Your Ultimate Sleep Guide
The importance of sleep cannot be overstated. During those precious hours of rest, our bodies rejuvenate, our minds consolidate memories, and our overall well-being is restored. Sleep is not a luxury; it is an essential pillar of our health and vitality. In this article you’ll find tips you can try today to start improving your sleep!
1. Get 20 minutes of sunlight in your eyes upon waking as well as sunset. When sunlight enters your eyes, it stimulates the parts of your retina that then cue your brain to produce serotonin. Your body needs serotonin to produce melatonin. Your pineal gland chemically alters one hormone to create the other. Your body’s sleep-wake cycle is affected by how much light you’re exposed to, and the related production of these hormones. You can sit under a shady tree to get benefits from sunlight, just make sure you get outside in order to produce melatonin!
2. At bare minimum, spend 20 minutes outdoors before noon (no sunglasses, no sunscreen)
3. Avoid bright light / blue computer light after sunset
4. Avoid ALL overhead light 2 hours before bed (Skyview lamps are best)
5. If you cannot purchase Skyview, use incandescent bulbs in your lamps (no overhead lighting two hours before bed)
6. MEN: Donate blood once per quarter (this lowers your iron levels. This is important because a lack of sleep can cause aging and part of aging is the accumulation of iron!)
7. WOMEN: Can take Progesterone (only take on days 14-28)
8. Wait 90 minutes to two hours before first sip of caffeine in the morning (your cortisol is already peaking!). Avoid caffeine after mid-day (as the half life for caffeine is 8 hours). Or even try switching to organic decaf coffee.
9. A high-carbohydrate diet may shorten wake times. Yep, you read right. If you wake up frequently during the night, you may simply be one of those folks who are so active that you need more carbohydrates.
10. Try 1-2 tsp of raw honey before bed (local honey is best!)
11. Can take melatonin 45 minutes before bed (3mg is minimum!) (There’s 400 TIMES more melatonin in your gut then in your brain. This is why a clean gut is important for sleep health!)
12. Can take organic CBD oil at bedtime
13. Can take Valerian root, Glycine, and magnesium
14. Can take L-theanine ( up to 300 mg) at night (not recommended if you have night terrors)
15. Can take DSIP peptide (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide) at night (although Dr. Tracy Gapin recommends Selank peptide before DSIP)
16. Can take epitalon peptide at night
17. Can take fish oil
18. Can take CoQ10 during the day
19. Can take potassium, SAMe, and/or royal jelly
20. Can take glutathione (day or night)
21. Can take 100mg of GABA
22. Avoid violent tv/movies at night (as this can act as a stimulant)
23. Keep conversations light and do not discuss heated topics before bed
24. Avoid alcohol 2 hours before bed (or altogether)
25. Avoid high fructose corn syrup and other synthetic sweeteners
26. Avoid sleeping on a metal bed frame as well as a box spring full of metal. This can can act as an EMF antenna. Switch to an all-wood frame (shop frames now).
27. Avoid sleeping on a mattress and pillows which are made with commercial chemicals and flame retardant. Switch to organic and eco-friendly options (shop mattresses now).
28. Switch to certified organic sheets and use a black-out eye mask
29. If you live in a high-EMF frequency environment, consider using a ‘faraday cage’ canopy like this one from Faraday Labz.
30. Consider meeting with a Sleep Specialist Doctor or Functional Medicine Doctor (The Best Sleep Doctor in Every State)
31. Harvard Medical School found that CBT was more effective at treating chronic insomnia than prescription sleep medication (CBT = Cognitive Behavioral Therapy link here)
32. Keep a journal next to your bed. When your mind is racing with your to-do list, write down your tasks so your mind can relax
33. Keep a gratitude journal (or use The Five-Minute Journal)
34. Wear blue blockers at night
35. Turn off wifi and Bluetooth at night (and leave your phone outside of your room)
36. Neutral or pastel shades sheets, comforters, and blankets are best for inducing sleep (avoid patterns and bold colors like red)
37. Do NOT eat processed foods (a healthy gut is important for sleep!) Propolis has been shown to promote a healthy gut.
38. Unplug everything in your room / do not sleep with sleep monitor on your body. Do not go to sleep with an iPad or while watching TV. Your room should solely be for sleeping.
