I learned many of these sleep habits from Matthew Walker, Ph.D. Dr. Walker is recognized by many as the leading sleep scientist in the world. He is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and founder and director of the school’s Center for Human Sleep Science. He is also the author of The New York Times and international bestseller Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.
Everything else I learned from Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. Dr. Huberman is the reason I am passionate about understanding how the brain and body work, and without him, this company wouldn’t exist. He is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning. Dr. Huberman was awarded the Cogan Award in 2017, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision.
I highly recommend his podcast, “HubermanLab.” He interviews the world’s leading experts in each subject discussed. It’s like learning a college degree's worth of information from the world's best professor on that subject in just 3 hours.
Sleep Cheat Sheet: The best stimulant in the world is a good night's sleep, everything else just masks or enhances it.
I aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night, with 8 being my sweet spot. Everyone is different, so discover what works best for you.
Consistent Sleep Schedule: I hit the pillow at 10-10:30 most nights and wake up at 7-7:30 almost every day. Explore what sleep schedule matches your lifestyle and works best for you; then try to stick to it 80% of the time. Your body’s internal clock will thank you.
I try to get at least 5 minutes of sunlight in my eyes within 1 hour of waking. Perfect time to walk your dog and get some steps in. Your eyes can differentiate between sunlight in the morning and sunlight in the evening. Morning sunlight tells your body to be alert and ready for the day. Evening sunlight tells your body to start producing melatonin and begin preparing for sleep. Plus, who doesn’t love a good sunset?
The colder my bedroom, the better. There’s a reason most people fall asleep quicker in a cold room than warm.
I take a hot shower every night before bed. During exposure to heat, the inside of our body cools down, which helps us feel sleepy. Plus, a hot shower or bath is always relaxing.
I try to avoid blue light and overhead lights the last hour or 2 before bed. Blue light from your electronics and bright overhead lights trick the body into thinking it's daytime, delaying sleepiness. Red lights or candles provide all the light I need.
Changing my phone and laptop screen to red at night is a trick that has helped me. It’s much easier on the eyes and doesn’t disrupt sleepiness (as much).
iPhone Hack: Settings, Accessibility, Display and Text Size, Color Filters, turn on and click “color tint”, slide “intensity” fully to the right.
To expedite the process: Settings, Accessibility, scroll down to “accessibility shortcut”, and select “color filters”. Quickly press the power button 3 times to turn the screen red. Press it 3 more times to switch back to normal.
Samsung/Android: Settings, Display, “Blue Light Filter”, “Night Light”, or “Eye Comfort Shield”
Laptops should have a “night mode” in the “display and brightness” settings as well.
I recently switched to a firm mattress and have seen a big improvement in my sleep. I have heard many people say this has helped their back issues as well.
Most of the time, I will not consume caffeine after 12 pm. Tons of research shows that consuming it late in the day negatively affects sleep quality. Since my brain is often already active when I try to sleep, I prefer not to add to it. It is technically a drug, so it affects everyone differently; utilize it in a way that works best for you.
Alcohol and Marijuana: In this season of my life, I rarely drink and occasionally consume marijuana. There’s nothing wrong with either in moderation. I enjoy the effects of alcohol but not enough to sacrifice my whole next day. I’ll smoke or take an edible once per week to fully relax my mind and body and reward myself for a successful week. Marijuana benefits me, alcohol does not. However, both harm sleep quality. They might make you fall asleep quicker, but it's more like sedation than quality sleep. However, life is about having fun, and alcohol or marijuana can lead to memorable nights or much-needed relaxation. Sacrificing sleep quality for a fun night is usually worth it. Memories are all we have.
I aim to have my last bite of food by 7 pm (3 hours before bed.) Digesting food uses resources your body needs for sleep. For example, it’s harder to clean the house and cook dinner at the same time than do each separately. I find going to bed slightly hungry, yet still content, gives me the best sleep.
If you like feeling full before bed, eat lean protein like lean meat, low-fat greek yogurt, or low-fat cottage cheese about an hour before bed. A banana, nuts, or warm milk are also good options for a late night snack.
I aim for 12,000 steps minimum per day. Exercise and sleep are mutually beneficial and help each other significantly. 10,000 steps is an awesome goal for anyone to strive for. It is beneficial for every aspect of life.
I limit my fluid intake at night to avoid waking up to pee, usually nothing except a cup of tea within 2-3 hours of bed. I would wake up 2-3 times a night to pee and eventually became frustrated enough to do something about it. I’ll do my best to stay hydrated during the day to reduce my need/desire to drink at night.
I use a salt shaker and eat some salt before bed. This helps my body retain more water and slow down bladder filling = less waking up at night to pee.
