Aim for a “sleep opportunity” of around 8 hours nightly to ensure you get 7-9 hours of actual sleep, as less than 7 hours can lead to objective impairments in your body and brain.
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends, to avoid “social jet lag” and support your natural body clock.
Consume caffeine only before noon, as a quarter of it can still be circulating in your brain at midnight, significantly decreasing deep sleep quality by up to 20%.
Do not use alcohol to help you sleep, as it sedates rather than induces natural sleep, fragments sleep quality, and blocks crucial REM dream sleep, which is vital for emotional processing.
Keep your bedroom cool, ideally around 18 degrees Celsius (65 F), as a cooler environment helps your body achieve the necessary temperature drop for good sleep.
Reduce overhead lighting in your home during the last hour before bed and ensure your bedroom is dark to promote the release of melatonin, which helps time the healthy onset of sleep.
Stay away from blue light-emitting devices like screens and phones for at least an hour before bed, as their light can diminish the light reset function and disrupt melatonin release.
If you’re awake for more than 20-25 minutes in bed, get up and go to another room, engage in a relaxing activity in dim light (e.g., reading, listening to a podcast), and only return to bed when very sleepy to re-associate your bed with sleep.
Schedule intense physical activity earlier in the day, ideally not too close to bedtime, as late workouts can keep your metabolic rate and core body temperature too high, preventing sleep.
If you must exercise late, take a hot bath or shower before bed; this draws blood to the skin’s surface, acting as a thermal radiator to lower your core body temperature and help you fall asleep easier.
Challenge the societal notion that sufficient sleep is lazy or a “badge of honor” to get little sleep; embrace and communicate the importance of prioritizing sleep without shame to improve overall health.
Implement a “shut-off time” in the evening where you stop working and using computers or other devices to allow your brain to wind down and prepare for sleep, improving next-day performance.
Try changing multiple sleep-related behaviors simultaneously, such as a week without caffeine and alcohol, to understand their collective impact on your sleep quality and empower your choices.
Understand that improving sleep quality takes time and commitment, similar to physical exercise; consistent effort will lead to gradual, positive changes in your sleep.
Join a supportive community, such as the DrChatterjee Four Pillar Community Tribe on Facebook, to discuss lifestyle changes and stay motivated with your health goals.
Utilize meditation apps like Calm, which offer sleep programs, soundscapes, and sleep stories, to help improve your sleep and experience the benefits of meditation.
Consider taking a nutrient-dense whole food supplement like Athletic Greens each morning as an “insurance policy” to ensure you meet your nutritional needs.
When adjusting to a new time zone, get 20-30 minutes of natural daylight in the morning without sunglasses to help reset your body clock faster.
When adjusting to a new time zone, start eating meals at the regular local times, aligning with local meal schedules rather than your hunger cues, to help reset your circadian rhythm.
When adjusting to a new time zone, wear sunglasses in the afternoon to block light and encourage your body to think it’s nighttime, aiding circadian rhythm adjustment.
Plan your sleep on long-haul flights to wake up 10-12 hours before your target bedtime in the new time zone; if sleep isn’t happening late in the flight, skip it and push through until an early bedtime in the new zone.