39. Try ‘Grounding’ or ‘Earthing’ (ideally not 3 hours before bed) (link here)
40. Do not use your mobile phone if you wake up in the middle of the night. Do not turn on any screens. If you need light, use BIOS lights or lamps
41. Consider purchasing a Fisher Wallace device or NuCalm device
42. Cleveland Clinic says, “If you can’t fall back to sleep after approximately 15 to 20 minutes, get out of bed. Use your “mind clock, ” Dr. Drerup says, to estimate how long you’ve been awake. After 20 minutes of wakefulness, get up and leave your bedroom. “Don’t spend time in bed trying to fall asleep,” she says. “You’ll probably worry about not falling asleep and then learn to associate the bedroom with not sleeping well.” (Link here)
43. When you take your evening supplements, blow on them. Seriously. Set an intention of how you want the supplements to assist you
44. Practice 4-7-8 breathing before bed, it only takes 2 minutes (link here)
45. Waking up between 3-4 AM? You are running out of melatonin. If this is habitual, your sleep cycle may be the rare percentage of people who need to go to sleep at 8:30 and wake up around 4 (link here). If you are female, this could be a hormonal issue and you may want to consider bio-identical hormone replacement therapy
46. Waking up between 3-4 AM? You could be hypoglycemic and may need to eat upon waking (consider these resources: Healthline article, Balance Women’s Health PDF)
47. Waking up during anytime at night? Try Yoga Nidra (Yoga Nidra videos on YouTube) (or try the ‘Deep Sleep’ track from NuCalm)
48. If hypoglycemia is a possibility, consider purchasing a 24/7 blood glucose monitor (yes, you will need to wear this at night with Bluetooth on - short term only. Or you can perform a finger prick test)
49. Avoid looking at clock if awake (or consider buying red light alarm clock)
50. Avoid sauna or extreme heat before bed (mild to cold showers are best)
51. Use HT7 acupressure point to release melatonin naturally (link here) (second link here)
52. Use f.lux or dark mode whilst working on a computer. Additionally, you can use OcuShield as screen protector on all your smart devices for protection against blue light as well.
53. Consider purchasing a chili sleep system (and NEVER use an electric blanket as they create a tremendous amount of EMFs) — The most compelling reason to purchase a chili sleep system is that temperature is one of the biggest determining factors for waking up at night!
54. Consider purchasing Holy Hydrogen, hydration water maker. Or at the very least, let your water sit in a glass bottle in the sun for 30 minutes
55. Stop wearing a smartwatch to bed as smart devices attract EMFs
56. Don’t sleep with your phone in your bedroom
57. Read “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker
Link: What to Do When You Can’t Sleep by Dr. Axe
Link: Consider Cognitive Therapy to Address Insomnia and Sleep Disorders
Link: Genes That Cause Insomnia
Link: How eating Paleo Cures Insomnia Naturally
Link: 58% of children not getting enough sleep; sleep vital for kids
Link: Dr Amen’s ‘Overcoming Insomnia’ Course
Link: Top 10 Biohacks for Sleep
Link: Stop Snoring + Breathe Better
Link: Discover Your Chronotype / Biological Sleeping Clock -QUIZ-
Link: Discover Your Sleep Animal -QUIZ-
Link: What Causes Insomnia?
Link: Sleep on an Incline for Better Sleep
Link: Sounder Sleep System Course
Link: Your Guide to Light Therapy for Better Sleep
Link: Lab Tests for Genetics of Sleep
Link: 3 Acupressure Points to Induce sleep - video
Link: “The Melatonin Doctor” Russel Reiter - Melatonin conference - video
Link: 25+ Articles on How to Improve Sleep & Reduce Insomnia
