How I fixed my terrible sleep
High-quality sleep changed my life. It took me years to build the habits and systems that led to eight months of 100% perfect sleep. As far as I know, this is the best in the world. I’m going to teach you the habits for excellent sleep.
We all know the energizing feeling of a great night’s sleep. It rejuvenates the body, boosts brain function, powers the immune system immunity, and regulates hormones. It’s the foundation for well-being and longevity.
On the other hand, sleep deprivation impairs. Being constantly awake for 18 or 24 hours is equivalent to having a blood alcohol content of 0.05% or 0.1%, respectively. In the U.S. 0.08% is considered legally intoxicated. Also, get six hours or sleep or less on average and you’re 4.2x times more likely to develop the common cold.
And if you need any more motivation, one night with 4 hours of sleep showed a 70% reduction in the activity of natural killer cells in 18 out of 23 participants. One night of subsequent normal sleep was enough to restore NK activity to its baseline. Natural killer cells are what’s killing cancer cells among other functions. Preclinical studies have established a causal link between the lack of sleep inhibition of immune surveillance and increased tumor growth in animal models.
Sleep deprivation diminishes cognitive functions, slows reflexes, and gives rise to poor decision-making. It’s linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, anxiety, depression and weakened immunity.
If you only do one thing for your health: sleep.
Learn 10 habits.
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Reframe Your Identity: You are a professional sleeper
- Make sleep your #1 priority. Nothing influences your conscious existence more.
- Plan your day around sleep. It’s the most important appointment in your calendar.
- Get buy-in and support from others by explaining your priorities.
- Ignore those who say sleep is for the weak. They’re drunk from sleep deprivation.
- Sleep will make you a top performer.
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Create a 30-60 minute Wind-Down Routine: Set a specific time each evening to start wind down, for example:
- Engage in relaxing activities like reading or taking a warm bath. An online randomized clinical trial on 991 subjects concluded that reading a book in bed improved sleep quality in a majority of participants, as self-reported by the participants using SQS scoring.
- Practice mindfulness or deep breathing exercises. In a wide meta analysis, mindfulness meditation outperformed controls and proved equivalent to medications in treating sleep disturbances.
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Listen to soothing music: Soft, calming music can help signal that it's time to sleep. In a study on 94 students, soothing classical music outperformed a negative control and an audiobook at improving sleep quality and reducing depression. In older adults too, a meta analysis of 9 studies with 489 participants showed significant improvements with sleep latency, duration, and efficiency with various music interventions in multiple settings and countries.
- Engage in relaxing activities like reading or taking a warm bath. An online randomized clinical trial on 991 subjects concluded that reading a book in bed improved sleep quality in a majority of participants, as self-reported by the participants using SQS scoring.
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Get Morning Light:
- Get outside within the first 15-30 minutes of waking to set your circadian rhythm and boost mood.
- Use a light therapy device if natural sunlight isn’t available.
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Regulate Evening Light:
- Dim the lights one to two hours before bedtime to create a relaxed atmosphere.
- Use warm lighting in the evening. Even better, use a red light. Plus it’s a cool vibe.
- Install blue light filters on your devices (i.e. f.lux) and consider blue light-blocking glasses.
- Limit screen time at least an hour before bed and blackout your bedroom.
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Regulate Your Bedroom Temperature:
- Keep your bedroom temperature between 60-67°F (15-19°C).
- Choose breathable bedding and light sleepwear.
- Use fans or cooling devices and consider taking a warm bath before bed.
- Ventilate your room and or use a temperature-controlled mattress if possible.
- Track your sleep patterns with a journal or sleep tracker.
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Keep a Consistent Bedtime:
- Choose a bedtime that allows for 7-9 hours in bed each night.
- Avoid scheduling late nights and be consistent even on weekends.
- Set an alarm for winding down.
- Track your sleep patterns with a journal or sleep tracker.
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Curate Your Sleep Environment:
- Ensure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool.
- Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows.
- Remove distractions and keep your bedroom clean and clutter-free.
- Consider using a noise machine to offset environmental sounds or earplugs if necessary.
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Eat your final meal of the day hours before bed:
- For years I tested my eating times on sleep quality and landed at 11 am being the best for high quality sleep. By the time I go to bed at 8:30 pm, primary digestion is done and my resting heart rate is around 47-49 bpm. If I eat later in the day, my resting heart rate will be between 55-58 bpm because my body is still digesting food and it will lessen my sleep quality by ~30%. But you don’t need to do what I do.
- Try to have your last meal of the day at least two hours before bed and avoid large meals close to bedtime. You can experiment extending to eating your final meal of the day 4 and 6 hours before bed and assess whether it improves your sleep quality. Eating close to bed creates large metabolic demands on your body, causes blood glucose fluctuations, reduces melatonin production, and disrupts your body’s natural process of lowering core body temperature.
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Like me, you may find that certain foods such as pasta and breads reduce the quality of sleep. I was very surprised to see how much food positively and negatively affected my sleep.
- For years I tested my eating times on sleep quality and landed at 11 am being the best for high quality sleep. By the time I go to bed at 8:30 pm, primary digestion is done and my resting heart rate is around 47-49 bpm. If I eat later in the day, my resting heart rate will be between 55-58 bpm because my body is still digesting food and it will lessen my sleep quality by ~30%. But you don’t need to do what I do.
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Avoid Stimulants Before Bed:
- Try to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other stimulants at least 10 hours before sleep. I don’t consume caffeine or alcohol. They each disrupt my mood and negatively affect my sleep. But that’s me. You can find what’s right for you.
- Caffeine has a half life of 6 hours in the blood. That means that consuming a cup of coffee 6 hours before bedtime is equivalent to drinking half a cup immediately before going to bed!
- Caffeine manipulates brain cells by blocking their sensing of declining energy levels (blocking adenosine receptors). And this sense of declining energy levels is essential for your brain to switch to sleep mode. Caffeine in your system close to bedtime can also interfere with your sleep phases and quality later in the night.
- You might think that alcohol, as a depressant, helps you sleep faster. That may be true, but alcohol also has a negative effect on your sleep quality. Alcohol reduces REM sleep, increases sleep fragmentation (frequent awakenings), and can exacerbate existing medical conditions
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Opt for herbal teas or other relaxing drinks in the evening.
- Try to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other stimulants at least 10 hours before sleep. I don’t consume caffeine or alcohol. They each disrupt my mood and negatively affect my sleep. But that’s me. You can find what’s right for you.
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Gather Data:
- Track your sleep habits and patterns with a journal or sleep tracker.
- Use the data to make informed decisions and adjustments to your routine.
- Continuously monitor and tweak your habits to optimize your sleep quality.
Improving sleep is a journey. Take it one step at a time and start by focusing on reshaping your relationship with sleep.
You've got this.
Sleep well,
Bryan
Disclaimer: this blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.
