Module 1 The 17 Key Sleep Habits – Summary Document

THE 17 KEY SLEEP HABITS TO MAXIMIZE CELLULAR REGENERATION

Impaired sleep doesn’t just cause fatigue—preventing your nightly cellular recharge has massive

consequences. Interrupted or impaired sleep has been shown to:

Dramatically slow down your metabolism, and simultaneously, stimulates your appetite and

driving increased calorie consumption (specifically from processed foods). The combination of

these two things promotes fat gain and tends to make fat loss almost impossible, even if your

diet and exercise habits are dialed in. Lack of sleep is now understood by scientists to be one of

the major factors driving the obesity epidemic.

Weaken your immune system

Predispose to cancer, and accelerate tumor growth—tumors grow two to three times faster in

laboratory animals with severe sleep dysfunctions

Seriously impair your memory; even a single night of poor sleep—meaning sleeping only 4 to 6

hours—can impact your ability to think clearly the next day

Impair your performance on physical or mental tasks, and decrease your problem-solving ability

Can worsen a long list of other diseases and disorders, including Hypothyroidism (i.e. slow

metabolism), heart disease, stomach ulcers, constipation, mood disorders like depression and

anxiety

Poor sleep also significantly accelerates the aging process. One study has even shown that

people with chronic insomnia have three times greater risk of dying from any cause.1 Lost sleep

is lost forever, and persistent lack of sleep has a cumulative effect when it comes to disrupting

your health. Poor sleep can make your life miserable, as many of you probably know.

There are many functions of sleep, but most importantly, it is fundamentally an

energy story!

Adenosine builds up throughout the day and causes you to feel tired as the day goes on.

Adenosine is the signal that your body is running low on energy and is in need of sleep to replenish

energy stores.

This is why it’s basically impossible to have optimal energy levels if you don’t sleep enough or well

enough. Just Get Your 7-8 Hours? No!

Good sleep is less about the number of hours you sleep and more about making the hours you do sleep

into extraordinarily restful and rejuvenating sleep. This is called sleep efficiency.

Modern hunter-gatherers have recently been studied and found to sleep only 6.5-8 hours on average,

so about the same as many of us in the West.

The major difference between the two is, they have much higher sleep efficiency, meaning that

the sleep they are getting is far more regenerative to their cells each night.

It is more about maximizing sleep latency and sleep efficiency by coaxing your body into highly

restorative and rejuvenating sleep that truly recharges your battery.

1. OPTIMIZE THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM

A lot of people who are trying to improve their sleep

want some sleep “tricks” or sleep “hacks” to fix their

issues.

I am here to tell you that is not the way it works. You

cannot achieve a strong, rejuvenating, and restorative

sleep by popping a pill or doing a sleep “hack”. Whilst it

will work short-term, long-term, the effects will wear off.

The right way to do things is to build a strong

foundation before you start trying to take different supplements, sleeping pills, or any other sleep

“hack.”

The foundation for good sleep is optimal circadian rhythm habits.

I am not going to elaborate on what those habits are here as this was covered in lesson 1.

This is meant to reinforce the context for proper sleep habits when built on top of the foundation of

optimal circadian rhythm habits.

You need to make sure you are doing all the stuff we have covered in the circadian rhythm and

nutrition modules—light timing, meal timing, nutrient timing, and movement timing.

A healthy circadian rhythm is the foundation for a deep restful sleep.

2. COMPLETE DARKNESS IN THE BEDROOM

Light is a powerful signal to your brain to be awake. Even a

very small amount of light in the room can be enough to

disrupt circadian rhythm. The light from outside street

lights, night lights, or electronics can easily be enough to

impair sleep depth.

You may still sleep a certain number of hours, but the sleep

is less rejuvenating when light is entering your room while

sleeping.

The best way to ensure complete blackout is to get rid of all sources of even minor amounts of light in

the room and install blackout shades to eliminate light entering from the street.

There should be complete darkness in your bedroom while you sleep at night. This is very important.

Even if you think you sleep just fine even though there is some light in your room, I promise you that

it is affecting your sleep efficiency and subtly degrading your energy levels.

