I had an AMA about my sleep habits go viral on r/AMA so I’m doing it again in this sub!
I’ve spent the last 5 years trying to improve my sleep. Tried a bunch of techniques, products, etc. Some worked much better than others and I finally hit my stride last year.
At least 8 hours of sleep. Every single night. For 365 nights.
I feel great. Ask me anything
EDIT: Love the questions. Keep em coming! In the meantime, I’ve summarized some of the FAQs below
How do I feel?
feeling way more sharp cognitively. work has become more enjoyable
more positive outlook on life - feeling more appreciative/grateful
better ability to connect with my wife. i feel like i’m more present
increased libido (I’m in my early-mid 30s)
overall I have a feeling of confidence and calm that has made my life a lot more positive
Most impactful technique I used:
Something i learned from Huberman. When you wake up, DO NOT scroll on your phone. Get your butt out of bed and get sunlight immediately. The first 30 mins after waking up are crucial to getting a good sleep later that night.
Other helpful techniques I use:
get out of bed immediately when I wake up + getting sunlight immediately
weight training 3x per week
walking 10k steps per day
not eating within 4 hours of bedtime
making sure my bedroom is COLD. Blast the AC to 19C or 66F
using a fan for subtle white noise + cooling
don’t keep your phone in your bedroom. use a standalone alarm clock
PRIORITIZING MY SLEEP (sometimes at the expense of my social life in the short term. but it’s absolutely worth it)
Blaine said:
How long did it take before you started feeling better?
I’d say about 2 weeks in I started feeling much more energetic. some of the other effects like increased libido took a bit longer. Most of the effects were apparent about 6 weeks in.
Joss said:
Not attacking your morning routine method, just curious what you’re supposed to do if there is no sun when you wake up? Are sunlight-imitating lights effective as a substitute if there is no sunlight?
That’s a great question. If you have obligations that require you to be awake before sunrise, or if you live in a place where this is tough, look into a sunlight simulating light panel. It’s a little desk light panel that you can look at that helps wake you up and signal to your brain that it’s “daytime”
Misha said:
Which technique was the best bang-for-your-buck (in terms of effort and reward)?
Something i learned from Andrew Huberman. When you wake up, DO NOT scroll on your phone. Get your butt out of bed and get sunlight immediately. The first 30 mins after waking up are crucial to getting a good sleep later that night.
Perry said: @Harlem
I also get up at 4 a.m. for work. I’m not being a smart ass when I ask “what do you do if it’s dark out?” I genuinely want to know
You turn on artificial lights until the sun rises or invest in a sun lamp to help get that cortisol trigger and set the start your time clock for the day.
Perry said: @Harlem
I also get up at 4 a.m. for work. I’m not being a smart ass when I ask “what do you do if it’s dark out?” I genuinely want to know
I’m not either. There are times where I live when there is a total of 8:51 minutes of daylight. I have to be at work at 6 AM, sunrise isn’t until after 7AM for a significant amount of time. Due to where I work getting a red light in or light therapy isn’t going to probably be an option, I’m considering getting one for home
Davi said: @Teal
What if you have insomnia and wake up at 3-4am? There’s no sunlight, and I don’t need to get up until 7am.
If I wake up in the middle of the night, I read on my Kindle (no blue light) instead of going on my phone. I generally find reading much better to lull me back into sleep than scrolling on my phone (which more often than not wakes me up fully).
Sometimes I don’t fall back asleep even when reading though (and that’s ok) but for some reason I feel like I’ve been more “productive” reading for 3 hours instead of scrolling for 3 hours.
@Zion
I’ve never been too keen on getting a kindle because I love to read hard copies, but this suggestion is tempting me. Do you read in the dark or have to turn the light on? I don’t want to wake my partner, but I suppose I could always go read elsewhere until I get sleepy again.
@Corin
I was the same as you, then I got a Kindle and I’ve not touched a physical book since
I have the current model Kindle Paperwhite, and it has a warm backlight (I’ll post a reply here of my usual set up), so it’s easy on the eyes. All the Kindle models now have backlights - but the Kindle Basic only has a whiteish backlight (I prefer the warm).
Just a heads up, if you do decide to buy one - hold off for now. Lots of rumors on E-reader & Kindle subs of a new Kindle model being announced probably in the next few weeks, so wait until then to see if you’d prefer the newer one (people expect it’ll include colour screens) or it pushes the price of the current models down to save you some money.
@Zion
Big note: the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Fire are two very different experiences. For people who want a Kindle for reading purposes only, go with the Paperwhite…it will let you adjust the lighting to your preference but it will always be in the safer no blue light range; it’s supposed to give the effect of actually reading paper, that somehow has lighting coming through it.
The Kindle Fire is for people who want both a reading and tablet substitute experience. It can go online and I think you can watch YouTube videos on it among other things…so this is the lighting that’s not so great if you’re a full-time reader. I would compare it to reading on your phone…you can, but it’s fatiguing on the eyes and not good overall, a book would be better.
However, I have a Kindle Paperwhite and LOVE IT, while still keeping physical books!
