Sleep is one of the most powerful yet overlooked foundations of health. It’s not optional if you want to think clearly, perform at your best, manage your weight, and maintain emotional balance. Unfortunately, many modern habits quietly sabotage our sleep without us realizing it. The good news? There are clear, science-backed steps you can take to reclaim it. In this post, we’ll walk through the essential rules for better sleep in plain, practical language covering daily habits, simple experiments you can try, and, once the basics are in place, sensible supplement options with typical dosages. Below you’ll find a realistic, usable plan you can start tonight, along with supporting research and answers to common questions. If you want to go deeper, you’ll also find ongoing, concise resources on sleep and wellbeing at Betterlife.

• Why I believe sleep is the ultimate superpower
• Quick overview – the five foundational rules I follow
• Rule 1 – Regularity: train your brain to expect sleep
• Rule 2 – Darkness: the hormone of darkness matters
• Rule 3 – Temperature: coldrooms are friendlier than warm ones
• Rule 4 – The 30-minute rule – get out of bed if you cannot sleep
• Rule 5 – Substances that wreck sleep: caffeine, alcohol, and evening social media
• How sleep restriction wrecks your weight – the three part story
• Dreaming – the often-missed benefits of REM sleep
• Supplements I discuss and the dosages I typically reference
• Putting the plan into a week-long experiment
• Avoiding overreliance on supplements and gadgets
• Practical tips and small rituals that matter
• What to do if you suspect a sleep disorder
• FAQ – common questions I hear and my responses
• Closing thoughts – small investments, huge returns

Here’s the blunt truth I took away from the discussion: the brain is wired to expect regular cues – darkness, falling body temperature, and predictable timing. When we ignore those cues we upset powerful biological systems that control appetite, memory consolidation, creativity, emotional processing, and metabolic health. Fixing sleep changes almost every other health variable for the better. That is why I say sleep is a superpower – it is the simplest, most evidence-backed lever you can pull for broad gains.

Dr Walker framed five core, actionable rules – what many of us call sleep hygiene. These are not gimmicks. They are biological signals for your circadian system. I recommend you try them as a first step before spending money on gadgets or expensive supplements.

1. Regularity – go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
2. Darkness – dim lights in the hour before bed and eliminate bright light in the bedroom.
3. Temperature – keep your bedroom cool, around 18 to 18.5 degrees Celsius (about 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit).
4. The 30-minute rule – if you cannot sleep, get out of bed and do something quiet until you feel sleepy again.
5. Avoid substances that fragment sleep – notably alcohol and late caffeine, and manage evening screen use.

Regularity is the most powerful and underappreciated sleep habit. When I say regularity I mean: bed and wake times within a 30 to 60 minute window every day, including weekends. Your brain has an internal clock – the circadian rhythm – that thrives on consistency. Giving your body reliable cues about when to be awake and asleep will improve sleep continuity and efficiency.

Practical steps I use and recommend:

• Choose a realistic wake time that fits your life and stick with it. Avoid using weekends to drastically shift your schedule. A 60 minute shift is okay, a 3 hour shift is not.
• Plan backwards from your wake time to determine bedtime. If you need 7.5 – 8.5 hours of sleep, calculate sleep onset and include a 30 minute buffer for falling asleep.
• Use timed light exposure – bright light in the morning (ideally natural sunlight) helps anchor your clock. Open curtains and step outside within the first hour of waking.

Why this works: the circadian system regulates hormone release – including melatonin – and many physiological processes. Regular timing synchronizes these systems so you fall asleep faster and your sleep is deeper.

Darkness is an underutilized sleep tool. The simple experiment I recommend is this: for one week, in the last hour before bed, dim or switch off about half to three quarters of the lights in your living space. You do not need to sit in total darkness; just lower ambient light significantly. It is a behavioral signal that tells your brain – it is night.

Here is the science behind it in plain terms. The hormone melatonin is sometimes called the hormone of darkness. Light hitting the retina suppresses melatonin release. Screens and bright indoor lights keep melatonin low and delay its release. In one influential study from Harvard, reading on an iPad for an hour before bed compared to reading a printed book in dim light delayed sleep onset, reduced total sleep time, decreased melatonin, and reduced REM sleep. The iPad condition delayed melatonin release by roughly 90 minutes to two hours in some people. That is a big effect.

