The Perfect Nights Sleep Guide

The Perfect Nights Sleep:

Sleep is the foundation of optimal physical and mental performance. It promotes muscle recovery, optimal testosterone production, sharp cognitive function, and emotional regulation. Regardless of how well you are training, eating or studying, without deep high quality sleep your body will struggle to achieve your goals.

Below is a breakdown of:

Our circadian rhythm and sleeping biology
Why you should avoid alcohol, caffeine and melatonin
Why blue light disrupts sleep and strategies to minimise its exposure
How to build the perfect sleep environment
How to build a bedtime routine that works for you. </aside>

Sleeping Biology:

Circadian rhythm:

It is essential to understand how our body’s internal clock or circadian rhythm works. This rough 24-hour cycle is regulated by the brains superchiasmatic nucleus (SCN) which is predominately influenced by light and dark cues in our environment. In the morning sunlight triggers the release of cortisol to wake our bodies up, in the event when the sun begins to set melatonin production is stimulated which helps our body wind down ready for sleep. Maintaining a regular sleep-wake time is one of the most effective ways to solidify your circadian rhythm and will improve your sleep quality over time.

As you can imagine there are a number of modern day influences that can interfere with our circadian rhythm. Each of these changes will be discussed in more detail below:

Blue or artificial light and its effect on cortisol and melatonin secretion
Coffee preventing adenosine to from activating melatonin production
Irregular sleeping patterns, such as partying or video games can effect our circadian rhythm

Sleep Stages:

Sleep occurs in cycles consisting of 3 distinct stages which include, light sleep, Non-REM (NREM or Deep) and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. As seen on the sleep graph to the left, sleep is broken up into these 3 different stages, with each stage allowing the body to restore and recover in different ways. During deep sleep, which typically occurs during the first half of the night, your body releases Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which plays a key role in muscle repair, fat metabolism, and tissue regeneration. Light sleep acts as a way of transitioning out of deep NREM sleep and into REM sleep where testosterone is predominately produced. REM sleep typically occurs in the second half of the night which is why it is important to make sure you are getting your full 8 hours of sleep per night. Interruptions to sleep or reductions in total sleep time (especially less than 6 hours) have been shown to significantly suppress both testosterone and HGH secretion, impair recovery, libido, and physical performance.

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Alcohol, Caffeine and Melatonin:

Alcohol:

Some people might say alcohol makes them feel sleepy and makes falling asleep easier, and while this definitely is true, it severely disrupts your Deep and REM sleep. If you are not getting enough REM sleep your testosterone levels will begin to suffer because this is where your body produces the majority of it. Not to mention the fact reduced REM sleep also interferes with memory consolidation, mood regulation, and brain recovery and increased nighttime awakenings. Alcohol also raises your core body temperature, interferes with hydration and blood sugar levels, and worsens snoring and sleep apnea. All of which results in you waking up feeling like shit, tired, foggy and wanting to hit the snooze button. Of course have fun every once in a while and go out drinking with your friends, but just remember it has some pretty big consequences to your overall health.

Caffeine:

Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is the neurotransmitter that builds up throughout the day to create sleep pressure (makes you feel tired and sleepy). By blocking it, caffeine delays your bodies natural drive to fall asleep and often causes people to stay up much later than they should be resulting in important hours of sleep lost each night. Caffeine’s half life consists of between 6-8 hours, meaning a cup of coffee at 2pm can still be active in your system at 10pm. Caffeine can make you feel alert, focused and is often used before a deep work session or even as pre-workout, but using caffeine consistently does come with a cost. It slowly depletes your adrenal glands, and over time has the ability to make you feel groggy and tired, which then makes you think you need more caffeine to feel better. Worsening your symptoms, and leading to adrenal fatigue and burnout. What is considered a “safe amount” for most people is between 200-400mg/day (1-2 coffees or energy drinks). I would say intentionally consume caffeine, whether its before a big workout or a deep work session. Don’t just take it because you “feel tired”. Lastly, make sure you are not drinking caffeine when you first wake up. Ideally you should be waiting 90 minutes before you have your first drink. So if you wake up at 5:30am you should be having your first drink after 7:00am. When consuming caffeine too early in the morning it can blunt its sharpening effects and lead to a mid-morning energy crash. So just remember delay your first cup of coffee by 90 minutes in the morning. On the other side of the coin, you should stop consuming caffeine 8 hours before you go to bed, so that your adenosine receptors won’t be blocked in the evening and effect your sleep quality or quantity.

