Researchers Prove You Can
Sleep Your Way to
Compelling Copy (Part 2)
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Whenever my wife catches me sleeping in the office, I tell her I’m integrating and consolidating my research notes to create compelling subconscious copy. |
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Last post, we were talking about how modern researchers are proving that in the subconscious factory of sleep, your mind is able to fully assimilate information. This is why so many times copywriters will spend a few days researching a project – overwhelmed by how they’ll pull this one off – then suddenly wake up with a great idea one morning.
(Well, most copywriters anyways. Colin Chung, for example, doesn’t sleep… so he has developed another method that he might share with you one day. Either that or… he is a robot.)
I promised I’d share my top seven tips for getting a good night’s rest – so that your mind can formulate original copy that you can be proud of.
The Video Gaming Study
Before I get to that I wanted to share with you another study I came across, Consolidation of Sensorimotor Learning During Sleep by the University of Chicago. They basically gathered 200 women with little video-gaming experience and had them go to task learning the wonders of Super Mario Brothers (or, possibly something more modern).
On average, their gaming skills improved 8% after a few hours. Their skill level would decrease by the afternoon. But, get this, the next morning, when tested, they found they had improved 10%.
Sleep increased their overall performance by 25% – from 8% to 10%.
So, if you think denying yourself sleep to get an extra hour of copywriting done makes any sense… you may want to consider studies like these and get to bed early.
But, of course, if it takes you 30 minutes to get to sleep, then that’s just wasted time. Or if you wake up in the middle of the night… then that doesn’t count for much either. Or if you never sleep that deeply to begin with…
7 Tips to Sleep Deeply
So Your Subconscious
Can Write Copy For You
So here are my top seven tips I’d recommend to anyone who needs to sleep better. (Of course, consult with a qualified health practitioner before you even think of trying any of these radical ideas.)
1) No Late Night Snacking: Generally, eating after dinner, or three hours before bed, is just going to delay your body’s ability to go from “digestion mode” to “rest mode.” If you must eat, stick to a little milk or a small piece of fruit – until you wean yourself down to oxygen. Trust me, you won’t starve. You’ve got a liver full of sugar, plus fat to burn.
2) Sleep in the Dark: Your sleeping quarters should be so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face. If you can’t manage this then a blindfold is the next best alternative. Without total darkness your brain has trouble releasing enough of the sleep hormone melatonin. In my brightly lit neighborhood this involves vertical blinds, a thick curtain, plus two blankets (yes, we’re moving soon).
Also, avoid TVs and computer screens a half hour before bed. Staring at radiant light sources will really mess up your flow of melatonin.
3) If You Gotta Go Pee in the Middle of the Night… make sure you do NOT turn a light on. Light will immediately turn off your flow of melatonin and put you in “wake up mode.” Personally, I’ve been told, I can go to the washroom without even waking up. I’m a total sleep walker. Once my wife was in the washroom and woke me up while I was standing. Strange experience. On that note…
4) Don’t Drink Liquids 2-3 Hours Before Bed: Drink plenty during the day so you won’t be thirsty at night. I usually stick to a cup of herbal tea after dinner and that’s it. 80% of the time that means I don’t need to urinate at 3am (at least, not that I remember).
5) Melatonin Supplement: If you are too wired, taking a small amount of melatonin (e.g. start at 0.5 mg and see how it goes) will help get your brain producing its own and sending you to sleep. Remember, melatonin is a natural hormone that you body produces anyways – unlike sleeping pills which are synthetic drugs (that create brain wave patterns more akin to being hit over the head with a hammer).
Still, I’d leave melatonin as a last resort – your brain really should produce its own (if you’re over 50 or suffer chronic health problems, sometimes you need supplementation – talk to a naturopath).
6) Don’t Sleep in Electromagnetic Radiation: Dr. Vini Khurana, a highly decorated neurosurgeon, has publicly declared that cell phone use may be worse than smoking when it comes to developing brain tumors.
Worse than cells phones, however, are cordless phones, Bluetooths and wireless internet connections. Make sure you turn all of these off at night (if not eliminate them from your home/office altogether). Not only should they help you sleep better, but it will give your body a rest from their disruptive electromagnetic radiation.
7) No Time for Meditation? Many people say they have no time to meditate, yet toss and turn for 10-30 minutes each night trying to get to sleep. Even for just five minutes before bed, counting your inhalation and exhalation should help get your mind ready to drop into the subconscious. If you don’t like the word “meditation” — give it some new name like “laser focus mental training session.”
Some Unorthodox Bits of Copywriting Advice,
But I Think They’re Golden
You can’t possibly keep track of all the research you’ve conducted for a particular copywriting project, plus all the different copywriting techniques and approaches, consciously. That only results in very structured copy that reads as about as interesting as an iPhone user’s manual.
You need a properly functioning subconscious mind to handle the complexities of creating effective copy. The best part about it is that most of the work is done while you are sleeping. You just need to take notes in the morning.
P.S. Let me know if you try any of these methods and how it affects your copywriting in the comment box below…
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