Practical steps I use and recommend:

• Install dimmable bulbs or use lamps in the evening. Make the living space noticeably dimmer in that last hour.
• Use blackout curtains in the bedroom to block streetlamps and early morning light if you need to sleep earlier or longer.
• Consider low-blue light bulbs in evening fixtures. Warm light emulates sunset cues.

Temperature is a biological trigger for sleep. To fall asleep and maintain deep sleep, your core body temperature needs to drop by roughly one degree Celsius. This is why people often fall asleep more easily in cooler rooms than in overheated ones. Aim for an ambient bedroom temperature around 18 to 18.5 degrees Celsius, or about 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Practical tips:

• Set your thermostat to that cool zone. If you run cold, use socks or a hot water bottle for local warmth while keeping the room itself cool.
• A cool shower 60 to 90 minutes before bed can help trigger a deeper core temperature drop when you get under covers.
• Use breathable bedding and avoid heavy blankets that trap heat if you tend to overheat during the night.

Why this works: the brain and body need that temperature drop as a cue to initiate the sleep process. Heating the bedroom sabotages that drop and fragments sleep.

When you cannot fall asleep, the instinct is to lie in bed and try harder. That often backfires and trains your brain to associate the bed with frustration and wakefulness. Use what researchers call a stimulus control approach – if you cannot sleep within about 20 to 30 minutes, get up and do something quiet and non-stimulating until you feel sleepy again. Then go back to bed. Repeat if necessary.

Practical behaviors I use and recommend:

• Stand up and move to another room. Read a printed book with dim light. Practice slow breathing or a brief guided relaxation.
• Avoid screens or emotionally arousing activities. This is not time to answer email or feed the social media loop.
• If racing thoughts are the problem, jot a short to-do list or a brain dump – a physical externalization of tasks reduces cognitive rumination.

Two substances and one behavior deserve stark warnings: late caffeine, alcohol, and evening device usage. Caffeine has a long half-life in many people and should be avoided late in the day. Alcohol is not a sleep aid. While alcohol may hasten sleep onset – because it is a sedative – it fragments sleep, increases micro-awakenings you might not remember, suppresses REM sleep, and leaves you with poor quality sleep overall. If you drink in the evening, accept that your sleep will suffer.

Practical steps:

• Stop caffeine at least 6 to 8 hours before bedtime. Some people need even longer cutoffs depending on sensitivity.
• Limit evening alcohol or avoid it entirely if you need high-quality sleep. If you drink socially, keep it earlier in the evening and be mindful of the trade-off.
• Even a small social media check can spiral into an hour of stimulation. Schedule a strict digital curfew or use the standing-up rule for bedroom phone use described below.

Screen time – blue light and attention capture

Many people think night mode or dark mode is enough to solve the screen problem. It helps partially, but it is not the whole story. The blue light from devices suppresses melatonin and delays its release, as the Harvard study showed. More importantly, these devices are engineered to capture attention. That attention is stimulating; it activates your cerebral cortex and makes it harder to fall asleep. This is often how people end up short an hour of sleep – a quick TikTok becomes an hour of sleep procrastination.

Two tech rules I recommend:

• If possible, do not bring your phone into the bedroom. I personally place my phone in the kitchen and do not look at it until morning.
• If you must bring the phone into the bedroom, adopt the standing-up rule popularized by sleep researchers – only use it while standing up. After 6 to 7 minutes you will naturally want to sit, and the moment you do, stop phone use and put it away. This exploits a natural physical barrier to prolonged device use in bed.

One of the most robust relationships in sleep science is the link between insufficient sleep and weight gain. This is not speculation – it is supported by hormone studies, brain imaging work, and biochemical findings. From my reading and reflecting on Dr Walker’s explanations, here are the three mechanisms in plain language:

1. Hormones – leptin and ghrelin go haywire

Leptin signals fullness. Ghrelin signals hunger. When people are sleep restricted (for example to 4-6 hours), leptin levels drop and ghrelin levels rise. In experimental studies, leptin decreased by about 18 percent while ghrelin increased by about 28 percent. The net result is an increase in subjective hunger – about a 26 percent rise in reported appetite. In practical terms, under-slept participants ate roughly 300 to 400 extra calories per day at each sitting in those controlled studies.

