Discover 9 actionable sleep protocols

Going to bed at the same time every night facilitates the natural production of human growth hormone (HGH) during sleep, which boosts metabolism, aids tissue repair, and slows aging. Variability in bedtime, even by 30 minutes, can inhibit optimal HGH release.

Stopping eating three hours before bed aids in transitioning to a fasted state, crucial for allowing the body to enter repair mode as digestion takes about five hours.

To optimize your alertness throughout the day and avoid the common afternoon energy crash, it's recommended to delay your caffeine intake for about 90 to 120 minutes after waking up. This timing allows your body's natural wakefulness processes, primarily driven by the morning peak in cortisol levels, to stabilize.

Alcohol can disrupt your sleep architecture, particularly the REM (rapid eye movement) stage, which is crucial for memory and emotional processing. Drinking too close to bedtime often results in a disrupted sleep cycle, leading to poorer quality sleep and less restorative rest. By allowing a buffer of at least three hours, you give your body enough time to metabolize the alcohol, reducing its sleep-disturbing effects.

Reducing exposure to bright and blue light in the evening aids the natural increase in melatonin production, facilitating easier onset of sleep.

Exposure to bright or blue light late at night can decrease dopamine levels and negatively impact mood and sleep, leading to increased feelings of depression and anxiety.

This exposure helps increase early-day cortisol, aiding in wakefulness and setting the circadian rhythm for better night-time sleep. Spend 5-10 minutes on sunny days and 15-20 minutes on overcast days.

Afternoon sunlight, especially the yellows and oranges of the low sun, helps signal to the brain that it's evening and time to begin transitioning to sleep, reinforcing your circadian rhythm.

• He increases adenosine through lots of early morning exercise and caffeine abstinence
• He increases melatonin by taking 2 to 5 mg of melatonin
• He decreases cortisol by taking 400 to 600 mg of phosphatidylserine