Melatonin:

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by your pineal gland when it notices darkness (in nature this is usually signalled by the setting of the sun) and tells your body it is time to wind down and sleep, however in our modern world, light, laptops and phones can all interfere with our bodies natural melatonin production. People who struggle with sleep often take melatonin as a supplement, and while it can help reset your circadian rhythm during jet lag or shift work. Regular use can suppress your bodies own melatonin production which leads to you feeling constantly tired, groggy and can decrease overall sleep quality. If you are currently using melatonin because you are struggling with your sleep, what I am about to share regarding blue light exposure, setting your circadian rhythm and certain supplements can all help promote deep sleep and hopefully get you off melatonin for good.

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The Danger Of Blue Light Before Bed:

As previously mentioned above, melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by your pineal gland when it notices darkness. However, when on your phone or laptop late a night this emits blue light, which tricks your brain into thinking that it is daytime, resulting in significantly reduced melatonin production which leads to issues staying and falling asleep.

What I am about to share with you will help reduce your exposure to blue light after the sun has set and improve your overall sleep quantity and quality:

F.lux / nightshift: To reduce the majority of your blue light exposure downloading f.lux on your laptop and turning on nightshift on your phone can reduce your exposure to to blue light by by approximately 40–60%.
Blue light blockers: f.lux and nightshift are a good start when it comes to blocking out blue light, but wearing blue light blocking glasses (This is a $39 pair of glasses I got off amazon) can help to reduce blue light exposure by 90–100%.
Screen time: one of the biggest problems young adults struggle with is, using their screens in the evening instead of sleeping. This includes watching Netflix, check social media flirting with boys or girls on apps like snapchat, tinder and hinge and even watching porn before they go to sleep. I know I have lost hundreds of hours of sleep talking to girls, playing video games and watching Netflix.

To prevent this from happening, I would recommend opal or brick for your phone and heyfocus for your mac to block certain apps from certain times. Let’s say your bedtime should be at 10:00pm, what you can do is schedule these apps to block your distracting apps like instagram, snapchat and Netflix at 9:30pm which then reminds you it is almost time to go to bed and this gets you off your phone. </aside>

Building The Perfect Sleep Environment:

Building a optimal sleep environment is crucial to allow you to rest, recovery and produce optimal testosterone levels. Below is a list of what you should consider investing in or doing each night to ensure you are getting the best night sleep possible:

Blackout Curtains: or an eye mask (also make sure you turn off anything that emits light, even if it is a small light).
Natural Bedsheets: choose, natural fibres such as cotton, bamboo or silk, all of which are estrogenic free.
High Quality Pillow: choose something that feels comfortable to you and your sleep, don’t be afraid to spend several hundreds of dollars.
Complete Silence: if you live with roommates or it is noisy when you sleep invest in high quality ear plugs.
Light Alarm Clock: to mimic the sun when you wake up and help to strengthen your circadian rhythm
Temperature between 16 - 19 degrees: use a thermostat, open a window, turn on a fan, of even buy an expensive heat modulated bedsheet.
Mouth Tape: To encourage nasal breathing and the formation of a masculine jawline
Remove electronics: this includes removing phones, laptops, TVs and PCs from your bedroom.
EMFs in bedroom: make sure your wi-fi router is not located in your bedroom (and turned off if you can) and your phone is switched to aeroplane mode.
Supplements: magnesium threonate, magnesium glycinate, glycine, chamomile tea, epsom salt baths </aside>

The Perfect Sleep Routine:

Okay, I did not know where to include this in my sleep guide, but it is probably one of the most important questions I get asked:

Question: “How many hours of sleep should you get?”

Answer: “Between 8 - 9 hours especially if you are trying to prioritise muscle growth”. Ideally you want 2 hours or REM sleep and 2 hours of Deep sleep as well.

Here is everything I would do in the evening before bed to get the best nights sleep possible and also what I would do in the morning to feel energised:

Evening Routine:

Stop drinking caffeine 8 hours before bed, try and have your last coffee before 12-2pm.
Have your last meal 2-3 hours before bed (if you have it too late your body will be focusing on breaking that down, instead of sleeping).
Wear blue light blocking glasses after sunset (and set f.lux and nightshift to turn on).
Ideally don’t do any strenuous exercise (running or weightlifting) in the evenings 1-2 hours before sleep.
Avoid bright lights 1 hour before bed (use your bedside lamp instead of the full light).
Have a hot shower, epsom salt bath or sauna, 60-30 minutes before bed (and of course brush your teeth)
Take your sleep supplements (magnesium glycinate, glycine, theanine, or something similar) 60-30 minutes before bed.
Avoid your phone entirely 30 minutes before you go to bed.
Set your Wi-Fi to automatically turn off 30 minutes before you go to bed to remind you to get off your phone.
Plan your next day before you go to bed (this gives you intentionality when you wake up).
Some people like to journal, read fiction, stretch or meditate (to activate their parasympathetic nervous system)
Tape your mouth shut for the night
Go to bed at the same time every singe day (yes even on weekends when you don’t have any plans)

Morning Routine:

Wake up at the same time every day (yes even on weekends) </aside>