2. Brain-level changes – hedonic circuitry overrides self-control

It is not only hormones. The brain’s reward centers become sensitized to high-calorie foods when you are sleep deprived while the prefrontal cortex – the seat of impulse control – becomes less active. In MRI studies where people rated food images after normal sleep and after sleep deprivation, the emotional reward centers lit up far more for unhealthy foods when sleep deprived, while the impulse control areas were dampened. The result: stronger cravings for calorie-dense foods and less ability to resist them.

3. Endocannabinoids – your internal munchies turn up

We all have endocannabinoids – cannabis-like compounds in the body that influence appetite. Sleep restriction raises circulating endocannabinoid levels by around 20 percent. That biochemical shift boosts appetite and reinforces the other two mechanisms, making overeating more likely.

One extra punch in the stomach: when people diet but are sleep deprived, the composition of their weight loss is altered. In some studies, about 60 percent of the weight lost during calorie restriction with inadequate sleep came from lean muscle rather than fat. That means if you are trying to lose weight but are shortchanging your sleep, you are more likely to lose muscle and retain fat – exactly the opposite of what you want.

Practical implications:

• If weight management matters to you, prioritizing sleep is non-negotiable. Improvements in sleep support appetite regulation, better food choices, and preservation of lean mass during caloric restriction.
• Track sleep and food patterns. Notice whether shorter nights correlate with cravings or overeating the next day.
• When dieting, maintain sleep of 7 to 9 hours to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. Combine this with resistance training and adequate protein intake.

People love to ask about dreaming. Beyond the physiology of REM sleep, dreaming itself appears to serve higher-order functions. From the evidence discussed by Dr Walker, two standout benefits of dreaming are creativity and emotional processing.

Creativity – informational alchemy while you sleep

Deep sleep (slow wave sleep) consolidates individual memories, transferring them from short-term to long-term storage. REM sleep and dreaming do something more integrative. During REM, the brain links disparate pieces of information together, connecting new learning to older memories. That cross-linking can create novel associations and solutions. Think of going to sleep with puzzle pieces and waking up with an insight that fits them together. Numerous anecdotal and experimental examples exist where problem-solving improved after sleep or dreaming.

Emotional first aid – overnight therapy

Dreaming also acts like emotional triage. Emotional memories are tagged by strong visceral responses at the time of encoding. Dream sleep appears to reprocess those memories and strip away the raw emotional intensity while preserving the informational content. This is why you may feel less raw about a negative experience after a good night of sleep. In other words, sleep – and particularly REM – is not just rest. It is a nightly psychological recalibration that helps you function emotionally the next day.

Before I get into supplements I must be clear: the behavioral foundations above should come first. Supplements are supportive, not replacements for good sleep hygiene. Always consult your physician, especially if you are on medications, pregnant, nursing, have sleep disorders like sleep apnea, or have other health conditions. The doses below are commonly used in adult populations but are not medical prescriptions. Think of this as education, not individualized medical advice.

Here are supplements I discuss and why I consider them reasonable options to try after you have optimized the basics.

Melatonin – the hormone of darkness

What it does: Melatonin supplements mimic the natural hormone that signals night to your brain. They can help with sleep onset and circadian misalignment, such as jet lag or shift work.

Typical dosages I reference:

• For general sleep onset: 0.5 to 1 mg taken 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. Lower doses often produce fewer side effects and can be effective.
• For circadian phase shifts (jet lag): 1 to 3 mg taken close to desired bedtime at destination for a few nights.
• If using higher doses (3 to 5 mg), do so with caution as they can cause next-day drowsiness in some individuals.

Caveats:

• Melatonin is best used for short-term circadian realignment or occasional sleep onset issues rather than chronic nightly use without medical input.
• Discuss long-term use and interactions with a physician. Avoid in pregnancy unless supervised.