To reduce snoring and force myself to nose breathe, I use 3M Micropore Medical Tape from Amazon. I place it on my mouth at night and use a Breathe Right strip to help me breathe better through my nose. Weird, but effective. I did this nightly for months, which trained me to breathe through my nose subconsciously. Now, I only wear it occasionally.
To calm my mind while lying in bed, I listen to a “Yoga Nidra for Sleep” video on YouTube or “Sleep Lofi” music found on any music streaming platform. It helps me shut my mind off and focus on something that isn’t my own thoughts. Highly recommend. White, brown, pink, or any other color noise can help induce relaxation too; each color produces a slightly different sound, so find what you enjoy best. Bedtime stories on youtube, guided meditations, or ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response; essentially soft whispering) youtube videos offer similar calming effects.
These work by allowing you to focus on something other than your thoughts which helps induce calmness and relaxation. Consistent use of specific sounds can train your mind to associate these sounds with sleep, becoming cues that help initiate the sleep process.
If my mom or brother will be coming home late and I want to block out any outside noise, I will use “Loop Quiet Earplugs” from Amazon. They do a good job of blocking out noise and are fairly comfortable, even when sleeping on your side. Perfect if you have a partner who snores and isn’t willing to tape their mouth shut at night.
I use a blackout silk sleep mask to make it as dark as possible at night. For me, it’s comfortable and does not make my head hot. $20 on Amazon if interested. Link to my sleep mask: ZIMASILK 100% 22Momme Mulberry Silk Sleep Mask https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089W6QK6N/ref=twister_B07KPF57S3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I use a 25 pound weighted blanket solely because it feels nice having weight on top of me. I’m not sure that it’s improved my sleep, but I look forward to using it each night so it’s all worth it. Many people say it helps them relax and reduces anxiety. It stays fairly cool but I often leave 1 foot out of the blanket to help regulate my temperature throughout the night. 10-15% of your bodyweight is recommended; mine is 15%. Link to my blanket: WONAP Bamboo Weighted Blanket 25 pounds https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082FSB654/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My biggest weakness is grabbing my phone once I wake up. This sets us up to be more stressed and distracted throughout the day. My goal is to avoid touching my phone for the first 15 minutes of being awake, and I encourage you to join me. Giving ourselves a few minutes to relax and focus in the morning starts the day off right.
Naps: I will take a 20 minute nap around 1 pm - 2 pm if I didn’t get the best sleep the night before. I set a timer for 25 minutes and hope I fall asleep within 5 minutes. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Either way, I usually feel better than I did before. Simply relaxing the body and brain for 20 minutes should do the trick. Try not to nap after 2 pm or for longer than 20 minutes since it can throw off your sleep at night; longer is not better in this situation. Fun fact: NASA found that naps of 26 minutes improved mission performance by 34% and alertness by 50%.
Sex and Orgasms: Not what you were expecting but hear me out. It’s almost as if the orgasm was specifically designed to help us sleep; like a natural sedative. Well, that and make babies. They produce tons of “feel good” hormones in the brain that cause relaxation and reduce stress/anxiety. This helps many people fall asleep quicker and sink deeper into sleep. There are plenty of studies linking orgasms to higher sleep quality, so the science supports this. On the other hand, getting good sleep increases libido which helps you have more sex. A beautiful cycle. Moral of the story: if you have a significant other, prioritize sex before bed. It will improve your relationship while also improving your sleep; win win. If you don’t have a significant other, well, you have a hand.
Supplements/Food Sleep Tips
These are the supplements/food I consume that have been shown to help with sleep, but I don't “feel” or notice any difference with them except melatonin, which slightly increases drowsiness. So while I am not sure if these are helping my sleep, they still have many nutritional benefits.
Magnesium Glycinate - Innovix Labs Advanced Magnesium, 210 mg, 150 capsules from Amazon. I take 2 capsules about an hour before bed.
Tart Cherry Juice (not from concentrate) - Cheribundi Light Tart Cherry Juice with Stevia, $6 at ShopRite. I drink about 1/4 of the bottle with dinner each night.
Kiwi WITH the skin - Yes, I’m weird and eat the skin, but that’s where most of the benefits lie. I clean all my fruit/veggies with “Veggie Wash: Fruit and Vegetable Wash” found on Amazon or in most stores.
Occasionally 0.3 mg of melatonin. Many melatonin supplements contain more than the body needs. I’ve learned that anything over 1mg isn’t good to take consistently. If I’m wide awake an hour or 2 before bed, I’ll take 0.3 - 0.9 mg of melatonin to speed up the process of sleepiness. Nootropics Depot Melatonin Capsules, 300mcg (micrograms) = 0.3 mg, 120 capsules from Amazon. I recommend 1-3 capsules.