3. TEMPERATURE

New research into hunter-gatherer tribes indicates that

temperature plays a massive role in sleep patterns.

Not only are humans triggered to sleep by the absence of

blue light, but humans are triggered to go to sleep by the

drop in temperature. Temperature entrains the circadian

rhythm much like light does!

If you live indoors all the time and you always have your air

conditioning and heater running to keep your house in a

comfortable temperature range, realize that you are blunting your circadian rhythm and impairing your

sleep by doing this!

The best thing is that you can use this information to your advantage!

You can program your thermostat to cool down your house 1-2 hours before the time you want to go

to sleep. Or open windows and let the cool outdoor air in.

You want your body to get noticeably colder in the hour before bed.

Studies have shown that in general, the optimal room temperature for sleeping is quite cool, around 60

to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (15-20°C), and temperatures much above or below this range can lead to

restlessness.

Note that most people sleep with the temperature in their house above 68 degrees.

There is a natural 24-hour rhythm to body temperature. While you sleep, your body’s internal

temperature drops to its lowest level of the day, generally about four hours after you fall asleep.

The more you reinforce this natural rhythm by getting your body hotter during the daytime and

allowing it to get colder at night, the stronger your circadian rhythm will be.

Consider hot baths or saunas 60-120 minutes before bed to trigger a large drop in body temperature

when you get out. I.e. You get your body very hot in the sauna or shower/bath, and then you get out

and expose your (ideally wet) body to the cooler air in the room for a few minutes and let the heat

leave your body and cool rapidly.

This is a powerful trigger to get your body into sleep mode. Particularly when you combine it with

eliminating artificial light for 1-2 hours before bed, and a strong nighttime wind-down ritual.

If you want to fall asleep easily, you want to experience a significant drop in body temperature in the

hour or so before bed.

Note: You do not want to get really cold, as that will backfire and actually cause you to be more

awake. You want to:

go from being comfortably warm to slightly cool.

feel just slightly chilly prior to getting into bed.

allow yourself to warm up under the covers.

If you get into bed while your body is still very warm, it will delay the onset of sleep.

Cool Your Head If You Have Sleep Problems

Research has determined that insomniacs typically have a warmer core body temperature just before

bed than normal sleepers, which leads to heightened arousal and difficulty drifting off.

Keeping a cool head will help cool your brain, which will in turn work to help decrease activity levels in

the brain and signal that it’s time to go into sleep mode.

Researchers have found that a cap worn by insomniacs filled with cool circulating water helped them

sleep almost as easily as people without sleep disorders. Those whose caps were set to the coolest

temperatures were able to get more sleep than those whose caps were set slightly warmer.

Many insomniacs report that they cannot fall asleep because their brains are so active and they are still

in thinking mode.

Amazingly the cooling cap help resolve this.

The scientists determined that their extra brain activity was literally increasing the temperature in their

brains and keeping it stuck in “daytime” mode.

Cooling the head externally is a powerful way to fix this issue.

You can mimic this same thing by using a device called the cryo-helmet.

It was originally designed for people with head injuries and concussions, but it works perfectly for this

purpose as well. I have used it with dozens of my clients who have had sleep problems with great

success.

You can simply use this for 15-60 minutes before sleep.

Multiple intentional yawns before bed may also serve to cool your brain effectively. (More on this in the

Bonus module with Neuroscientist Mark Waldman).

During menopause, 75% of women suffer from hot flashes, and just over 20% have night sweats or

hot flashes that trouble their sleep.

Strategies to cool your home/bedroom while you sleep are especially important, as are the strategies

discussed above—to use saunas or hot baths prior to bed and allow the body to cool rapidly, as well as

the cryo-helmet.

3. CORRECT FOR OUTSIDE NOISE

Noise Pollution: A Modern Plague. Lisa Goines, RN and Louis

Hagler, MD. Southern Medical Journal, Volume 100: March

2007.

“Uninterrupted sleep is known to be a prerequisite for good

physiologic and mental functioning in healthy individuals.

Environmental noise is one of the major causes of disturbed

sleep.

