9 Science-Backed Solutions For Deep Sleep To Lay The Foundation For Your Best Health & Self

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 exposure, as this can damage your retina. There’s no need to look directly at the sun, simply facing its direction allows photons to reach your eye receptors.
• If viewing sunrise or sunset isn’t possible, get outdoor light exposure as close to these times as possible. 

Darkness triggers melatonin secretion, promoting healthy sleep onset. As it gets darker your eyes become more sensitive to light, so even small amounts at night can suppress 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 blue light-blocking glasses at night. Red-tinted lenses are more effective at blocking blue light than non-tinted options.
• Adjust device screens to red using your device’s color filter settings and reduce brightness if you need to use them after dark.
• Use candlelight, red bulbs, and dim lights low in the visual field, such as outlet plug-in lamps, as light sources at night.

To fall asleep, your body temperature must drop by 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit. Maintaining a cool temperature throughout the night helps you stay asleep and prevents waking. If body temperature rises during the night, it can disrupt sleep, leading to lighter sleep and frequent awakenings.

• Keep your bedroom cold, studies show around 67 degrees Fahrenheit 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 which blocks adenosine, a compound in our brain 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, it can still harm sleep quality.

• Switch to non-caffeinated beverages 10-12 hours before your desired bedtime.
• Try caffeine-free alternatives like Teccinos, chai blends, or Dandy Blend.
• Opt for lower-caffeine drinks such as matcha, cacao, chai lattes, London fog, low-caffeine coffee, decaf coffee, green tea, or black tea.

Breathing issues, bathroom trips, or cortisol spikes can interfere with restorative rest. Resolving these issues helps ensure uninterrupted deep sleep & waking feeling refreshed.

• Find a craniofacial dental sleep medicine practitioner to evaluate your airways and check for sleep breathing issues with a sleep study (at-home options are available). Conditions like sleep apnea can disrupt your sleep quality even if you’re unaware. Treatments like Vivos may help.
• Support healthy nasal breathing by cleaning your space with an air purifier & Hepa mattress vacuum and using tools such as mouth tape, breathe right strips, microbiome-friendly nasal spray, and eucalyptus chest rub.
• Use a sleep tracker like an ultrahuman ring, Oura ring, whoop, or other smart device to pinpoint disruptions. This data can help us uncover unconscious issues inhibiting deep sleep and motivate us to maintain healthy sleep habits.
• Try to limit fluid intake to 5oz or less after the first 10 hours of the day or a couple of hours before bedtime. To learn all about optimal hydration check out this post. 
• Eat a small bedtime snack to stabilize blood sugar and prevent cortisol spikes that can wake you in a stressed state during the night. Choose options that combine glucose and protein, like a banana with nut butter, chia seed pudding, Greek yogurt with berries, or an apple with cheese.

Your core temperature rhythm, a key part of your circadian system, naturally rises during the day boosting energy by stimulating metabolism and the nervous system, then falls at night promoting sleepiness by slowing metabolism and calming the nervous system. We can leverage these natural temperature shifts with activities that further cool or raise body temperature to enhance this energy boost or sleepiness effect. 

• Promote an early rise in core temperature: Engage in heart rate-elevating exercise or eat a meal in the morning to stimulate metabolism. Both actions raise core temperature and set an ideal rhythm for energy during the day and restful sleep at night.
• 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, which energizes you.
• Encourage a core temperature drop before bed: Take a hot bath or shower, use a low-EMF 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.

Data reveals that alcohol, THC, and sleeping pills can negatively impact sleep quality and overall health. Thankfully, there are plenty of healthier alternatives that promote relaxation and mood enhancement without disrupting sleep efficiency. In place of alcohol and THC, explore mood-boosting mocktails, tinctures, and herbal smoke blends. For sleep challenges, science backed supplements and sleep-promoting foods can provide safer, effective solutions. Always consult your healthcare practioner and research potential side effects (examine.com) before trying new compounds.

• Experiment with botanical concentrates such as this euphoria elixir, the social elixir, or mood juice & make mocktails with your favorite mixers. 
• Try pre-made mocktails like kin euphorics (check caffeine content). My favorites include the spritz, bloom, and lightwave drinks.
• Switch to healthier herbal smoking blends like this relaxing botanical smoking blend.
• Explore mood-enhancing alternatives from brands like Kin Euphorics, Three Spirit, Apothekary, Little Saints, Ghia, and Anima Mundi.
• Supplement with bioavailable forms of magnesium like threonate or glycinate until you find one that works best for you. Liquid forms work best for me, and I get good results with this magnesium glycinate.
• Drink tart cherry juice; studies show it can increase sleep time by 60-90 minutes and reduce time awake in bed. 
• Make a sleepy girl mocktail using tart cherry juice, magnesium powder, and sparkling water. 
• Eat kiwis with the skin to improve sleep quality & duration. One study found that eating two kiwis before bed reduced the time to fall asleep by 35%.

Therapeutic tools & systems can help us process emotions, reduce overthinking, and calm anxiety that prevents a good night’s rest. By engaging in cathartic activities, we can relieve stress, activate the parasympathetic nervous system, lower cortisol, & acquire healthy habits that promote relaxation and an easy transition into restorative rest.

• Write down your thoughts and worries before bed to clear your mind. One study found this practice can cut the time it takes to fall asleep by 50%.
• Try Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) or “tapping” using methods like the 9 EFT tapping points or natural bio-destressing. Findings demonstrate how EFT can be highly effective on stress with 86% of PTSD participants resolving their diagnosis after just six sessions.
• Practice sleep-inducing breathwork such as the 4-7-8 method (in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, out for 8 seconds) or the 4-6 method (in for 4 seconds, out for 6 seconds) to activate relaxation. 
• Listen to guided meditations like yoga nidra (yogic sleep) or sleep hypnosis to quiet the mind.
• Explore somatic therapies like EMDR or HBLU to address challenges around sleep from trauma. 
• Establish a wind-down routine with cues like calming music or sounds, candlelight, a hot bath, or comfy pajamas to signal your brain and body that it’s time to decompress.
• Consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) to address sleep-disrupting habits. Visit sleepfoundation.org for resources.

Your chronotype reflects your genetically ingrained sleep pattern, ranging from early bird to night owl. Understanding your most natural sleep-wake rhythm will help you identify your optimal sleep window. When we can align with this window, we can improve sleep quality and boost daytime productivity. 

• Take an online quiz to discover your chronotype.
• Adjust your sleep and wake times to better match your chronotype.