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sume 150-250 calories of low-glycemic index foods in small quantities (low glycemic load) prior to b
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ew sticks of celery with almond butter, a mandarin orange and 5-8 almonds, or plain low-fat (not fat-free) yoghurt and an a
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-2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil (120-240 calories) can be used in combination with the above to further increase cell re
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se ice baths to provoke sle
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panese have longer lifespans that do most other ethniciti
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cided to test the effect of combining 10-minute ice baths, timed with a countdown kitchen timer, one hour prior to bed (closer to bed and the adrenergic response of noradrenalin, etc. won’t allow you to sleep) with low-dose melatonin (
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result: it’s like getting hit with an elephant tranquilizer. Don’t expect it to be pleasant a
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Eating your meals at set times can be as important as sleeping on a schedul
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ating meals at set times helps regulate melatonin, ghrelin, leptin, and other hormones that affect sleep cycl
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her “zeitgebers” for sleep include melatonin, light, and temperature. Parting suggestion: Get a sleep mask if you have any degree of light in your bedroom.
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Embrace 20-minute caffeine naps and ultradian multipl
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est “caffeine naps” between 1-3 p
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r longer naps, test multiples of 90 mi
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homas Edison, despite his vocal disdain for sleep and claim to sleep only four hours per night, is reported to have taken two three-hour naps dail
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1) Determine and set a top priorities to-do list that afternoon for the following day to avoid late-night planning, 2) Do not read non-fiction prior to bed
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Relax Like A Pro: 5 Steps to Hacking Your Sleep 169 Comments
Written by Tim Ferriss Topics: Physical Performance
Photo: RickydavidI once went almost five days without sleep in 1996 just to see 1) if I could make a week (I couldn’t), and 2) what the side-effects would be.
I was a new neuroscience major at Princeton at the time and hoped to do research with famed serotonin pioneer, Barry Jacobs.
Hallucinations cut my sleep deprivation trial short, but I’ve continued to experiment with sleep optimization and variation as a means of improving performanc
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allucinations cut my sleep deprivation trial short, but I’ve continued to experiment with sleep optimization and variation as a means of improving perfor
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over the last five years from sources ranging from biochemistry PhDs to biologists at Stanford Univer
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Just prior to bed, have a small snack such as: a few sticks of celery with almond butter, a mandarin orange and 5-8 almonds, or plain low-fat (not fat-free) yoghurt and an appl
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Make a pre-bed snack part of your nutritional program.
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-2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil (120-240 calories) can be used in combination with the above to further increase cell repair during sleep and thus decrease fati
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Use ice baths to provoke slee
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I decided to test the effect of combining 10-minute ice baths, timed with a countdown kitchen timer, one hour prior to bed (closer to bed and the adrenergic response of noradrenalin, etc. won’t allow you to sleep) with low-dose melatonin (1.5 - 3 mg) on regulating both sleep regularity and speed to sleep. The icebath is simple: 2-3 bags of ice from a convenience store ($3-6 USD) put into a half-full bath until the ice is about 80% melted. Beginners should start with immersing the lower body only and progress to spending the second five minutes with the upper torso submerged (fold your legs Indian-style at the end of the tub if you don’t have room). I’ll talk about the fat-loss and sperm-count benefits of this in future po
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Eating your meals at set times can be as important as sleeping on a schedule
-
Eating meals at set times helps regulate melatonin, ghrelin, leptin, and other hormones that affect sleep cycles. Other “zeitgebers” for sleep include melatonin, light, and temperatur
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Get a sleep mask if you have any degree of light in your bedroom.
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Test “caffeine naps” between 1-3 p
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Down an espresso and set your alarm for no more than 20 minutes, which prevents awakening in the middle of a restorative sleep cycle. Interrupting cycles often leaves you feeling worse than no sleep (though some researchers assert your performance will still improve in comparison with deprivatio
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For longer naps, test multiples of 90 minutes, which is called an “ultradian” rhythm in some pape
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Thomas Edison, despite his vocal disdain for sleep and claim to sleep only four hours per night, is reported to have taken two three-hour naps daily
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Don’t forget to factor in your time-to-sleep. It often takes me up to an hour to fall asleep, so I’ll set my alarm for seven hours ((4 x 90 minutes) + 60-minute time-to-sleep).
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Determine and set a top priorities to-do list that afternoon for the following day to avoid late-night planning
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Do not read non-fiction prior to bed, which encourages projection into the future and preoccupation/plannin
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Read fiction that engages the imagination and demands present-state attention
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sleep is the currency of high-performance livin
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ave you taken time to master it like a skill?
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23 Dec 08
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Just prior to bed, have a small snack such as: a few sticks of celery with almond butter, a mandarin orange and 5-8 almonds, or plain low-fat (not fat-free) yoghurt and an apple. Ever wonder how you can sleep 8-10 hours and feel tired? This is part of the explanation. Make a pre-bed snack part of your nutritional program.