When sleep disruption becomes chronic, the results are

mood changes, decrements in performance, and other long-

term effects on health and well-being. Much recent research

has focused on noise from aircraft, roadways, and trains.

It is known, for example, that continuous noise in excess of 30 dB disturbs sleep. For intermittent

noise, the probability of being awakened increases with the number of noise events per night.”

Turn On The White Noise Or Pink Noise

Sound machines designed to help you sleep produce a low-level soothing noise. These can help you

tune out barking dogs, the TV downstairs, or any other disturbances so you can fall asleep and stay

asleep. If you live in a city with cars and various noises from outdoors, this is critical.

A Simple Trick to Help You Spend More Time in Deep Sleep

Deep sleep is one of the most important sleep phases as this is when your body repairs and

regenerates, and your immune system is strengthened.

The more time you can spend in this crucial sleep phase during the night, the more refreshed you’ll

feel in the morning. Sound stimulation has been shown to be effective for prolonging deep sleep.

If you are having trouble staying asleep, this is a simple trick to try.

A study published in the journal Neuron found that playing “pink noise” allowed participants to remain

in deep sleep longer than when the sound was not played. The participants’ memory also showed

dramatic improvement after sleeping with “pink noise.”

What to use.

To experience the benefits of pink noise in your own bedroom, you want fans or noisemakers that

produce steady, uninterrupted sound or that imitate falling rain or wind. A fan or air purifier can

provide this effect.

Note: You do not want to wear headphones, which will disrupt sleep.

I suggest something that mimics the sound of rain (pink noise). There are various apps (some are

free) that will play pink noise during the night.

The free apps Sleep Bug (for macs) and Lightning Bug (Android) are good choices.

4. GO TO BED EARLY

Most research indicates that going to bed around 10

and waking up at 6 is most optimal. Some people

will prefer slightly later and some slightly earlier, but

this is a good general pattern to shoot for.

Consistency is a big key to this. The key is to do it

every day, not just most days.

Many people think they are night owls and that their

natural pattern is later than this and claim to be

night owl chronotypes. This has more to do with lack

of sun during the day and too much blue light at

night, which phase shifts your circadian rhythm to a night owl rhythm.

Your natural and optimal rhythm is almost certainly earlier than you think it is. You will function best

and have the best energy if you get on a steadier rhythm, which for most people, means going to bed

earlier.

5. ELECTRONICS

95 percent of Americans use an electronic device within

one hour of going to sleep.

There are two major ways these devices interfere with

our energy levels:

1. Emitting blue light that disrupts circadian

rhythm.

2. Emitting low-level radiation/electromagnetic

fields (EMFs).

One 2008 study showed that people exposed to radiation from their mobile phones for three hours

before bedtime had more trouble falling asleep and reaching deep sleep.

A study worth paying attention to found:

“The pineal gland is likely to sense EMFs as light but, as a consequence may decrease the melatonin

production.”

In this study, more than one hundred experimental data of human and animal studies of changes in

melatonin levels due to power-frequency electric and magnetic fields exposure were analyzed.

“The results show the significance of disruption of melatonin due to exposure to weak EMFs, which may

possibly lead to long-term health effects in humans.”

They found that exposure to an electronic device, not just the light, but the electromagnetic field

around the device has the ability to disrupt circadian rhythm.

According to the 2014 Sleep in America Poll.

53 percent of respondents who turn electronics off while sleeping tend to rate their sleep as excellent

compared to just 27 percent of those who leave their devices on.

This is why you should avoid watching TV or using a computer or tablet at least an hour or two before

sleep.

If you do keep your devices in your room, make sure they are physically turned off along with your Wi-

Fi router.

If you want to sleep well, get the electronics out of your room at night and don not have your phone

anywhere near your head for at least an hour before sleep and during sleep.

You would be smart to unplug all electronics within 6 feet of your bed at night and not have anything

on near you while you sleep.

6. SET A SLEEP SCHEDULE—AND STICK WITH IT

This is absolutely critical!

Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the

same time every morning—even on weekends.

