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For too long I thought of sleep as something we needed, but not as important as other health habits. I thought 6 to 8 hours was fine, whenever you could get it.
The science is clear. That's not true.
Sleep timing seems to be just as important as how long you sleep, maybe more. And this Sunday, when the clocks fall back, most of us are about to find that out the hard way.
So this week I'm putting everything I've learned about sleep in one place. I also turned it into a free 14-page guide, Get the Best Sleep of Your Life. One small change a night for 7 nights.
Fall Back: The Extra Hour That Isn't
On this coming Sunday, November 1, the clocks go back an hour. On paper, you get an extra hour of sleep. Your body clock don’t care bout no paper 🙂
In Danish health records covering 185,419 hospital contacts, the switch to standard time went with an 11% jump in new depression diagnoses. The jump faded over about 10 weeks. Darker evenings, a shifted clock and less light at the end of the day all hit at once.
Two things help most this week:
Keep your wake-up time. Get up Sunday at the same time you got up Saturday. Don't spend the "extra" hour in bed.
Get morning light. Go outside within an hour of waking, for at least 10 minutes. In a study of 86,772 adults who wore light sensors, more daylight went with lower risk of depression and anxiety, and more light at night went with higher risk. Your body clock sets itself by light.
Always Tired? It Might Be Your Timing
"Why am I always tired no matter how much I sleep?" is one of the most searched sleep questions right now. So is "why do I wake up at 3am?"
Here's what changed my mind about the 6-to-8-hours-whenever rule:
In a UK study of 79,666 people who wore wrist trackers for a week, people with regular sleep times had a 38% lower risk of depression over the next 7.5 years than people whose sleep times were all over the place.
A second study of 60,977 adults found that sleep regularity predicted early death better than sleep length did. Enough hours at irregular times still meant higher risk.
In nearly 90,000 adults, people who fell asleep between 10 and 11pm had the lowest rate of heart disease. Falling asleep after midnight came with about 25% higher risk. So did falling asleep before 10.
Hours still matter. The sleep doctors' recommendation is 7 or more a night for adults. But the same hours at the same time every night is a different night of sleep than the same hours at random.
If you're waking at 3am, alcohol is worth a look. A review of every known study on alcohol and sleep found that alcohol helps people fall asleep faster, then breaks up sleep in the second half of the night. That's 3am.
Skip the Hacks. Do the Boring Stuff.
Mouth tape. Sleep gummies. Sleepmaxxing. There's always a new trick. I think most of us would get more from the free stuff first: the same bedtime, a dark room, a cool room, and no screens in bed.
That's not exciting. It works.
In a Harvard sleep lab study of 116 healthy adults, ordinary room light before bed delayed the start of melatonin, your body's "it's night" signal, in 99% of people. It also cut melatonin's night short by about 90 minutes. Not bright light. Ordinary room light.
Our Bedroom Setup
Our setup is simple: a dark room, eye masks, earplugs (oh yea, we gone full tilt), fresh air through open windows (even when it costs more on the utility bill) and a comfortable pillow.
When I started sleeping with the window open (and a fan blowing fresh air in), my sleep got deeper and more refreshing. When I started using an eye mask in total darkness, my numbers showed more REM sleep. That lines up with the research: a review of sleep and temperature found that a hot bedroom causes more waking and cuts both deep sleep and REM sleep, and a review of 36 studies in hospital patients found that eye masks improved sleep quality.
Trust me on the pillow. We tried a number of them until I found one I liked, and my wife's is totally different from mine. You have to find what works for you.
And one thing I do that's a little strange: I sleep in a sweatshirt, sweatpants and socks, and we turn the air cooler. Is it bad to sleep with socks on? For me, it's the best combo I've found. I find my body temperature stays more constant through the night.
A warm shower or bath helps the same way. A review of 17 studies found that a warm bath or shower 1 to 2 hours before bed helped people fall asleep faster, even 10 minutes of it. It works because your body cools down afterward.
Halloween, Dessert and My HRV
Halloween is Saturday, so let's talk about sugar.
Every year on our anniversary, we love to eat big meals and dessert every night. And my HRV tanks that week. When I looked into it, the culprit seems to be all that sugar before bed.
Alcohol shows up in the same place. In a study of 4,098 Finnish workers who wore heart monitors, nights with alcohol meant less recovery during the first 3 hours of sleep. Even a low amount lowered it.
I do my best to avoid sugar the rest of the year. Anniversary week, it's a party. 🙂
As everyone enjoys more sugar than they could imagine this weekend, I'm doing all I can this week to build up my immune system and avoid sugar. I don't think it's a coincidence that so many people get sick this time of year, right when we wreck our body clock with the time change and load up on sugar.
Sleep is a big part of it. In a study where 164 healthy adults were given a cold virus on purpose, people who slept less than 6 hours a night were about 4 times more likely to catch the cold than people who slept more than 7. And in a small, older study, 100 grams of sugar (about what's in two and a half cans of soda) slowed how well white blood cells swallowed up bacteria, for several hours afterward. OK, back to my point 🙂
When I started eating dinner a few hours before bed instead of right up against it, my sleep got better too. Earlier dinner, earlier dessert.
Caffeine: Timing and Dose
I don't drink caffeine. I'm a big believer in not being dependent on anyone or anything. If you do drink it, dose and timing are the 2 things to watch.
A review of 24 studies found caffeine cut total sleep by about 45 minutes and reduced deep sleep. A cup of coffee should come at least 8.8 hours before bed, and a pre-workout drink at least 13.2 hours before. Big doses and late doses do the most harm.
My Best Night of the Week
I'm wired to always be on. From Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, I check out of work, try to step away from devices and enjoy family, friends, a good book, time in nature and big meals with as many people as we can fit around the table. We call it our Sabbath.
My sleep on Saturday night is measurably the best of the week. I think it's because I've had a full day with no stress before winding down.
Start Tonight
Pick your times. Choose a wake-up time and a lights-out time, and aim to fall asleep between 10 and 11pm. Keep them this weekend, clock change and all.
Get outside within an hour of waking, for 10 minutes.
Lamps only after dinner. Phones out of the bedroom.
Cool it down and black it out. Crack a window or turn the thermostat down. Cover anything that glows.
Move dessert and your last caffeine earlier.
Which one would make the biggest difference for you this week?
I believe the day starts the night before. My whole plan, night by night, is in the free guide.
-Jared
P.S. - My wife Baddie Crocker has a beautiful newsletter where she shares her perspectives on tending the land, recipes, women’s health and more.
I’d love to hear from you. 👋
P.S. - This newsletter does not provide medical advice. The content, such as graphics, images, text, and all other materials, are provided for reference and educational purposes only. The content is not meant to be complete or exhaustive or to be applicable to any specific individual’s medical condition.
Here are links to things that have helped me improve my health:
Whoop - Track your HRV and REM Sleep
Function Health - Optimize Your Health via 160+ BioMarkers
Here are a few topics I think you’ll love if you haven’t checked them out before:
