Posted: June 29, 2019

This is a guide to better sleep.

I’m not a doctor. These things work well for me.

Please consult your doctor if you have sleep issues. Good sleep is essential to a good life.

Start here…

Organized from easy to difficult, these are my top tips for sleep improvement:

• Use a program like redshift starting a few hours before bed. I like 3000k color temperature starting at 7pm. Use it on ALL electronics.
• Drink some chamomile tea before bed
• Take ~1mg melatonin a few hours before bed
• Completely stop using electronics 1 hour+ before bed
• Block all light from your sleeping area (use electrical tape on LEDs)
• Eliminate noises. If that’s not possible, use earplugs.
• Improve your diet
• Meditate before bed
• Start a workout routine (preferably in the morning)

If you still have trouble falling asleep…

• Avoid eating before bed (but be sure to eat a couple hours before)
• Avoid liquids before bed
• Avoid naps
• Make some white noise with a fan or stream white noise on YouTube
• No electronics past 7pm (really)
• Take a bath or shower before bed
• Cut caffeine ~10 hours before bed
• Cut caffeine completely

Waking up at night? Poor sleep quality?

• Avoid alcohol or other drugs before bed. These can dehydrate you and interrupt your REM cycles.
• Try earplugs

Feeling awful in the morning

• Try to improve sleep quality (see above)
• Ensure you are getting adequate sleep. Everyone is different. Most adults need 6-8 hours. You may need 5 or 10 hours. Experiment and see.
• Wake up at the same time every single day, including weekends (really)
• Stop using electronics before bed (electronics use predicts delayed bedtime which predicts inadequate sleep)
• Get a coffee pot that turns on automatically in the morning
• Get a Yeelight and have it turn bright white when you wake up
• Stop using snooze (really) (really really)
• Get a smart alarm app. They work by detecting your movements and waking you up during the lighter part of your sleep cycle.
• Keep your room warm in the morning. Nothing worse than a cold day.
• Make sure you don’t hate what you’re doing during the day (really)

Feeling tired during the day

• Try caffeine
• Improve your diet
• Stay hydrated
• Try supplements. A multivitamin with plenty of vitamin D is cheap insurance.
• If you’re taking a nap every day, stop
• If you never take naps, try taking a 20 minute nap in the afternoon

Trouble breathing/congestion/snoring

• Try using a humidifier where you sleep
• Try running an air filter where you sleep
• Stay hydrated
• See your doctor

Still feeling awful

• See your doctor
• Eliminate stress
• Try keeping a sleep log:
  • time went to bed
  • last meal
  • time woken up
  • alertness level
  • times woke up at night, and why
  • chemical use (melatonin, coffee, alcohol, etc)