Many are chronically sleep deprived during the week and

then use weekends to sleep in. This is a bad pattern that will

prevent you from increasing your energy levels.

A regular sleep routine keeps your biological clock steady so

you rest better. Exposure to a regular pattern of light and

dark is also critical here.

You want to open your blinds at the same time of day in the morning, go outdoors to get sun at the

same time, put on your blue blocker glasses at the same time every night, switch on amber/red room

lighting at a particular time, and get into bed at a specific time.

Think of it this way: When you go to sleep and wake up at different times every few days, it is like

traveling to a new time zone every few days.

What happens when you go to a new time zone? Jet lag! That means you feel tired and have crappy

energy levels.

Want great energy levels? Be consistent with your sleep and wake habits.

7. KEEP A SLEEP DIARY

Keeping a sleep diary has two benefits:

1. Write down your worries. Many people who struggle

to sleep complain “I can't turn off my mind."

One helpful strategy here is to jot down your top

concerns every night before bed. For example, you

might write down that you have to take care of that

health insurance issue or get back to your accountant

or return a phone call to a client, and it might stress

you out or make you anxious to think about it. Then write down the steps you can take to solve the

problem.

Once your concerns are converted into some kind of action plan on paper, you will get the thoughts out

of your head and let your brain know “you don’t have to be thinking about this right now, it is already

on paper for me to see tomorrow.”

Believe it or not, this works very powerfully!

2. To help you understand how your habits affect your rest, track your sleep every day for at least 2

weeks.

Write down not only what is obviously sleep related—what time you go to bed, how long it takes you to

fall asleep, how many times you wake up during the night, how you feel in the morning—but also

factors like what you ate close to bedtime and what exercise you got.

Comparing your daily activities with your nightly sleep patterns can show you where you need to make

changes.

For a free sample sleep diary, go to sleepdoctor.com.

8. REVIEW YOUR MEDICATIONS

Beta-blockers (prescribed for high blood pressure) may cause

insomnia and SSRIs (a class of antidepressants that includes Prozac

and Zoloft) can do the same. That is just the beginning— lots of

other drugs can affect sleep.

Write down every drug and supplement you take and have your

doctor evaluate how they may be affecting your sleep.

9. EXERCISE IS GOOD, BUT NOT TOO CLOSE TO BEDTIME

Working out—especially cardio and exercise done outdoors in the

sun—improves the length and quality of your sleep as well as sleep

latency.

However, 30 minutes of vigorous exercise keeps your body

temperature elevated for about 4 hours, inhibiting sleep. When your

body begins to cool down, however, it signals your brain to release

sleep-inducing melatonin, so then you'll get drowsy.

Exercise at any time prior to 3-4 hours before bedtime.

If you’re struggling with energy, try to do a form of exercise that allows you to get outdoors and get some sunlight

exposure (ideally).

10. CUT CAFFEINE AFTER 2 PM

Caffeine is a circadian signaler, meaning that it acts in much the same

way that bright light does—it sends your brain a “daytime” signal. That

includes coffee, tea, and cola.

Caffeine is a stimulant that stays in your system for about 8 hours, so if

you have a cappuccino after dinner, come bedtime, it will either prevent

your brain from entering deep sleep or stop you from falling asleep

altogether.

Also, worth noting, that even when people still fall asleep, it’s likely

impairing sleep efficiency.

There is nothing wrong with caffeine if used wisely before 2 pm.

What is wise use? Never become dependent on caffeine to wake up or be energized. It is best used as an occasion

supplement—not as something to depend on for energy.

11. SLEEP POSITION

Based on research into sleep positions in traditional human

populations, side sleep is most common. Some research indicates

that it is the most restful and restorative to the body.

Steven Park, MD, author of Sleep, Interrupted, says that sleep

position can affect fatigue, sleep apnea, headaches, heartburn,

and back pain.

Back sleeping is a no-no for snorers and those with sleep

apnea; side sleeping is best because it helps keep your

airways open.

Research suggests sleeping on the left side can relieve heartburn symptoms, while right side sleeping makes

them worse.

People dealing with fatigue or lack of energy will likely find side sleeping to be most restorative.

