9 Data-Backed Habits For Healing Sleep To Help You Wake Up Feeling Rested & Rejuvenated

Light exposure during sunrise and sunset is the most powerful signal for setting your internal clock. Light-sensitive receptors in your eyes, called melanopsin retinal ganglion cells, detect unique light wavelengths at these times that help your brain recognize the time of day and establish a healthy sleep-wake or circadian rhythm.

• • • • Avoid painful light viewing that can cause retinal damage by simply facing the sun rather than looking directly at it.
      • If viewing sunrise or sunset isn’t possible, get outdoor light exposure as close to these times as possible.
      • Although sunlight is the most powerful signal, all light information sets this clock so generally try to be in bright environments during the day and dark at night to optimize your circadian rhythm.

Darkness triggers the pineal gland to release melatonin, a hormone that signals it’s time to sleep. As it gets darker, your eyes become more sensitive to light, so even small amounts at night can suppress both the production and release of melatonin making it harder to fall asleep. Bright lights, blue-spectrum lights (like LEDs), and overhead lights (due to increased receptor sensitivity to light from above) are especially disruptive. However, light sources such as candlelight and very dim red lights will not disrupt melatonin.

• • • Wear a hat or sunglasses at night when in brightly lit areas. 😎
    • Use red-tinted blue light-blocking glasses at night as the colored lenses block the most blue light.
    • Adjust your screen settings to red and lowest brightness if you need to use them after dark. Swap bright, blue-light TV screens for a projector at night for less direct LED light into eyes. 
    • Use calming beeswax candles (releases negative ions),  flicker-free red bulbs, and dim lights low in the visual field, such as flicker-free night lights and outlet plug-in lamps as light sources at night.
    • When ready for sleep, make your room as dark as possible, even unplugging all electronics with small power lights or covering them with electrical tape.

To fall asleep, your body temperature must drop by 2-3°F. Maintaining a cool temperature throughout the night helps you stay asleep, as a rise of just 1-3°F can lead to shallow sleep with frequent awakenings.

• • Keep your bedroom cold; studies show around 67°F is generally ideal.
  • Wear breathable sleepwear.
  • Use breathable bedding such as bamboo sheets & muslin cotton blankets in layers that can be easily removed as needed.
  • Try cooling devices such as a cooling fan or a cooling mattress pad.

Caffeine has a half-life of 5-6 hours, meaning half the caffeine you consume can still be in your system 6 hours later blocking adenosine, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel tired. Consuming caffeine early in the day and reducing the strength allows the body enough time to clear it out, letting adenosine do its job to promote sleepiness. Even if caffeine doesn’t seem to affect your ability to fall asleep data reveals it reduces deep non-REM sleep, leading to detrimental effects on cardiovascular, immune, and cognitive health.

• • Switch to non-caffeinated beverages 10-12 hours before your desired bedtime.
  • Try caffeine-free alternatives like Teccinos, Coffee Break, or Dandy Blend.
  • Opt for lower-caffeine drinks such as matcha, cacao, chai, london fog, low-caffeine coffee, decaf coffee, green tea, or black tea. I also like this pre-made matcha collagen latte mix.

Data shows that alcohol, THC, and sleeping pills induce sedation rather than restorative rest by inhibiting the electrical brain activity necessary for healthy sleep stages and healing sleep. Prolonged use of these substances has been linked to a shorter lifespan and can impair cognitive functions. One study found that even a single night of drinking after learning can reduce memory retention by 30-50%. Fortunately, many healthier alternatives can promote relaxation and improve mood without disrupting sleep quality. Always consult your healthcare practitioner and research potential side effects (examine.com) before trying new compounds.

• • Experiment with mood-enhancing mocktails by combining botanical concentrates like Euphoria Elixir, Social Elixir, or Mood Juice with your favorite mixers, or try pre-made options like the Spritz, Bloom, and Lightwave from Kin Euphorics (check the caffeine content). Other alcohol alternative brands to explore include: Three Spirit, Apothekary, Little Saints, Ghia, and Anima Mundi.
  • Switch to healthier herbal smoking blends like this relaxing botanical smoking blend.
  • Consume sleep-enhancing foods in the evening, such as tart cherry juice, which can increase sleep time by 60-90 minutes, and two kiwis with skin on, which studies show improve sleep quality, duration, and reduce time to fall asleep by 35%.
  • Supplement with magnesium, prioritizing bioavailable forms like threonate or glycinate in liquid options for best absorption. I get great results with this liquid magnesium glycinate. You can also make a sleepy girl mocktail using tart cherry juice, magnesium powder, and sparkling water.

