1- Get exposure to morning sunlight by going outside within 30-60 minutes of waking. Also, get exposed to evening sunlight (at the time of sunset).
Ideas to integrate it into your daily life:
- Eat your breakfast outdoors.
- Go out for a walk in the morning and evening and kill 2 birds with one stone by moving your body and by being exposed to sunlight.
2- Wake up at the same time each day and go to sleep when you first start to feel sleepy.
Reference for points 1 and 2: https://hubermanlab.com/toolkit-for-sleep/
3- When sleep-restricted during the week, catch up on sleep during the weekend (or, any other day if you don’t work the typical Monday to Friday).
A systematic review including 41 articles and 92 340 adult participants found that weekend catch-up sleep was associated with better health outcomes. However, later sleep timing and greater sleep variability were generally associated with adverse health outcomes.
Although it would be ideal to obtain sufficient sleep on all days of the week (about 8 hours/night) and have consistent wake-up times and bedtimes, catching up on weekday sleep debt on the weekend appears to be better than not doing it.
Reference: Chaput JP, Dutil C, Featherstone R, et al. Sleep timing, sleep consistency, and health in adults: a systematic review. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2020;45(10 (Suppl. 2)):S232-S247. doi:10.1139/apnm-2020-0032
4- Go to bed between 10 pm and 11 pm every night.
Melatonin levels start to rise at about 10 pm. It is involved in detoxifying free radicals and regulating blood pressure, the autonomic cardiovascular system, and the immune system.
By going to bed between 10 pm and 11 pm, you will be able to fall asleep faster and get the maximum sleep benefits.
- Data reveals that those who went to bed between 10 pm and 11 pm had a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (1).
- In humans, melatonin secretion starts soon after sundown, reaches a peak in the middle of the night (between 2 and 4 in the morning), and decreases gradually during the second half of the night (2).
References:
(1) Shahram Nikbakhtian, Angus B Reed, Bernard Dillon Obika, Davide Morelli, Adam C Cunningham, Mert Aral, David Plans, Accelerometer-derived sleep onset timing and cardiovascular disease incidence: a UK Biobank cohort study, European Heart Journal – Digital Health, Volume 2, Issue 4, December 2021, Pages 658–666, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjdh/ztab088
(2) Tordjman S, Chokron S, Delorme R, et al. Melatonin: Pharmacology, Functions and Therapeutic Benefits. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2017;15(3):434-443. doi:10.2174/1570159X14666161228122115
5- Hungry, but it’s time to go to bed? Opt for low-glycemic snacks.
This will maintain your blood glucose levels stable throughout the night and optimize your sleep. You could go for high-fat whole foods, such as avocado toast. If you instead opt for a carbohydrate, mix it with a source of protein to slow down its absorption.
6- Try magnesium glycinate 200-400mg 1 hour before sleep.
Glycine, an amino acid attached to magnesium glycinate, has been shown to promote relaxation (see post on glycine: https://mitofire.com/book-summary-the-collagen-cure-the-forgotten-role-of-glycine-and-collagen-in-optimal-health-and-longevity/). Furthermore, magnesium glycinate is highly bioavailable, and has been shown to cause less diarrhea and fewer stools than magnesium oxide.
References:
- Fine, K. D., Santa Ana, C. A., Porter, J. L., Fordtran, J. S. (1991). Intestinal absorption of magnesium from food and supplements. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 88(2), 396-402.
- Abbasi, B., Hossienzadeh, F., Shayanpour, S., & Khalili, A. (2012). The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of research in medical sciences: the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 17(12), 1161.
7- Take a warm bath or shower before going to bed.
This improves sleep quality and reduces the time to fall asleep in adults. These findings are consistent with the decrease in core body temperature when the body is exposed to heat.
Reference: Haghayegh, S., et al. (2019). Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 46, 124-135.
8- If you have racing thoughts, try journaling before bed.
Reference: Krpan, K. M., et al. (2013). Written emotional disclosure: A randomized controlled trial of the benefits of expressive writing homework in outpatient psychotherapy. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 5(2), 193-211.
9- When traveling, in order to quickly adjust to the new time zone:
- To shift the body clock earlier, take a low-dose melatonin (0.3mg-0.6mg) in the evening and get exposed to bright light at wake time.
- To provide a phase delay, take a low-dose melatonin (0.3mg-0.6mg) in the morning and get exposed to bright light in the evening.
- Almost all melatonin tablets available over the counter have a minimum dosage of 3mg. To obtain 0.3mg, you could purchase a low concentration of melatonin suspension and calculate the quantity of suspension needed to obtain 0.3mg of melatonin.
Reference: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/body-clock-and-its-discontents
10- Use (or avoid exposure to) light to help you stay awake or to fall asleep.
If you have trouble falling asleep, dim the lights 2 hours before you want to go to sleep. If you get sleepy too early in the evening, go into a well-lit area to feel more awake.
Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6751071/
11- Exercise in the morning.
This will help to raise your cortisol levels in the morning, which is a hormone that helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. This signals your body that is time to be awake and active, and it also helps you to fall asleep at bedtime.
Reference: 1. Miyazaki, T., Hashimoto, S., Masubuchi, S., Honma, S., Honma, K. I. (2011). Phase-advance shifts of human circadian pacemaker are accelerated by daytime physical exercise. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 301(1), R266-R273.
For more tips on sleep, here is a brief summary of the book ‘Sleep Smarter: 21 Proven Tips to Sleep Your Way To a Better Body, Better Health and Bigger Success’: https://mitofire.com/sleep-smarter-21-proven-tips-to-sleep-your-way-to-a-better-body-better-health-and-bigger-success-book-summary/