Sleeping on the side with a pillow between the knees can help with joint alignment.

#Bonus for pregnant women. Sleeping on the left side is also recommended during pregnancy to improve

circulation to the heart -- good for mom and baby.

12. STAY PUT IF YOU WAKE UP

The textbook advice when you wake up during the night is that if you

cannot fall back asleep in fifteen minutes, get out of bed.

The reality is that it is more complex than that: It depends on how you

feel in bed.

If you are not fretting or anxious, then stay in bed in the dark, and do

some deep breathing or meditation.

Only if lying in bed pushes your stress buttons, get up and do something

quiet and relaxing (in dim RED light), such as gentle yoga or self-massage.

Do not turn on any non-red lights or look into any electronic devices.

A crutch: Many report that putting a pinch of salt and sugar under the tongue will help them get back to sleep.

I strongly recommend avoiding this unless it is somehow a necessity for you. It will cause a subtle chronic

degradation of circadian rhythm and autophagy over time.

It is much better to train your body to sleep through the night, rather than training it to wake for a midnight snack.

13. TAKE TIME TO WIND DOWN BEFORE BEDTIME

Sleep is not an on-off switch. You have to slowly take

your foot off the accelerator and start applying the brake

over the course of an hour or two.

Ideally, you want to give your body plenty of time to

transition from your active day to bedtime drowsiness by

creating a night-time wind-down ritual.

The best way to do this is to set a timer for an hour before bed and then divide up the time something

like this:

Spray a sleep-inducing scent: Certain smells, such as lavender, chamomile, and ylang-ylang,

activate the alpha wave activity in the back of your brain, which leads to relaxation and helps you

sleep more soundly. Mix a few drops of essential oil and water in a spray bottle and give your

pillowcase a spritz. This sounds like new age hokey pokey, but in fact, many of these oils have solid

scientific research on them. Here is a great article on the science for those interested:

CBT and Mindfulness Practices for Sleep: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness

practices both have solid scientific backing for improving sleep.

14. DO NOT WAKE UP WITH AN ALARM CLOCK

Humans sleep in ultradian rhythms—90-minute cycles where

we cycle through different phases of sleep.

It is critical to not be woken up DURING one of these 90-

minute cycles. When we use an alarm clock set at a specific

time, it often does exactly that.

What is the solution?

Get on a sleep schedule that allows you to naturally wake up at the time you need to wake up.

(7.5 hours of sleep is 5 ultradian cycles). NOTE: To get 7.5 hours of sleep, you would probably

want to spend 8.5 hours in BED. (Since we are not in sleep the whole time we are in the bed.)

Use a sunrise alarm clock that just gets lighter as you wake up. (Note: These also will use

sound after 20 or 30 minutes, if the light does not wake you up. There is no concern about

sleeping through the alarm).

This allows you to wake up in harmony with your ultradian rhythm, ensuring that you wake up

refreshed with high energy levels.

If you must use noise (for one reason or another), then get an app that allows you to wake up with

gentle meditative and soothing music rather than an abrupt and jarring alarm sound.

15. SUPPLEMENTS TO ENHANCE SLEEP

NONE of these supplements are “REQUIRED.” You don not

“have” to take any supplements to sleep well. In fact, if you

have a strong circadian rhythm and you are following all the

other habits I have outlined in this module, then you should

not need any supplements to sleep well at night.

Having said that, for people who already have sleep

problems, these supplements can be very helpful if used in

conjunction with all my other recommended habits and

strategies.

2 Common Vitamin and mineral deficiencies – Magnesium and Potassium:

Magnesium deficiency can cause insomnia; potassium deficiency can cause difficulty staying asleep.

Eat a magnesium and potassium rich diet, and consider supplementing. (Eating tons of green leafy

veggies will go a long way in doing this).

There is a great deal of research showing that supplementation of magnesium improves subjective

sleep efficiency, sleep time and sleep onset latency (time it takes to fall asleep), early morning

awakening, and likewise, as well as measures of melatonin and the stress hormone cortisol.

