The Bible of Scientifically Better Sleep

In today's world of bright screens, constant attention grabbing, and evermore demanding work-life, sleep can feel like a luxury and truly restorative sleep can be as rare as a blue moon or meteor shower. However, sleep is not a luxury and is, in fact, essential to good immune health, mental function, and physical performance. Here are some quick and easy things we can do to help find the Sandman. Some of these are lifestyle related, while others are supplemental, but all of these are the first lines of action in aiding us to get to bed faster and/or sleeping deeper and better. I'll break it down into two categories of four for ease of use.
LIFESTYLE TIPS FOR SLEEP
(1) Proper lighting:
The first line of defense for a good nights sleep is proper lighting. Your eyes communicate information about the type and level of light to your brain to create and sustain our circadian rhythm. Blue light is the enemy of sleep and the wonder of wakefulness! Making sure that the lighting in your house is both warm, as opposed to cool white, and dimmable is a good start. An alternative or next step is to turn off as many lights as possible well before midnight. Furthermore, using blue light filters as well as applications like F.lux which automatically reduces the amount and type of light on your phones and computers is key.
(2) Brainwave Entrainment:
This deserves its own post, so I'll get to that next, but brainwave entrainment is a great way to get to sleep. Brainwave entrainment works by bringing your brain activity into rhythm with the binaural, or monochromatic beats in specific kind, or modes, of music. You can find a number of brainwave entrainment files online to help you sleep with a simple Google search. Normally, in a waking state, people's brains operate in a frequency range known as beta which is from roughly 13 Hz (or cycles per second) to 40 Hz. However, as we fall asleep our brainwaves slow to alpha (8-13 Hz) which is that relaxed focused state generally associated with the flow state. Then, we slow even more into theta (4-8 Hz) which is heavily correlated with sleep, healing, and deep meditation. Finally, we reach delta which is usually a sign of very deep sleep, or complete unconsciousness.
*Find a brainwave entrainment program or music file such as rain on a tin roof or ocean waves on youtube, or online, that works for you and give it a try. Note: for binaural beats, headphones are required, but with monochromatic beats they are not.
(3) Breathing/Meditation/Hypnosis:
Most of us subconsciously or unconsciously have developed routines for our sleep. Unfortunately, most of those routines are sub-optimal or flat out bad for us. One thing we all know intuitively is that slowing down our breathing is a great way to relax into sleep. Try slowing down every part of your breath; from the inhale, to the hold, to the exhale. Extending the exhale promotes relaxation more than other parts, however.
*Try focusing on the breath and continually inhaling for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 6 seconds.
Meditation, in beginners, can be another easy way to fall asleep. Generally, we are not accustomed to entering into lower brainwave frequency states without falling asleep, so practicing mediation and other calming exercises such as hypnosis can frequently cause practitioners to hit the hay.
*Finding a youtube video on sleep hypnosis or guided meditation can be a good start. Once you are familiar with the mental states, without falling asleep, come back to my posts to find new ways to use your mind and body for the better!
(4) Timing:
A big obstacle to getting a good nights sleep is variation in the times of day when you go to sleep and get up. Keeping consistency in this regard can dramatically affect the quality of your sleep. Everyone certainly struggles in this regard. Slowing movement down around 10pm, if possible, can be great way to slow your mind, and brainwaves, down.
*Try going to bed and/or getting up at the same time every night for a week and witness the benefits.
*Going camping for a long weekend can be a great way to reset your sleep cycle and ensure better implicit sleep schedule.
SUPPLEMENTS FOR SLEEP
(1) Melatonin:
As mentioned in a previous post, melatonin is the main neurohormone associated with our sleep schedule. It does this by activating specific brain circuitry involved in circadian rhythm (e.g. sleep cycle).
*Taking 5 mg or less of melatonin, about 30-45 minutes before you want to be asleep, is a great way to fall asleep on-time. Generally, it's important when taking melatonin to give yourself 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep, otherwise some grogginess can occur. Nothing a good cappuccino can't fix though!
(2) Magnesium:
Magnesium is one of those under-rated supplements which is involved in a number of things including sleep. Magnesium is an essential mineral which the vast majority of people are deficient in, and, yet, it is vital to proper nerve function. So, it's probably best to rectify this deficiency... meanwhile improving your sleep. If your diet includes lots of nuts and seeds, like pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, Brazil nuts, or cashews, then your probably in the clear and this might not apply. Everyone else though should consider taking a magnesium supplement. All supplements are not created equal though!
*Make sure you get Magnesium Diglycinate as this form is water soluble, you don't need to take it with a meal, and it has little chance of causing intestinal upset like magnesium oxide can. As a plus, it contains Glycine which also encourages restful sleep.
A commonly effective dose is 200mg of elemental (unbonded) magnesium, but you can generally trust the manufacturer to clue you in on the RDA or dose GIVEN that you've check the type to be citrate, gluconate, or diglycinate. Take this a couple hours before bedtime, while avoiding calcium, iron, and zinc supplements concomitantly.
**Note: NEVER waste your money on oxide supplements, as they are very poorly bioavailable.
(3) Valerian Root:
Many people may have heard about this from their parents or homeopathic/alternative doctors. Valerian root has been used for centuries to induce calmness and aid in sleep. Subjective reports indicate enhancement in quality of sleep and general mood. Give it a try with any of the above recommendations if you need a little extra something to assist you in getting to the dreamworld.
*Taking 350-500mg of standardized extract an hour before bed works for most.
(4) Lavender:
A standard homeopathic remedy, like valerian root, that has been proven to work both as aromatherapy and when orally ingested. Lavender has been clinically shown to reduce anxiety and assist in inducing calmness. While it doesn't help in adding extra hours to your sleep, it does improve sleep quality.
*Taking a half dropper of high quality lavender oil, like Silexan, or 80-150mg 45 minutes before bed should do the trick. Also, place a small amount of the oil at the mid-point of your clavicle for additional benefit (IFF you don't have sensitive skin).

As always, feel free to leave a comment, up vote, or reach out if you have any questions and/or found this useful.

Best,
Baba