Magnesium – muscle and nervous system support

What it does: Magnesium (particularly glycinate or taurate forms) supports muscle relaxation and nervous system calm. Many people are marginally deficient due to modern diets. If you’d like a practitioner-grade option, you can explore CanPrev Magnesium within our VIP Protocols.

Typical dosage:

• Magnesium glycinate 200 to 400 mg taken in the evening. Start at the lower end and assess tolerance. Spread dosing if needed to avoid gastrointestinal upset.

Caveats:

• Avoid magnesium oxide for sleep as it is less bioavailable and more likely to cause loose stools.
• Consult your clinician if you have renal impairment.

Glycine – an amino acid that can promote sleep

What it does: Glycine can reduce core body temperature slightly and promote faster sleep onset and improved sleep quality in some people.

Typical dosage:

• 3 grams taken about 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. Glycine is often available as a powder and taken mixed in water.

Caveats:

• Generally well tolerated but always assess individual response.

L-theanine – for evening calm

What it does: L-theanine is an amino acid found in tea that can promote relaxation and reduce cortical arousal without sedation. It can be helpful for people who are mentally stimulated at night.

Typical dosage:

• 100 to 200 mg taken about 30 to 60 minutes before bed.

Caveats:

• Useful as an adjunct to behavioral interventions for pre-sleep anxiety or ruminative thoughts.

Valerian root – a traditional sleep herb

What it does: Valerian is a plant extract with some evidence supporting modest improvements in subjective sleep quality for certain people.

Typical dosage:

• Valerian root extract 300 to 600 mg, taken 30 to 60 minutes before bed.

Caveats:

• Effects can be variable between individuals and may take days to weeks to show improvements.
• Avoid mixing with alcohol or other sedatives.

Cannabidiol – CBD

What it does: CBD is being explored for anxiety reduction and sleep improvements. Evidence is still emerging and products vary widely.

Typical dosage (very general):

• Start low – 10 to 25 mg in the evening and titrate slowly. Some people use 25 to 50 mg. Consult your clinician about interactions.

Caveats:

• Quality control in the CBD market is inconsistent. Choose reputable brands and check third-party testing.
• CBD can interact with medications metabolized by the liver, so physician oversight is recommended.

Combining supplements – a conservative approach

If you try supplements, introduce one at a time and allow several nights to evaluate the effect. For example, begin with magnesium glycinate 200 mg in the evening for 1 to 2 weeks. If you still want support for sleep onset, add glycine 3 grams 30 to 60 minutes before bed. If nighttime cognitive activation is the issue, L-theanine 100 mg may help. Use melatonin sparingly for circadian misalignment or occasional sleep onset difficulty starting at low doses of 0.5 to 1 mg.

Always document what you take, the timing, and subjective sleep quality so you can see what actually helps.

If you are serious about improving sleep, I suggest a simple week-long experiment that mirrors some of the trials I favor. The goal is to stack the proven behaviors and observe the outcome.

1. Choose a consistent wake time and set bedtime accordingly to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
2. For the next seven nights, in the last hour before bed, dim or switch off most lights – aim to make evening lighting noticeably lower.
3. Set bedroom temperature to around 18 to 18.5 degrees Celsius. Use a fan or open window if needed.
4. No screens in bed. If you must use devices, use them standing up only in the bedroom and set a strict digital curfew 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.
5. Avoid alcohol after dinner and stop caffeine at least 6 to 8 hours before bedtime.
6. If you cannot sleep within 20 to 30 minutes, get up and do a calm activity until sleepiness returns.
7. Optionally, try magnesium glycinate 200 mg in the evening for the week to see if sleep initiation or quality improves.

Record your sleep quality each morning using simple self-report: how long it took to fall asleep, how many awakenings, and how you felt the next day. Many people experience meaningful changes even after a few nights.

There is an enormous market for quick-fix sleep supplements and devices. I encourage skepticism. Supplements can help in specific situations, but they are not replacements for regularity, darkness, temperature control, and limiting stimulating screens and substances. A good mattress and pillow matter for comfort and pain prevention, but no mattress on earth can replace the benefit of a consistent circadian routine.

