Sleep is the single most effective thing anyone can do to restore their brain and body to optimal function. There is a reason we spend one-third of our lives in this state. No other behavioral practice, food, or drug comes close to the benefits offered by sleep1. To quote Matthew Walker in Why We Sleep, “There does not seem to be one major organ within the body, or process within the brain, that isn’t optimally enhanced by sleep (and detrimentally impaired when we don’t get enough).” 

For all of modern society’s issues with sleep, the practice itself is fairly simple and easy to understand. The two factors that drive sleep are adenosine and melatonin. Adenosine accumulates the longer you are awake and drives the desire to sleep while melatonin operates on a clock, or circadian rhythm, timing when sleep should occur. It’s quite logical then that anything disruptive to either of these processes should be avoided. Similarly, actions that positively influence these processes should be promoted.

Below, I’ve outlined my principles for maximizing quality sleep, providing supplemental information when appropriate.

 

    1. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule.

       

        • Being consistent in your sleep schedule is critical for getting adequate amounts of restorative sleep. Substantial shifts in sleep, such as going to bed three hours later than you normally do, results in loss of deep non-REM sleep regardless of how many hours are slept.

        • People have genetic predispositions for earlier or later sleep (called sleep chronotype) which is affected by age. Respect your body’s natural tendency for sleep at particular times. For example, teenagers have a right shifted circadian rhythm, meaning they tend to fall asleep later. If you are a teenage night owl, you might naturally fall asleep around midnight.

        • Don’t miss sleep. The body accumulates some degree of sleep debt, but it can never be paid off entirely. The more you continue to get short sleep, the greater the negative impact.

 

    1. Calibrate melatonin release by getting sunlight exposure within 30 minutes of waking.

       

        • Natural sunlight is the most effective tool to calibrate melatonin release. The sooner you get outside and expose your eyes to the morning light after waking, the more effective the body is at releasing melatonin in the evening. Additionally, getting outside around sunset shows similar benefits to setting the circadian clock.

    1. Avoid sleep-disruptive substances.

       

        • I’m about to say something wildly unpopular… get off caffeine. Caffeine will block adenosine by occupying receptor sites. This is part of the reason why people suddenly feel alert after consuming caffeine. The half-life of caffeine is 5-7 hours, so if you have caffeine today it will still be in your body when you go to bed. Caffeine’s effects on sleep are well documented. The larger the amount of caffeine present in the body, the more serious the disruption of restorative sleep. 

        • Other disruptors of restorative sleep include but are not limited to:

           

            • Alcohol

            • THC

            • Most illicit drugs

            • Prescription and over-the-counter drugs like Ambien or Tylenol PM

            • High sugar intake

    1. Avoid bright light, especially of the blue light variety, at nighttime.

       

        • The presence of light at nighttime will inhibit sleep onset by tricking the brain into thinking it’s earlier than it is. The brighter the light, the greater the reduction in melatonin. The presence of blue light common in phones, TVs, computers and other LEDs exacerbates this effect by a factor of two.

        • Reductions in melatonin output from nighttime blue light exposure persist for several days and are accompanied by a reduction in baseline dopamine levels as well.

    1. Reduce the temperature of your environment before bed.

       

        • The body’s core temperature needs to fall by about 2 degrees to initiate sleep. By lowering the thermostat in the evening, you can help this process along.

        • Heat exposure, such as sauna or bath, will cause a dumping of heat once exposure ends. When done at night, this has been shown to increase deep non-REM sleep by 10-15%.

        • Don’t exercise too close to bedtime as your core temperature can remain elevated for up to several hours post-exercise.

    1. Maintain eating habits that promote good sleep.

       

        • Having an empty stomach without the presence of hunger seems to facilitate the best sleep. If you are hungry, eat something light.

        • Avoid foods that cause congestion, particularly in the evening. Congestion makes it harder to breathe and is particularly harmful to people who are prone to snoring.

        • Avoid undereating. Calorie deficits activate the sympathetic nervous system, making it difficult to fall and stay asleep.

           

            • If a calorie deficit is unavoidable, consume carbohydrates as part of your last meal to maximize activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.

        • Reduce water consumption before bed if you often wake in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

           

            • If this doesn’t alleviate the issue, you may have impaired sleep (see #10).

    1. Allow the body to wake naturally, without an alarm.

       

        • I understand this is difficult for many people, but the assault on the cardiovascular system as well as the disruption to REM sleep is not worth it. If you are unable to wake up without an alarm, shift your sleep routine to earlier in the night little by little until you are able to consistently wake up without an alarm.

    1. Refrain from napping unless you have a good reason for it.

       

        • Napping leads to a massive dump of adenosine and can therefore cause sleep onset issues at bedtime. In the event you are tired and have a major physical or cognitive obligation later in the day, a nap may be warranted given the benefits.

    1. If you have trouble falling asleep, leave your bed for a dimly lit area until tired.

       

        • Low stimulation activities like reading are good at this time.

        • If the need to fall asleep is immediate, consider taking 250-500 micrograms of melatonin.

           

            • Be aware that melatonin is a hormone and regular exogenous use can make falling asleep naturally much more difficult.

    1. Correct all snoring and other apnea-related issues.

       

        • Though extremely common, snoring wreaks havoc on sleep quality. I’ve discovered an effective partial remedy in the use of mouth tape. This forces nasal breathing which inhibits a good deal of snoring.

This covers the most important variables I’ve encountered to get the best sleep possible. From good sleep stems the ability to optimize every other aspect of our health and performance. 

In ending, I encourage readers to remember this quote:

“The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life span. The old maxim “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is therefore unfortunate. Adopt this mindset, and you will be dead sooner and the quality of that (shorter) life will be worse.”

– Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep


1  Only the need for oxygen and water surpasses our need for sleep in terms of time to expiration