We live in a world where there is so much information out there, not everyone has the time, or cares to listen to such in depth, scientific analysis, especially on sleep. It’s funny because when I’m sleeping, the last thing I want on my mind is swirling ideas, words that I don’t fully understand and annoying protocols that bother me rather than relax me.

Through my research, experimentation and consultation with various colleagues ranging from doctors, nurses, nutritionists, fitness coaches, physical therapists and holistic health professionals, all I want to do is share the most basic, simple, applicable tips to help you achieve improved sleep without the need for anything fancy or over the top.

1. Get morning sun

2. Make your bed

3. Exercise

4. Go for a walk

5. Cut off / down on caffeine early in the day

6. Eat dinner earlier

7. Dim the lights in the evening

8. Lower volume of music / TV

9. Hygiene / Recovery ritual

10. Black out shades / Sleep mask

Here are my deeper dives on these deep sleep habits.

1. Get morning sun - sunlight helps regulate natural melatonin production, creating a healthy sleep wake cycle, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed. The boost in your mood is also evident from sunlight exposure due to the release of serotonin. You’ll feel more alert without feeling the need to resort to caffeine or other stimulants.

2. Make your bed - I know I will get some push back from this, but for some people, it’s not about some militant lifestyle or a lame, small victory or accomplishment. It’s more about having a routine, like brushing your teeth, and giving yourself a fresh bed to jump into at night. When your environment is sharp and well kept, decreased anxiety and stress reduction occurs, and it becomes a reminder of a healthy routine that you prioritize and make consistent.

3. Exercise - When you exercise, you release endorphins, which are natural mood boosters that combat stress and promote relaxation. This helps when your mind is moving at a million miles an hour, especially in this digital age where we are always on social media or scrolling through the internet. Also, you can reach deeper sleep stages, creating greater contrast in your sleep wake cycle, allowing you to be tired when you need to go to bed, and refreshed when you wake up.

4. Go for a walk - Here is another opportunity to get sunlight exposure, reduce stress, get fresh air, take in the day, think through your schedule, relationships and current tasks and to do lists, and overall increase your non exercise activity thermogenesis - a fancy way of saying that you can burn calories from something other than intense workouts. It all adds up when you see fitness as a lifestyle.

5. Cut off / down on caffeine early in the day - Caffeine has been known to disrupt sleep, and stays in your system for hours after consumption. We’ve witnessed with our athletes and clients, improvements in sleep by minimizing caffeine after lunch, as I know most who have a challenge with this are my coffee drinking friends, who opt for a morning cup and that’s it.

6. Eat dinner earlier - When you eat, your body has to digest and break down what you just put into your body. If you’re eating too close to bedtime, you’ve made the time where your body should be achieving great rest into a time where it has to work harder than it has to in order to break down your food, which ultimately disrupts your sleep schedule.

7. Dim the lights in the evening - Unless you are a monk, or love reading a book that you got at the library, most likely you are staring at some screen in the evening time, or are immersed in some form of bright light. The blue light emitted from the screen suppresses melatonin production and makes it more difficult to sleep. When you dim the light, you’re signaling to your body that it’s time to wind down.

8. Lower the volume of music / TV - If you’re really crazy like me, you’ll get the TV and phone out of your bedroom and find something else to engage in, whether that is an old-fashioned book, stretching and meditation, drawing, writing, etc. A calm and quiet environment only enhances your ability to get prepared for sleep.

9. Hygiene / Recovery ritual - Whether you are stretching, meditating, brushing your teeth or taking a shower, the idea is creating a flow state, or in other words, consistency within your routine. We want to create signals to ourselves that it’s a certain time of the day, and it’s time for certain habits to be practiced - just like a warm up is signaling to our body that we are preparing for exercise, amongst other habits we have for other areas of our lives.

10. Black out shades / Sleep mask - These products have been some of the most unexpected and best investments I’ve ever made in my sleep. When you block out the external light, you really are signaling to yourself that it is time to sleep. As someone with a mind that does not stop running, I used to find myself staring at lights beaming in from outside, whether that be street lights, lights from the kitchen and bathroom, and other reflections from various objects hanging on the wall or in the bedroom. I highly recommend these products to improve sleep quality and duration.