Strive for a consistent sleep duration each night (e.g., 6 hours every night) rather than varying total sleep time, as regularity is more important for learning and performance than simply maximizing duration.
Implement and manage sleep protocols (e.g., morning light, evening light, food schedule) to ensure consistent sleep, as it is crucial for emotional unlearning and overall psychological well-being.
Prioritize getting sufficient REM sleep, especially towards morning, as it helps uncouple emotional load from challenging daytime experiences by allowing processing without fear or anxiety, preventing emotional irritability and catastrophizing.
Engage in motor skill learning (e.g., new dance moves, exercise, playing piano) and detailed information acquisition during the day, as slow-wave sleep (which dominates early in the night) is crucial for solidifying these skills and details.
If you wake up in the middle of the night or feel anxious, use Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) protocols to relax your body and brain, which can help you fall back asleep and restore energy.
Engage in resistance exercise (not necessarily right before bed) to increase the percentage of slow-wave sleep, which aids motor learning and the acquisition of fine detailed information.
Avoid alcohol and THC (and similar substances) before sleep, as they disrupt the natural sleep architecture, depth, and sequencing of slow-wave and REM sleep, preventing truly deep restorative sleep.
Be cautious with serotonin-boosting supplements (like tryptophan or 5-HTP) for sleep, as they might disrupt the natural timing of REM and slow-wave sleep, potentially leading to early waking.
Avoid drinking excessive fluids right before bed to prevent waking up in the middle of the night due to a full bladder, which disrupts sleep.
Avoid catastrophizing occasional bad nights of sleep; instead, focus on adjusting and getting back to a consistent sleep schedule without accumulating sleep anxiety.
If experiencing specific trauma, consider EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) therapy with a certified clinician, as lateralized eye movements can suppress amygdala activity and help uncouple emotional load from traumatic memories.
In specific, acute trauma scenarios, ketamine-assisted therapy (under strict medical supervision) can be used to prevent intense emotional attachment to traumatic experiences by blocking NMDA receptors.
To potentially induce lucid dreaming, create a visual cue (e.g., write/draw a red apple) and look at it before sleep for several consecutive days, aiming to recognize it within a dream to gain awareness or control.
If frequently overwhelmed by lucid dreaming, aim for consistent sleep duration (e.g., 6 or 7.5 hours) that aligns with the end of 90-minute ultradian cycles, rather than waking mid-cycle, to potentially reduce its occurrence.
Keep a dream journal by noting sleep/wake times and any dream recall upon waking (or later in the day) to explore and potentially understand your dreams.
Consider taking Athletic Greens once or twice a day to cover basic nutritional needs and support microbiome health with vitamins, minerals, and probiotics.
Drink Element (electrolytes) dissolved in 16-32 ounces of water first thing in the morning and during physical exercise to ensure adequate hydration and electrolyte balance, which is critical for brain and body function.
Utilize the Waking Up app for meditation, mindfulness, yoga nidra, or NSDR protocols to place the brain and body into different states, restore cognitive and physical energy, and explore different types of meditation.
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