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Use ice baths to provoke sleep
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For longer naps, test multiples of 90 minutes, which is called an “ultradian” rhythm in some papers, though the proper term should be “infradian” since it’s less than 24 hours. Thomas Edison, despite his vocal disdain for sleep and claim to sleep only four hours per night, is reported to have taken two three-hour naps daily.
Don’t forget to factor in your time-to-sleep. It often takes me up to an hour to fall asleep, so I’ll set my alarm for seven hours ((4 x 90 minutes) + 60-minute time-to-sleep).
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I have a difficult time falling asleep, sometime laying awake in bed for 1-2 hours. There are two approaches that I’ve used with good effect without medications to address this: 1) Determine and set a top priorities to-do list that afternoon for the following day to avoid late-night planning, 2) Do not read non-fiction prior to bed, which encourages projection into the future and preoccupation/planning. Read fiction that engages the imagination and demands present-state attention.
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24 Jul 08
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2. Use ice baths to provoke sleep.
-
I decided to test the effect of combining 10-minute ice baths
-
The icebath is simple: 2-3 bags of ice from a convenience store
-
put into a half-full bath until the ice is about 80% melted.
-
Beginners should start with immersing the lower body only and progress to spending the second five minutes with the upper torso submerged (fold your legs Indian-style at the end of the tub if you don’t have room)
-
3. Eating your meals at set times can be as important as sleeping on a schedule.
-
Eating meals at set times helps regulate melatonin, ghrelin, leptin, and other hormones that affect sleep cycles.
-
Get a sleep mask if you have any degree of light in your bedroom.
-
4. Embrace 20-minute caffeine naps and ultradian multiples.
-
Down an espresso and set your alarm for no more than 20 minutes, which prevents awakening in the middle of a restorative sleep cycle.
-
Test “caffeine naps” between 1-3 pm
-
For longer naps, test multiples of 90 minutes
-
Don’t forget to factor in your time-to-sleep. It often takes me up to an hour to fall asleep, so I’ll set my alarm for seven hours
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5. Turn off preoccupation with afternoon closure and present-state training.
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I don’t have trouble staying asleep, but I have a difficult time falling asleep, sometime laying awake in bed for 1-2 hours.
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1) Determine and set a top priorities to-do list that afternoon for the following day to avoid late-night planning,
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2) Do not read non-fiction prior to bed, which encourages projection into the future and preoccupation/planning.
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Read fiction that engages the imagination and demands present-state attention.
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the idea is that the caffeine doesn’t kick in until when you’re about done with your 20 minute nap, so you’re refreshed, plus caffeinated
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Tim, do you have any sources you can recommend that led you to these tips?
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If you search “PubMed” on Google, you can find a great index of recent research as well.
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Interesting post, as a sleep specialist I would like to add a few comments
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1) The Glycemic Index is always a topic of discussion
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If you go for High GI foods do it about 4 hours before bed, anything after that should be low GI foods.
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2) In fact I have not heard of this one before, but rather that HOT baths will raise core body temp then causing a drop, which is a signal to release Melatonin. But thinking about it, if you can be a polar bear, and get your body cold quickly it may work. However, be careful data has shown that sleeping in areas below 65 degrees can be disruptive to sleep.
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I would add that espresso is not the drink of choice here but regular drip coffee (much higher caff content) and it should be luke warm (trying to fall asleep with burns on the roof of your mouth, just ain’t easy
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the light source that they are reading with can in fact effect sleep. I ask patients to change the bedside table lamp to a 40 Watt bulb, or use a book light (check out the lightwedge, very cool).
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A while back I was asked to comment on Uberman and his sleep schedule in a blog called Health Hacks, it was an interesting discussion.
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I’ve found the single best thing to do is get outside light for 1-2 hrs early in the morning. At least one hour, optimally two hours. If you can’t actually be outside, sitting by a window seems to help. I’m outside on my porch (in the shade) every morning, working on my laptop. Sometimes I stand.
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By experience,I don’t believe the cafeine effect per itself. I read recently that now researchers consider sensitivity to cafeine disappear when one becomes a regular user. That makes sense
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My opinion is adults are like toddlers that will sleep if you give them their teddy bear, and will wake up fully after drinking cocoa
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The books aren’t so much to put you to sleep, as reading has never done this for me, but rather for requiring visual imagination so you are focused on the present vs. what you need to do the next day. Natural fatigue and circadian rhythm would then initiate sleep.
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1-2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil (120-240 calories)
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Gilles AttiaPhoto: Rickydavid I once went almost five days without sleep in 1996 just to see 1) if I could make a week (I couldn't), and 2) what the side-effects would
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03 Feb 08
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31 Jan 08
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30 Jan 08
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29 Jan 08
FirstN@me L@stN@mePhoto: Rickydavid I once went almost five days without sleep in 1996 just to see 1) if I could make ...
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28 Jan 08
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