How to Improve Your Sleep

The following page explains how to improve your sleep through all-natural, holistic means. For advanced cases, there’s info in the Miscellaneous section too.

Lists below are abbreviated for reading ease. All info is scientifically supported. Sources and more details are in the References section.

SECTIONS: Intro . Food . Liquid . Supplements . Miscellaneous . Recommended . References

(Grds = Goodreads book page. Imdb = IMDb movie page. Ama = Amazon. You = Youtube.)

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Intro

Before diving into sleep strategies, here’s a brief review of some basic sleep facts, and a gentle reminder of how important it is and how easy it is to consistently get good sleep.

Facts

. Sleep is the cornerstone of good health; it is vital for gene health and brain cleaning.[1]

. Sleep duration doesn’t affect mortality, however too little or too much can cause major health problems.[2]

. Poor sleep habits lead to poor mental health depression anxiety baldness decreased testosterone fewer antibodies and greater pneumonia risk.[3]

. Seven to eight hours of sleep a night is the sweet spot, a good goal is seven-and-a-half hours in bed.[4]

. Sleeping pills are dangerous, diet and lifestyle are easy safe potent long-term solutions.[5]

Little life hacks can make a huge difference.

Let’s look at those now…

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Food

Good

. Timing — caffeine morning only no night eating.[6]

. Glycine — amino help sleep brain & fatigue, eat..[7]

. Lettuce — very good used since Roman Empire.[8]

. Kiwifruit — aids sleep onset duration & efficien..[9]

. Pistachio — 2ea better than sleep supplement.[10]

. Goji berries — off charts in melatonin richness.[11]

. Tryptophan — amino improves sleep & latency.[12]

Bad

. Keto — lighter less restorative sleep insomnia.[13]

. Sw Sp Da — sweet spicy dairy bad before bed.[14]

. Inflammatory — diet linked lower sleep quality.[15]

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Liquid

Good

. Chamomile — tea: sedates, a mild tranquilizer.[16]

Bad

. Alcohol — just one drink destroy sleep quality.[17]

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Supplements

Good

. Vitamin D — improves sleep quality & duration.[18]

. Magnesium — helps melatonin body relax rest.[19]

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Miscellaneous

General

. Light — get early sunlight, set evening lights low.[20]

. Travel — to avoid jet lag: water meal nap lighting.[21]

. Socks — improve sleep 1hr before wear all night.[22]

. Snoring — meat diet double the odds of snoring.[23]

. Position — side sleep cleans brain lowers alzhe..[24]

. Exercise — 90min-mod/40min-vigor better sleep.[25]

. Foot bath — safe simple method improves sleep.[26]

. Hydration — fluid restriction > sleepiness fatigu..[27]

. Melatonin — for sleep & cancer, no pill eat foods.[28]

. Marijuana — blocks REM & creates other issues.[29]

. Cell phone — usage alters circadian hurts sleep.[30]

. Good night — 4 habits = exer food room routine.[31]

. Daily pause — midday timeout prayer yoga nidr..[32]

. Essential oil — 3 sleep scents: lav. cham. frank.[33]

. Pineal gland — crucial, calcifies, heal with food.[34]

Extreme Cases

. Apnea — less sleep more weight cause apnea.[35]

. Nocturia — night pee very common sip 4-6hrs.[36]

. Insomnia — common, eat right try Good night.[37]

. Pregnancy — 80% have sleep trouble no pills..[38]

. Night shifts — awful for health, avoid if poss..[39]

Endnote

. And prayer — prayer changes molecules(!).[40]

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References

KEY: age:greger>age . ch:chapter . da:draxe.com . die:greger>die . hub:huberman . nf:nutritionfacts.org . nih:nih.gov . webmd:webmd.com . why:walker>why . x:x.com

[1] Sleep: 711 genes up- or down- regulate from sleep, brain clears waste via glymphatic flow (nf/genes @0:11-1:35 & nf/brain).

