The Ultimate Guide to Better Sleep (Part 3)
Let's go through some practical ways that you can start using to improve your sleep, hopefully as soon as tonight. If you're dealing with a sleep disorder, definitely talk to a doctor - this isn't medical advice, just personal learnings and tips from research. In my opinion, sleep optimization can be divided into five main categories. My goal is to give you a framework to optimize your sleep over the coming days, weeks, and even years. Category 1: Diet and Substances When it comes to food and drinks, avoid large meals and lots of fluids at least a few hours before sleep. This is mainly due to two reasons: indigestion and metabolism. Think of your digestive system and metabolism like factories. A few hours before bed, you want these factories to start winding down. If you eat a big meal right before bed, it's like asking these factories to keep working through the night. This keeps your body active when it should be slowing down. Also, digesting food is best done sitting up. Lying down after eating makes digestion harder, leading to discomfort and potential sleep disruptions. During sleep, you want your body to focus on relaxing and recovering, not actively working on tasks like digestion and metabolism. As for drinking, having a lot of fluids before bed can disrupt sleep because you'll need to use the bathroom during the night. I've noticed much better sleep since I stopped drinking anything 2-3 hours before bed. You might want to try this too! Now, let's talk about substances that can mess with your sleep: Caffeine: If you're a coffee drinker like me, be aware of how it affects your sleep. Caffeine has a half-life of about 4-6 hours, depending on your genetics. To improve sleep, avoid caffeine at least 8 hours before bedtime, maybe even longer to be extra careful. I try to only have caffeine before 11 AM, giving my body plenty of time to get rid of it before I sleep. Caffeine interferes with sleep by binding to adenosine receptors in your brain. While adenosine is trying to make you sleepy and relaxed, caffeine is blocking that signal.