The answer above is not a direct response to the question as asked, but it is still a very good list of interventions for improved sleep.
I’d add a few points. That the sleep literature is very big on maintaining a good circadian rhythm (entrainment) and a few interventions follow from that.
Go to sleep and wake up a the same time each day.
Don’t sleep too late in the day.
I try to avoid napping after 5pm no matter how tired I am.
Expose yourself to good amount of blue light in the morning for at least fifteen minutes, but ideally 30-60 min good. This is the opposite of the no blue light in the evenings.
A bright outdoors is best.
A luminator is good too.
I have Seqinetic light therapy glasses which shine bright blue light into your peripheral vision. I often put them as soon as I wake up while still lying in bed, and they noticeable push away lingering tiredness and sleep inertia. Unfortunately, I think they’re out of business. I wonder if anyone else is making an alternative version.
Routine helps too. The brain is very contextual and a consistent routine is part of that..
A set routine, e.g. brushing teeth and washing face, can induce your brain to think it’s sleep time.
Not using your bed/bedroom for anything other sleep or sex also stems from the “brain is contextual” principle, hence wanting to make bed/bedroom distinctly a context for sleep.
Also extremely key is temperature. Sleep is triggered by dark and cool.
You can note that sleep is generally worse in summer months because of the heat.
I believe I experienced a large improvement in my sleep quality when I began running an air conditioner to keep my room at ~17C (~63F) together and purchased a ChilliPad. The later makes a big difference since my current foam mattress is far more insulating than the coil mattresses I’ve used most of my life.
I echo the endorsements here of sleep tracking. I use a Fitbit Ionic whose data I use to generated an automated email report. The custom report is worth it since a) it lets me focus specifically on the inputs I control, i.e. when I go to sleep, and b) it lets me visualize trends and comparison over time better than the default Fitbit report. I describe my tracking strategy in greater detail in another comment.
The answer above is not a direct response to the question as asked, but it is still a very good list of interventions for improved sleep.
I’d add a few points. That the sleep literature is very big on maintaining a good circadian rhythm (entrainment) and a few interventions follow from that.
Go to sleep and wake up a the same time each day.
Don’t sleep too late in the day.
I try to avoid napping after 5pm no matter how tired I am.
Expose yourself to good amount of blue light in the morning for at least fifteen minutes, but ideally 30-60 min good. This is the opposite of the no blue light in the evenings.
A bright outdoors is best.
A luminator is good too.
I have Seqinetic light therapy glasses which shine bright blue light into your peripheral vision. I often put them as soon as I wake up while still lying in bed, and they noticeable push away lingering tiredness and sleep inertia. Unfortunately, I think they’re out of business. I wonder if anyone else is making an alternative version.
Routine helps too. The brain is very contextual and a consistent routine is part of that..
A set routine, e.g. brushing teeth and washing face, can induce your brain to think it’s sleep time.
Not using your bed/bedroom for anything other sleep or sex also stems from the “brain is contextual” principle, hence wanting to make bed/bedroom distinctly a context for sleep.
Also extremely key is temperature. Sleep is triggered by dark and cool.
You can note that sleep is generally worse in summer months because of the heat.
I believe I experienced a large improvement in my sleep quality when I began running an air conditioner to keep my room at ~17C (~63F) together and purchased a ChilliPad. The later makes a big difference since my current foam mattress is far more insulating than the coil mattresses I’ve used most of my life.
I echo the endorsements here of sleep tracking. I use a Fitbit Ionic whose data I use to generated an automated email report. The custom report is worth it since a) it lets me focus specifically on the inputs I control, i.e. when I go to sleep, and b) it lets me visualize trends and comparison over time better than the default Fitbit report. I describe my tracking strategy in greater detail in another comment.
https://humancharger.com/ would be another light therapy device for the mornings.