Issue No. 4

Science Based Sleep Hacks for Better Zzzs

How did you sleep this week? And the week before that? Chances are, at some point in the last few weeks, your sleep hasn’t been perfect. Sleep is one of those things that, almost universally, we can all improve upon (says the new mom with an 8 week old at home…). Per Dr. Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, 50% of American adults try to survive on six hours of sleep or less during the week. This is a problem!

Like hydration, sleep is one of those fundamentals we all know we need, but don’t always prioritize. Many of us forget why it’s important, making it easy to let healthy habits fall to the wayside. But the unavoidable truth is: the science behind insufficient sleep is actually pretty scary.

Here’s a brief refresher:

Consistent insufficient sleep (<6 hours a night) leads to a cascade of problems like weakened immunity, greater risk of cancer, obesity, anxiety, depression, disrupted blood sugar levels (leading to pre-diabetes and diabetes), and more. After a single week of insufficient sleep, we become more likely to consume more calories and unhealthy foods. Not only that, but being under-slept puts you at a greater risk of getting into a traffic accident (33% more likely, to be exact). Dr. Matthew Walker states: “The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life – a lack of sleep predicts all cause mortality.” That’s pretty intense!

“We sleep for a rich litany of functions, plural–an abundant constellation of nighttime benefits that serve both our brains and our bodies.”

— Dr. Matthew Walker

The good news? There are (relatively easy) ways to improve! According to the CDC, most adults need at least seven hours of good-quality sleep per every 24 hours. The sleep hacks below are scientifically proven to help get you there. Read on to start improving your sleep hygiene tonight.

The Sleep Hacks

1. Consistent sleep and wake times

Dr. Matthew Walker’s single best piece of sleep advice is to “go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day – regularity is key.”

2. Avoid caffeine after 2pm

…or earlier if you’re sensitive. Caffeine has a quarter life of 12 hours – so if you have cup of coffee around noon, one quarter of the caffeine is still circulating your brain at midnight.

3. No alcohol at least 4 hours before bed

Contrary to popular belief, wine does not improve sleep quality. It may make you feel drowsy to begin with, but as the night goes on, it has the opposite effect. The same goes for THC as it blocks REM sleep.

4. Stop eating 3 hours before bed

One of the worst things we can do for sleep quality is spike our blood sugar right before bed. If you do have to eat late, try to choose something that is lower in carbs and higher in healthy fats (like walnuts, for example).

5. Temperature

According to Andrew Huberman, an American neuroscientist and podcaster, our sleep environment should be pretty cold (ideally ~65 degrees or somewhere between 60 and 68). “Your body temperature and your ability to fall and stay asleep are closely related.” It’s a steep investment but a cooling mattress cover like this one from Eight Sleep allows us to regulate our sleep temperature without needing to turn the thermostat to glacial levels.

6. Light

There should be no visible light in the room. Invest in blackout shades, curtains, or a quality eye mask like this. This, not surprisingly, includes the glowing blue light of our electronics. In fact, data shows that we should avoid all electronics, texting, and email at least 30-45 minutes before bed. This one is particularly hard for me I’m realizing (as I type this at 10:57pm). A tip that has really helped me, though, is using an alarm clock that isn’t my phone. It’s simple but effective! This one comes packed with sleep meditations and a truly delightful selection of sounds to lull you out of bed in the morning. I now charge my phone overnight in another room, meaning I no longer doomscroll before falling asleep or after waking up in the morning. To aid in our battle against blue light, blue light blockers for phone, tablet, and laptop are an easy yet powerful hack. Twilight Brightness Blocker and F.lux are two blue light blocking apps you can download right away that truly make a difference. To go a step further, get a blue light blocking screen protector. I like Ocushield because they are medically rated. I also just ordered a pair of blue light blocking glasses from Caddis (available with and without magnification). They somehow make me feel more studious too. :)

7. Morning sunshine

Another hack touted by Andrew Huberman (and many others) is to view morning sunlight. Practically speaking, get outside as early as you can after the sun has risen. According to Huberman, “morning sunlight helps regulate your “circadian clock” — the body’s mechanism for anticipating when to wake up and go to sleep.” On a sunny day, all you need is 5-10 minutes. When there is cloud cover, the same benefits apply, but you’ll need to stay out a little longer, like 15-20 minutes. As the afternoon sets in, Huberman recommends getting outside again. “Sunlight viewed in the late afternoon/evening communicates to the brain’s circadian clock that it is evening and time to begin the process of transitioning to sleep that night.” Afternoon sunlight has also been shown to help reduce some of the negative effects of late-night blue light from artificial sources.

Credit to Christian Angermeyer who developed much of this list with James Peyer, PhD.