Top Sleep Improving Hacks

We've talked about what you need to STOP doing to get better sleep but lets look at a few things you can START doing improve your sleep.

1. Morning Sunlight - getting sun exposure 1st thing in the morning sets your circadian rhythm so that your internal clock knows when to release waking and sleeping hormones correctly. Spend your first 15-20 minutes of the day in the sun.
2. Meditation - I’ve seen few things change sleep quality like 20 minutes of daily meditation. I’ve seen this one activity DOUBLE people’s deep sleep numbers as measured on their Oura ring. Add a meditation session to your daily routine and your brain, health and sleep will thank you.
3. Night-time Tea - Part of telling your body to shut down comes from your nightly routine. The cornerstone of that routine should be a nightly tea ritual. The Tea Ritual in question is the sleep inducing combination of Chaga mushroom tea, Ashwagandha Power, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of local honey. Drink your tea and write out your next days to-do’s and any thoughts and you’ll soon drift into never-never land. Watch It here 
4. Restorative Sleep Supplements - While there are many sleep supplements on the market the one I find most beneficial for sleep quality is glutathione. This is your body’s master antioxidant and when taken right before bed it gives your night repair and restoration a good boost. My sleep tracking shows about a 20-40% improvements in deep sleep when I take half of my daily glutathione supplement before bed. (For those who asked this is the one I take) Magnesium is another amazing sleep aid. Try 200-400 mg of Magnesium Glycinate for the best sleep improvement benefits. Apigenin is also great to help people sleep all the way through the night.
5. Blue-blockers - I tend to write or edit before bed so I am looking at a screen at some point in the last hour of my day. I’ve cheated the system by using blue-blocking glasses to block out the blue light and maintain proper melatonin production. Ra Optics makes an extremely high quality blue-blocker for higher end option but I’ve found this $20 amazon purchase to serve me wonderfully.
6. Track - for something so important to our health and wellness few people actually have a good idea of how they are sleeping. Start tracking your sleep and adjusting your routine to maximize results. I use the Oura ring to track mine but their are many different sleep trackers on the market but I’d definitely recommend something that has an airplane type mode where you can shut off the Bluetooth signal when you go to sleep and allow the sync to happen later. There is some data to suggest that WiFi and Bluetooth signals can disrupt quality sleep and cell recovery.

Lets put this all together - if you can wake up walk outside and do a 20 minute meditation while you sit in direct sunlight you are off to a great circadian start. Once your (consistent) bedtime comes you fix your Cha-gandha tea concoction and throw on your blue-blockers to jot down tomorrows todo list. Then preparing for bed pop your glutathione and magnesium supplements. Lastly put on your favorite sleep tracking device and let your body have 7-8 hours of uninterrupted recovery, rejuvenation and recharging.

While this is certainly not an exhaustive guide it does give you a lot to do. I'd recommend that you just add one activity to your daily/nightly routine. Pick the one thing you think you can be consistent for at least 30 days. As you start sleeping better you may feel the need to add or subtract a few others to be a real overachiever. The important thing is you start.

If you have any questions or would like to hear a bit more of the trouble shooting side of sleep let me know. Sweet dreams!

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