Best nootropic: sleep
Best stress relief: sleep
Best trauma release: sleep
Best immune booster: sleep
Best hormone augmentation: sleep
Best emotional stabilizer: sleep
Sleep Tools: Ep. 2 Huberman Lab Podcast, HLP interview w/Matt Walker https://t.co/TphgkozQyg

— Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D. (@hubermanlab) September 16, 20

how to get better at sleeping

1. View sunlight by going outside within 30-60 minutes of waking. Do that again in the late afternoon, prior to sunset

If you wake up before the sun is out and you want to be awake, turn on artificial lights and then go outside once the sun rises

On bright cloudless days: view morning and afternoon sun for 10 min; cloudy days: 20 min; very overcast days 30-60 min

If you live someplace with very minimal light, consider an artificial daytime simulator source

2. Wake up at the same time each day and go to sleep when you first start to feel sleepy

3. Avoid caffeine within 8-10 hours of bedtime.

Dr. Matt Walker (sleep expert from UC Berkeley) might even say 12-14 hours

I do fine with caffeine at 2 pm and I go to sleep at ~10-11 pm

4. If you have sleep disturbances, insomnia, or anxiety about sleep, try the research-supported protocols on the Reveri app (for iPhone)

Do the Reveri sleep self-hypnosis 3x a week at any time of day. It’s only 10-15 min long and will help you rewire your nervous system to be able to relax faster

5. Avoid viewing bright lights—especially bright overhead lights between 10 pm and 4 am

6. Limit daytime naps to less than 90 min, or don’t nap at all

7. If you wake up in the middle of the night (which, by the way, is normal to do once or so each night) but you can’t fall back asleep, consider doing an NSDR protocol when you wake up

Enter “NSDR” into YouTube and the top 3-4 options have different voices, durations for you to select from. Or simply do a “Yoga Nidra” protocol (enter “yoga nidra” to YouTube; 100s to select.)

8. You might consider taking (30-60 min before bed)

145mg Magnesium Threonate or 200mg Magnesium Bisglycinate
50mg Apigenin
100-400mg Theanine
(3-4 nights per week I also take 2g of Glycine and 100mg GABA.)

9. Expect to feel really alert ~1 hour before your natural bedtime

10. Keep the room you sleep in cool and dark and layer on blankets that you can remove.

Your body needs to drop in temperature by 1-3 degrees to fall and stay asleep effectively.

keep your room cool and remove blankets as needed

11. Drinking alcohol messes up your sleep. As do most sleep medications.

12. Kids (and indeed all of us) have changing sleep needs over time. Adjust accordingly.

We might be night owls at 15 but become “morning people” as we age or need 6 hours a night in summer and 7-8 in winter. It will vary.

sleep is THE foundation of our mental and physical health and performance in all endeavors.

whatever your life and goals and schedule, master your sleep. You’ll be so happy you did!