if you have trouble falling asleep. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, try doing an exercise in the evening.
3. Perform the 4-7-8 breathing exercise to help put you to sleep.
4. Studies show that those who exercised during the day slept more soundly at night. Make sure ease into your workout schedule and do not overwhelm yourself.
5. For classic workout moves, try Skinny Ms.’s 6 Minute Workout for Better Sleep.
6. Make sure to finish any workout at least 2 hours before sleep.

Wind down with a bedtime routine

To reduce trading insomnia, plan your own way of unwinding after a day of work. Much like a trading strategy, each forex trader has their own way of relaxing. Winding down with a relaxing routine eases tension and helps the mind let go of any anxiety before bed. By planning a bedtime routine, you can begin to associate a pastime as the start of rest. Whether it is drinking tea while reading or listening to music, any quiet, relaxing and pleasing activity will help treat trading insomnia. To allow your brain to shift from trading mode to sleep mode, here are healthy bedtime routines you should practice:

• Practice low stimulus activities at least 30 minutes to an hour before sleeping
• Clear your mind by writing down positive emotions or planning tomorrow's tasks
• Calming aromatherapy has proven to be effective to induce sleep. Make a habit of diffusing chamomile, lavender or sandalwood
• Enjoy a hot bath at least 2 to 3 hours before bed
• Again, turn off all devices and stay offline
• Extra tip: Research shows that most people take about 20 minutes to fall asleep. Don’t forget that if you find yourself still awake 30 minutes after bedtime, don’t stress about it. You simply need to restart and prepare your body to sleep through another method.

Track your sleep

Getting the right amount of sleep can be challenging for busy forex traders. If you are experiencing trading insomnia, one of the best ways to improve sleep is to track and analyze your habits through a gadget or a journal. Devices or apps like these allows traders to properly determine good and bad sleeping habits for optimal sleep. Here are great ways to help track and study your sleep:

Most recommended app: Sleep Cycle

Most helpful print out: National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Diary

Most diverse gadget for both sleep and fitness: Fitbit Charge Hr

Most innovative alarm: Hello

Every effort counts!

Forex traders need to be alert and active because of the nature of the business. For most traders, difficulty in sleeping involves anxiety or excitement from the day. To avoid trading insomnia, make sure to consistently practice good habits for better quality sleep. This will eventually avoid the feeling of sluggishness and increase productivity. Getting more hours of sleep will benefit your mindset and boost health for an optimized trading performance.