Note: While melatonin supplements are commonly used, studies show they only offer minimal benefits, increasing sleep duration by an average of just 3.9 minutes and efficiency by 2.2%. High doses may suppress natural melatonin production, and due to the lack of regulation in the U.S., melatonin supplements often contain inaccurate doses, with studies showing up to 80% less or 460% more than what is stated on the label. Melatonin can also impact hormone levels & potentially influence puberty, though it may benefit older adults as natural production declines with age.

To achieve deeper healing sleep, identify and eliminate as many disruptions as possible, such as breathing issues, bathroom trips, or unbalanced blood sugar that both consciously and unconsciously wake you and fragment sleep.

• • Persistent fatigue despite sufficient sleep may indicate respiratory disturbances. Find a craniofacial dental sleep medicine practitioner for an airway evaluation and sleep study (at-home options are available) to check for sleep apnea and consider treatments like Vivos.
  • Promote healthy nasal breathing by keeping your space clean and pollutant-free with an air purifier, HEPA bed vacuum, and non-toxic mattress. Enhance breathing support with tools like mouth tape, Breathe Right strips, microbiome-friendly nasal spray, and eucalyptus chest rub.
  • Limit fluid intake to 5 ounces or less a few hours before bed and focus on hydrating within the first 10 hours of the day for optimal hydration—read the full hydration post here.
  • Eat a balanced bedtime snack combining glucose and protein to prevent cortisol spikes and avoid high-sugar foods before bed that overstimulate metabolism and raise body temperature to avoid any sleep disturbances from unstable blood sugar. Snack ideas: two kiwis with greek yogurt ;), banana with nut butter, chia seed pudding, apple with cheese.
  • Use a sleep tracker like an Oura ring, whoop, or other smart device (on airplane mode) and gather data to help you pinpoint disruptions and uncover unconscious issues preventing deep sleep.
  • Put on an eye mask, earplugs, or use a white noise machine to block out disturbing lights and sounds.

Trauma or other life experiences that lead to mental and emotional imbalance can cause anxiety, overthinking, or feelings of unsafety that can prevent healing sleep. Adopting therapeutic practices & techniques can help you clear trauma to relieve stress, anxiety, and regulate your nervous system in order to sleep well.

• • Clear your mind at bedtime: write down your thoughts and worries as one study showed this can cut the time it takes to fall asleep by 50%, take deep, full breaths and count, making your exhales longer than your inhales, or listen to a guided sleep meditation, yoga nidra (aka yogic sleep), or a sleep hypnosis.
  • Establish body soothing wind-down cues like relaxing music or sounds, candlelight, a hot bath, or comfy pajamas.
  • Try EFT tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques) using methods like the nine tapping points or a sequence I learned in HBLU called natural bio-destressing. Studies show it is highly effective at reducing stress, with 86% of PTSD participants resolving their diagnosis after six sessions.
  • Explore different therapy systems like EMDR or HBLU to address challenges around sleep from trauma or CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) for correcting poor sleep habits.

A key component of your circadian system, your core temperature rhythm, naturally rises during the day to boost energy by stimulating metabolism and the nervous system and falls at night to promote sleepiness by calming these systems. You can leverage these natural temperature shifts by engaging in activities that further cool or warm your body, amplifying their energizing or sleep-inducing effects.

• • Promote an early rise in core temperature: Engage in heart rate-elevating exercise or eat a meal in the morning to stimulate metabolism, raise core temperature, and set an ideal temperature rhythm for the day.
  • Increase energy with cold exposure: Use short cold showers, ice water face dips, or cold plunges. Your core temperature compensates by heating up after the cold exposure, energizing you.
  • Encourage a core temperature drop before bed: Take a hot bath or shower, use a low-EMF heating pad, microwave heating pad, or enjoy a sauna session. Heat exposure brings blood to the skin’s surface, which cools the core and promotes sleepiness.

Note: Avoid prolonged cold exposure as it can lower core temperature too much and stress the body. Use caution and consult a healthcare professional when trying new protocols.

Your chronotype, determined by genetics, reflects your biological preference in sleep-wake rhythm and influences if you are most naturally an early bird, night owl, or somewhere in between. Factors like age, health, stress, activity, and gender help determine optimal sleep duration; for example, teenagers require more sleep due to shifted circadian rhythms, women may need extra rest because of hormonal fluctuations and increased brain activity, and those recovering from stress or illness need additional sleep to heal. The more we can align with our specific needs, the more we can reap the benefits from healing sleep.

• • Take an online quiz to discover your chronotype.
  • Adjust your sleep and wake times to better match your chronotype.
  • Assess life factors and sleep longer if your body requires it.