There is also research showing that potassium can help us sleep deeper and sleep through the night.

The top supplements

Note: I have special brands I recommend, these are all found in the Bonus Supplement summary

sheet.

Magnesium: Many different forms of magnesium can work. Magnesium citrate is the most

common, but the least effective. Magnesium oil applied topically works well too. As do Epsom

salt baths. Magnesium malate is the most effective pre-bed magnesium supplement and the

one I personally use.

Potassium: If you’re eating tons of green veggies (which you should be), you have a good

start. In addition, many people benefit from a little extra potassium through supplements.

Taking two to five pills with meals each day of a potassium supplement like this can really help.

Melatonin: is one of the primary hormones that regulates the normal sleep/wake cycle.

Specifically, when melatonin rises at night, it acts as the “night time, time-to-go-to-sleep”

signal.

The body naturally produces melatonin after the sun goes down when you are NOT staring at

electronic screens or other artificial lights. Thus, melatonin can be a potent sleep aid. However,

if you find that melatonin helps you to sleep, it’s likely a sign that the deeper underlying cause

of your sleep issue is disrupted circadian rhythm. In that case, please fix the real cause of your

sleep trouble rather than continue to have poor circadian rhythm habits and then just rely on

taking melatonin supplements to sleep.

With that said, used temporarily in conjunction with improvements in circadian rhythm habits,

it can be helpful for many people.

Valerian and Kava: These are herbs that can be used to help us become drowsy and fall

asleep. They likely both act through sedative mechanisms.

Theanine: This is an amino acid derivative found in green tea. It helps increase gamma-

aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the brain.

GABA activates the major calming neurotransmitters, promoting relaxation and reducing

anxiety.

GABA: As mentioned above, GABA activates the calming drowsy neurotransmitters in the

brain. Many people report that it has a calming effect and relieves anxiety that can keep a

person awake at night. There is solid evidence to suggest that GABA is a potent sleep aid and

can both help you fall asleep faster and get deeper, more rejuvenating sleep.

PQQ: In one study, PQQ was able to significantly improve sleep quality in people with sleep-

impairing disorder.

The improvement took 4 weeks to come about. After 8 weeks, people were able to fall asleep

quicker. H

ZMA: A study performed at Western Washington University (Bellingham) had NCAA football

players take ZMA or a placebo every night during an eight-week spring training program.

They reported that the athletes taking the ZMA supplement experienced more than a 30-

percent increase in testosterone levels, and about a 5-percent increase in levels of the insulin-

like growth factor 1 (IGF- 1).

Those taking a placebo had a 10-percent decrease in testosterone levels and a greater than

20- percent decrease in levels of IGF-1. In addition to the improvements in their anabolic

hormone levels, the ZMA-supplemented athletes made significantly greater gains in strength

and power and achieved better sleep quality, than a placebo group.

16. TRAIN YOUR BODY TO GET UP AND GO!

It is critical to train your body that when you wake up in the morning, it’s

time to immediately turn the engines on and get ready to ROCK the day!

If you train it to snooze and be groggy and tired the first hour of every

day, then it will be!

Do not be one of the people that lay in bed after waking up, and hits the

snooze button on your alarm clock over and over again. Also, do not be

one of the people that get up and then sits around half awake for half an hour or an hour with some coffee trying to

wake up.

If that is you, then do not worry! Part of this is the conscious act of training your body and brain how to behave

when you first wake up each day.

The other part is all the rest of the strategies in this program that will boost your energy levels!

(Note: More on how to structure your morning routine in an upcoming part of this program that covers the Optimal

Morning Routine for Enhancing Energy Levels.)

SLEEP SUMMARY

Sleep is critical for recharging your body’s and brain’s energy stores.

It is also critical for the process of autophagy, so you’re not running today on yesterday’s proteins! By combining the

sleep strategies here on top of the foundation of the optimal circadian rhythm habits, you entrain your body to

amplify the natural circadian cycle—which means more restful and rejuvenating sleep at night, and more energy,

strength, and vitality during the day

I have combined a list of products I recommend look in the bonus section for my list of recommended products and

supplements.