Time, its the one thing you are limited to. 

Everything else can be replaced but time.

It fluctuates but I sleep about 5 hours a day.

This is a typical saving of: 

I measure weeks as 40 hours. I will explain this in a later article but basically, if you save 3 hours of sleep a day, over a 40 year normal period, you are awake 21 years longer than someone who sleeps 8 hours a day.

Some people just love sleep. I do but can I love 5 hours just as much as I love 8? Yes, yes I can :)

So how do you sleep less but not feel tired?

If I eat the wrong food I have to sleep 8 hours or more a day. 

If I drink alcohol my body needs to shut down longer to process the ingested chemicals.

The connection is food, water, supplements, and exercise.

It's a big topic getting up at 4:00 am and needs more than just breakfast but let's start the process by look at one part; breakfast.

Over the years I have tried all sorts of things. Fruit, smoothies, bacon and eggs, toast, weetabix... I have tried them all and they all have their place.

But when you get up at 4:00 am you can't make a noise. You have to be a ninja and creep around the kitchen without waking the house up.

Don't think that because you get up at 4:00am that other people will also! They will think you and a nut case and that you have special powers and are a bit eccentric but in reality, you just understand your body.

When you get up at 4:00 am your problems will be;

a) Needing to be quiet

b) Need food else you will tire

c) Need to eat something that won't put weight on, won't spike insulin, will give you energy, and won't make you tired

Wholegrain Porridge... Superfood

Google the health benefits of porridge and your going to discover that it's classed as a superfood and its benefits are huge!

Remember also, horses love whole grain oats and they are very strong (1 horse = 1 horse power) and can run really fast.

I actually wake up and feel motivated to get out of bed so I can have a bowl of porridge! Crazy eh?

What to buy

1. Buy Whole Grain (not rolled, cut, or any other smashed up variety because you want the grains to be large so they digest slowly)
2. Rock Salt (a must have as it will add minerals to your diet and helps to maintain your hydration by allowing moisture to pass into cells)
3. Mineral Water (not tap water if you can avoid it)
4. Almond Milk (not sweetened and preferably organic)
5. You can add a little raw brown sugar if you want it sweet but you can adjust to the taste without

Important: Don't add fruit or anything else. Keep it simple. You may think that adding fruit is going to help but in reality it creates a fermenting brew inside your gut which is not helpful.

I have found a small container that is just the right size for me. It is a rice cooker measuring cup but find one that suit you. 

You don't want to feel over full so the measure is important and experience will tell you what is right for you.

Cooking Instructions

1. One third to one half fill the container with porridge
2. Tip it in a pan
3. Fill the container with mineral water and tip it in the pan
4. Add 1/4 teaspoon of rock salt
5. Put on gentle heat and simmer (about 4 minutes)
6. Stir with a fork (this seems to get the flakes off the bottom of the pan)
7. When the fluid has evaporated, serve

Microwave. I am not a fan of microwaves. If you do a little research on the web you are going to find all sorts of answers to the question "Is it safe to use a microwave?"

I can't find a conclusive answer so I take the problem away by avoiding it. I have also found that stove top cooking is quieter and produces a better result in texture and I don't overcook the ingredients. 

When you really get into the subject of food quality, microwaving is just a big no no as it probably reduces the retention of the nutritional value of foods.

Serving Instructions

• Sprinkle a little brown raw sugar (or not if you can avoid it as sugar will spike insulin and insulin is not a friend when you are trying to stay alert.)
• Add almond milk, or regular full fat milk. One goal is to drop dairy as it is phlegm producing and you will notice this when you go for lung exercises like biking or trying to sleep without snoring
• If you want it hot, boil some water and tip some in the serving bowl to heat it up, then tip it out. This will stop the bowl from sucking the heat out of the porridge

Porridge alone is not going to keep you out of the tired zone. There is a lot to learn before you can master sleep. However porridge is going to give you sustaining energy, reduce your hunger, and give you a superfood for breakfast.

In addition porridge is very economical.1 Month supplies are:

• 1 bag of Organic Whole Grain Oats cost NZD $7.00. 
• 2 boxes of Organic Almond Milk cost NZD $8.00
• Total cost = $15.00
• 30 days of breakfasts = 50c per serve

Idea

Buy 2 bags at a time and vac pack small bags of oats for tramping and survival rations. You don't actually need any milk to eat them and its a superfood :)

You want Whole Grains as this is the Wholefood and least processed.

Hunger Log

You actually want to feel a little hunger.

This kicks fat burn and growth hormone as your body scavenges for nutrition.

You can actually survive quite well on just the black coffee but you need to do lite exercise or a bike ride and you may have a problem for a 4am wake up.