[2] Sleep duration doesn’t affect mortality however too little/much ups stroke risk (die/ch:stroke & genes link above)

[3] Sources: age/ch:sleep, baldness age/ch:hair, testosterone age/ch:hormones, antibodies/pneumonia: age/ch:immune.

[4] Sources: nf/sleep & nf/sleep @0:47-1:35 & age/ch:sleep.

[5] Pills: triple the risk of dying (nf/pills @1:07-1:59).

[6] Timing: caffeine ideally 2cups max morning only & even 6hrs before bed significantly disrupts sleep (nf/caffeine @3:10-3:39), and eating late at night hinders ability to fall asleep (age/ch:sleep).

[7] Glycine: an amino acid, enhances quality of sleep & brain function, decreases daytime fatigue too (nih/glycine & nih/glycine); top foods: soy pumpkin/sunflower seeds peanuts almonds spirulina chlorella more; tip: eat glycine foods at lunch/dinner.

[8] Lettuce: has hypnotic sedative properties significantly improves sleep used since Roman Empire, romaine is best—no pun intended lol (nf/lettuce @1:55-5:27).

[9] Kiwifruit: treats insomnia significantly improves sleep onset duration & efficiency, eat 1hr before bed (nf/kiwi).

[10] Pistachio: just two better than melatonin supplement, cranberries good too (nf/pistachio @2:18-4:04).

[11] Goji berries: off the charts in melatonin richness (nf/goji @4:00-4:25).

[12] Tryptophan: an amino acid, increases sleepiness, decreases latency/time to sleep, helps insomnia (nih/tryptophan & nih/tryptophan); top foods: soy peas chlorella spirulina sunflower pumpkin hemp chia seeds peanuts walnuts oats & more.

[13] Keto: low carb diet; side effects: lighter less restorative sleep & insomnia (nf/keto @3:57-4:14).

[14] Sw Sp Da: Sweet Spicy and Dairy are foods for poor sleep, for good sleep have fruits vegetables & herbal tea, so skip dessert and try goji kiwi pistachio & chamomile tea (da/sleep-foods).

[15] Inflammatory diet: linked to worse mental health anxiety depression low sleep quality (age/ch:inflammation), try the opposite—anti-inflammatory/alkaline diet—see if it helps.

[16] Chamomile: tea or essential oil, sedates treats insomnia regarded as mild tranquilizer/sleep-inducer (nih/chamomile), aids digestion relaxes body for sleep (nih/chamomile), reduces pain relieves congestion good for heart skin teeth gums (da/chamomile).

[17] Alcohol: may help sedation but undermines sleep quality/continuity, blocks REM/hormones, hurts next day feeling rested/restored (hub/alcohol @1h07m-1h16m).

[18] Vitamin D: improves sleep quality & duration (nf/vitD @4:15-4:24).

[19] Magnesium: helps body regulate melatonin, improves sleep time & efficiency (da/magnesium & nih/magnesium); don't use melatonin supplements, try magnesium instead.

[20] Light: get early morning sunlight to control circadian & set evening lights low to get good night sleep (hub/light).

[21] Travel: flight more than two time zones? avoid jet lag: preflight hydrate, inflight meal, postflight nap & light therapy (nf/jetlag).

[22] Socks: putting on warm socks 1hr before bed & wearing throughout night helps fall asleep faster wake up less during night (age/ch:sleep).

[23] Snoring: more meat eating doubles odds of snoring decreases sleep quality & quantity 60% (age/ch:sleep); throat sore from snoring? do peppermint tea & eucalyptus aromatherapy.

[24] Position: side sleeping helps glymphatic flow, cleans brain clears neurotoxins lowers alzheimer risk, sleeping on right side may be best for most people (nf/position).

[25] Exercise: 90-minute moderate intensity or 40-minute vigorous activity daily improves sleep & mood (die/ch:exercise); best time to exercise: 4-8hrs before bed (nf/exercise @2:53-3:10).

[26] Foot bath: or full-body bath or warm shower 1-2hrs before bed helps fall asleep faster & sleep better (age/ch:sleep).

