Aim for consistent sleep duration each night (e.g., 6-6.5 hours consistently) rather than varying widely, as consistency is crucial for learning and emotional regulation.
Actively manage your sleep schedule and environment during disruptive life events (travel, stress, schedule changes) to maintain sleep quality, as sleep is crucial for emotional unlearning and overall well-being.
Prioritize getting sufficient REM sleep to prevent emotional irritability, catastrophizing, and to facilitate the unlearning of emotional responses.
Incorporate resistance exercise into your routine (not necessarily close to bedtime) to increase the percentage of slow-wave sleep, which is important for motor learning and the acquisition of fine, detailed information.
Avoid alcohol, marijuana (THC), and similar substances if you aim for optimal sleep patterns, depth, and the natural sequencing of slow-wave and REM sleep.
If you wake up around 3-4 AM, use a non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocol to relax your body and brain, helping you fall back asleep and get more REM sleep.
Optimize your sleeping environment’s temperature to allow your body temperature to drop by 1-3 degrees, which is essential for falling and staying deeply asleep.
Perform lateral eye movements (sweeping eyes from side to side with eyes open) to suppress amygdala activity and reduce fear, stress, and anxiety, especially when recounting troubling experiences.
For single-event trauma, consider EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) therapy with a certified professional, as it uses lateral eye movements to suppress amygdala activity and uncouple emotional load from the experience.
In a clinical setting, ketamine can be used to prevent intense emotions from attaching to traumatic experiences, but this requires physician consultation due to ethical implications and specific use cases.
Limit fluid intake right before bed to avoid waking up with a full bladder, which can disrupt sleep and reduce the amount of REM sleep obtained.
Exercise caution with tryptophan or 5-HTP supplements, as they are serotonin precursors and may disrupt the natural timing and sequencing of REM and slow-wave sleep.
Consider taking AG1 daily to bolster energy, immune system, and gut microbiome, especially if you find it difficult to obtain sufficient micronutrients from food alone.
Consider using red light and near-infrared light therapy devices to potentially improve muscle recovery, skin health, wound healing, reduce acne, pain, inflammation, and enhance mitochondrial and visual function.