Below are some of my favorite articles on sleep from my most trusted sites on the web. If you struggle with sleep in any form, you owe it to yourself to check these out. I recommend you read each linked article in full. Then once you have a clear picture of where you might be lacking in your sleep regime, you can decide what will be your first implement.
11 Tricks for Perfect Sleep by Tim Ferris
- 8-10 sleep was most dependent on the ratio of REM-to-total sleep, not total REM duration.
- I could increase REM percent by extending total sleep time past 9 hours or waking for 5 minutes at approximately 4.5 hours after sleep onset.
- 200mcg (micrograms) of huperzine-A 30 minutes pre-bed can increase total REM by 20-30 percent
- More than two glasses of wine within four hours of sleep onset decreases deep wave sleep 20-50 percent.
- Having two tablespoons of organic almond butter (or peanut butter) on celery sticks before bed eliminated at least 50 percent of "feel like shit" 1-3 awakenings.
- 67-70-degree temperature
- Large fat and protein-dominant meal within 3 hours of sleep
- Philips goLITE
- Cold bath one hour prior to bed
- Nightwave
- Half military crawl position
"The Basics of Sleep That Don’t Cost Anything"
Whether or not you currently have trouble sleeping, there are several key things you can easily do to improve your current sleep. These are the most basic yet most critical hacks that will help you upgrade both the quality and quantity of sleep so you can optimize your rest every night.
- First, sleep in a pitch-black room. Make it as dark as you can possibly make it. Block all the light sources you can, whether it’s a curtain or just pinning up fabric as needed. Seriously, if you live in a city, you need blackout curtains that don’t allow in all the light pollution. Cover LEDs with black electrical tape.
- Start winding down at least two hours before bed. This means less bright lighting at night, as well eliminating, or at least dimming, computer screens and TVs.
- Third, though it may seem obvious, caffeine is not a sleep aid – stop drinking it by 2:00 p.m. each day, or at least 8 hours prior to bedtime (earlier if you’re sensitive to it).
- Go to bed by 11:00 p.m. when possible because your body creates a cortisol surge after 11 p.m. to keep you awake.
- Don’t exercise within 2 hours of bedtime, unless it’s relaxing yoga or something similar.
These are basics that are easy to implement immediately at zero cost, and they ensure you’re starting off on the right foot – or right side of the bed, rather…
Getting Some Good Primal Sleep | MarksDailyApple.com
From "Getting Some Good Primal Sleep":
How to Manufacture the Best Night of Sleep in Your Life | MarksDailyApple.com
Early Morning
Use a dawn simulator alarm clock. These are alarms with lamps that slowly and gradually brighten as your wake time approaches. It’s not the same as having the majestic sunrise beam into your room and very soul, but these contraptions have been shown to improve sleep quality. Another advantage: waking up won’t be so jarring.
Early Evening
"If you plan on drinking, do so around this time. Alcohol too close to bed – even just a couple of glasses of wine – can impact sleep. You’ll sleep, but it’ll be poor quality sleep fraught with frequent disturbances. This validates both happy hours and day drinking, in a way.
Bedtime
Drink some bone broth, eat some gelatin, or take glycine. All of those things either contain or are glycine, an amino acid with sleep promoting effects.
Clear your mind. Meditation can work here, again, or you could make a to-do list for the following day so that you don’t lie awake obsessing over everything.
Middle of the Night
Improve your aim and reduce your reliance on lights. If you get up in the night to urinate, don’t flip on every light as you pass them. Most people can adjust to the darkness if they let themselves.
Don’t check your email just because you woke up. It’s not that important (if it were, they’d call), and whatever you read is only going to keep you up. Also, blue light!