[27] Hydration: fluid restriction leads to sleepiness/fatigue & less alertness/vigor (die/ch:beverages); tip: sip don’t gulp a few hours before bed.

[28] Melatonin: aids sleep decreases cancer risk, avoid supplements (natural body release 0.1mg, supps 1-20mg unsafe megadose shrinks gonads hub/melatonin @1h36m-1h54m); best foods: goji raspberries cherries kiwi lettuce orange bell pepper tomato pistachio almond walnut flaxseed mustard fenugreek, meat bad (die/ch:breast & die/ch:berries & nf/supps & nf/safety).

[29] Marijuana: THC disrupts sleep blocks REM can create dependency & anxiety, CBD purity potency iffy & it's wake-promoting alters brain (hub/marijuana @1h25m-1h36m).

[30] Cell phone: screen light and EMF affect circadian, disrupt sleep (nf/cellphone); tip: stay off phone before bed or use grayscale filter.

[31] Good night: four good sleep hygiene habits: 1) exercise regularly. 2) food high fiber low fat/sugar vitD good, meat bad, avoid caffeine nicotine alcohol before bed. 3) bedroom quiet cool dark. 4) relaxing bedtime routine (nf/goodnight @2:53-5:43 & age/ch:sleep); consider journaling & clock removal too (hub/habits @2h47m-2h59m).

[32] Daily pause: a 10min midday timeout—close eyes breathe slow pray meditate yoga nidra can improve night sleep (hub/pause & da/meditation); cordyceps combats stress promotes clarity & theta sleep, consider a few hours before midday pause (da/cordyceps).

[33] Essential oils: 3 best sleep scents lavender chamomile frankincense, rose bergamot good too, aroma helps 94% of people sleep better (da/aromatherapy & nih/aromasticks).

[34] Pineal gland: controls sleep decision-making & reality-perception, can calcify, avoid smoking opioid/painkillers & fluoride water/mouthcare (hub/pineal @1h47m33s & webmd/pineal & nih/fluoride & nih/opioid); to decalcify: eat fruits dark leafy greens & cilantro, drink purified water, know iodine intake (news/iodine; best sources: salt kelp seaweed supps; see also Brain #19).

[35] Apnea: tongue fat obstructing airway causes apnea, severe sleep deprivation (nf/apnea & why/ch7); obesity is the problem, healthy weight is key, eat orac foods (see Food and ORAC pages).

[36] Nocturia: get up to pee at night, affects 30% over 30yo majority over 65yo (nih/nocturia); tip: hydrate early in day, sip as little as you can within 4-6hrs of bedtime.

[37] Insomnia: common, usual cause is worry & anxiety (why/ch12), focus on right foods at right times mentioned above, plus Good night habits above … 4 sleep rules: when sleepy in bed, use bed for sleep/sex only no reading eating screens, if cannot sleep leave room until sleepy, get up same time every morning (nf/insomnia @1:59-2:53) and maybe no naps … lastly, if all this doesn’t solve problem, look into ashwagandha (nih/ashwagandha & da/ashwagandha).

[38] Pregnancy: 80% of pregnant women have trouble sleeping; sleeping pill side effects: ambien/zolpidem sga low birth weight premature birth c-section, valium/diazepam brain/spine defects cleft lip/palate limb deficiences (nf/pregnancy @3:36-4:17), try every option on this page before taking sleeping pills.

[39] Night shifts: alter metabolism & natural circadian, increases bp cholesterol inflammation diabetes heart/brain disease (nf/nightshift); bottomline: night shift awful for health, avoid if possible.

[40] Prayer: watch how water and rice change; words have the power of life and death (Pro 18:21), speak life over your health.

* End note: if you made it this far, nice job. And if you want more, here's: How to View Food.

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Whatever brings you to this page, I wish you great health and hope on your journey.

Be strong and believe. You can do all things (Phi 4:13).

Peace and Love,
Ben