Here are extra habits I find useful and recommend to people trying to build better sleep:

• Create a short pre-sleep ritual that includes dimming lights, a warm shower or bath, light stretching or yoga, and a brief breathing practice. Repetition makes the brain link the ritual to sleepiness.
• Limit heavy meals close to bedtime. A light snack that includes protein may help if hunger keeps you awake, but avoid high-sugar desserts late at night.
• Use the bed primarily for sleep and sex. Avoid working or doomscrolling in bed to strengthen the mental association of bed with sleep.
• If you work shifts or travel across time zones, manage light exposure proactively and use low-dose melatonin strategically to re-entrain your clock under medical advice.

Another habit that layers beautifully with sleep hygiene is gratitude practice. Training your brain to shift focus toward positive emotions can calm the nervous system and enhance rest. You can explore our full guide here: Train Your Brain to Be Happier with Gratitude.

If you snore loudly and feel unrefreshed in the morning, if you experience daytime sleepiness despite adequate sleep time, or if you awaken gasping, consult a sleep clinic or your healthcare provider for evaluation. Sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and other disorders require diagnostic assessment and tailored treatment. Lifestyle measures help, but they do not replace professional care for true sleep disorders.

If lifestyle measures aren’t enough, consider expanding your perspective on whole-body health. Our Integrate Program connects sleep with nutrition, stress management, and emotional wellbeing so you can build a comprehensive foundation.

Q: How many hours of sleep do I really need?

A: Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours per night. There is individual variation, but regularly falling below 7 hours is associated with cognitive, metabolic, and emotional consequences. Use 7 to 9 hours as your target range.

Q: Is it okay to catch up on sleep on weekends?

A: Small adjustments are fine, but large swings in timing – going to bed very late and sleeping in by several hours – confuse your circadian clock. Keep weekend wake times within about 60 minutes of weekday wake time to preserve regularity.

Q: Can I rely on dark mode and night shift to fix screen problems?

A: These features help reduce blue light exposure but do not solve the problem of attention capture. Even with night shift on, the stimulating content on devices and the activation of your cortex will still make falling asleep harder. Combine light reduction with a digital curfew and the standing-up rule if you must use devices near bedtime.

Q: Is melatonin safe long term?

A: Melatonin is generally safe for short-term use and for circadian realignment. Long-term effects are less studied, and some people experience next-day drowsiness. Use the lowest effective dose and consult your physician if you plan to take it nightly for months.

Q: Which supplement should I try first?

A: If you choose to try one supplement, magnesium glycinate 200 mg in the evening is a conservative starting point. It supports calm and muscle relaxation and has a favorable safety profile for many people. Only after optimizing behavioral factors should you layer other supplements in one at a time.

Q: How fast will I see results?

A: Some people notice improvement in sleep onset or subjective quality within a few nights of implementing the five rules. For hormonal and metabolic changes, or if you have chronic sleep debt, it can take several weeks of consistent behavior to see full benefits. For a personalized roadmap, you may also benefit from DNA insights that reveal how your unique biology influences sleep, metabolism, and stress resilience.

Q: Is alcohol ever okay before bed?

A: Social drinking is a personal choice, but remember that alcohol fragments sleep architecture and suppresses REM sleep. If you want optimal sleep, avoid alcohol in the hours close to bedtime. If you drink, keep it earlier in the evening and be mindful you will likely sleep worse.

Sleep is deceptively simple in concept and deceptively complex in biology. The good news is you can capture real benefit with a few disciplined, practical steps. Start with the five rules – regularity, darkness, cool temperature, the 30-minute rule, and mindful substance and device use. After you have those foundations in place, a few targeted supplements can be helpful for specific problems. I encourage you to try the week-long experiment I outlined and track what changes. Small, consistent investments in sleep pay massive dividends in energy, mood, weight management, creativity, and emotional resilience.

For ongoing practical guides and updates I maintain resources at Betterlifeprotocols.com where I distill research into straightforward protocols you can adapt to your life. Sleep well – it is truly the most accessible superpower we have.