This document provides tips for hacking your sleep by improving diet, environment, breathing, consistency, and exercise. Some key tips include limiting caffeine to 2 cups per day, avoiding screens 1.5 hours before bed, using earplugs and white noise, keeping the room at 65-70 degrees, exercising 20-30 minutes per day but not 3 hours before bed, and using a smart alarm to wake up in a light sleep state. Measuring sleep with a device like Zeo can provide insights to form better sleep habits.

1. Hacking Your Sleep
Practical Sleep Hacks curated by @Scottbrit

2. These are adapted from my personal
experience as well as writing from
BulletProof Exec Sleep Hack Dojo WebMD Ari Meisel

3. GOAL
of sleep hacking

4. GOAL
of sleep hacking
Have as many waking hours to do things we love and be
productive, while still be able to maintain a high energy level
and healthy lifestyle.

5. What Variables Affect
How Well We Sleep?

6. What Variables Affect How Well We Sleep?
Diet Environment Breathing Consistency Exercise

7. Diet

8. On Caffeine A.K.A Coffee
Limit it to one to two cups a day
(ideally 0)

9. On Coffee
Your last cup should be
no later than
2pm
it takes the average person
5-8 hours for the caffeine to
reach its half-life

10. BUT I LOVE THE TASTE/RITUAL!
Me too!
Gradually shift to decaf if you can.
You can even go half regular/half decaf

11. Don’t Forget Other
Caffeine Sources
• Also avoid
– Soda
– Chocolate
– Certain over the counter headache
– medicines like Aspirin
A full list of OTC medicines and
other caffeine sources caffeine here

12. Balancing Hydration and
Waking Up
Its important for our health to stay hydrated
throughout the day, as well as our SLEEP!
—Dehydration can result in a poor sleep

13. :(
It’s no fun waking up twice a night to
use the restroom….

14. Limiting Bathroom Wakeups
Limit the amount of
liquid you consume to
8oz
1.5 hours before bed time

15. For the Fellas

16. If you find yourself waking up multiple
times a night to use the restroom,
this may be due to prostate issues.

17. I recommend seeing a doctor
to get this fixed,

18. but a popular vitamin that
promotes prostate health is…
(and limits waking up to use the little boys room)

19. but a popular vitamin that
promotes prostate health is..
(and limits waking up to use the little boys room)
Saw Palmetto

20. environment

21. Electronic Screens Are Evil

22. Exposure to blue light from the
screens of common electronic devices
can inhibit melatonin production
(computers/tvs/phones)

23. Melatonin is the sleep hormone we
produce as the sun goes down that
is responsible for making us feel
tired and ready for bed

24. Ways to Conquer Blue Light
Avoid the use of screens within
1.5-2 hours
of going to bed

25. Ways to Conquer Blue Light
but really?
How the heck can I be productive?

26. A more practical sleep hack
Use free software from f.lux
f.lux makes the color of your computer or iphone’s
display adapt to the time of day. At night, it limits the
amount of blue light emitted from your screen

27. A more practical sleep hack
Use free software from f.lux
RESULT: You can still use your
computer, tablet, iphone before bed with limited
suppression of melatonin production

28. Rock Blue-Light Blocking
Shades
There are sunglasses with lenses that block blue light.

29. I have started wearing these on occasion when I
watch TV or use my computer. Seems to work
Props to achievement architect Ari Miesel for this idea

31. ―Noise, especially when loud
and abrupt can prevent us from
having a restorative sleep‖
-Captain obvious

32. TWO
simple things to conquer this

33. TWO
simple things to conquer this
1) use ear plugs

34. TWO
simple things to conquer this
2) Mask other sounds with white noise
by sleeping with a fan on. If you’re
worried about being cold have it face
the wall and throw a blanket over it

35. Sleep in A Cool
Temperature

36. Being too cold or hot can
result in a waking up
throughout the night

37. Most people sleep best in a
cool environment between 65-70
degrees

38. Breathing

39. Breathing
If You Can’t Breathe….You Can’t Sleep

40. • Anything that makes breathing
more difficult can disrupt our sleep:
Nasal congestion • Being overweight • Smoking • Allergies

41. A Quick Fix?

42. A Quick Fix?
To optimize breathing can
require some serious life
changes. However one
simple thing you can do is
wear Breathe Right strips

43. A Quick Fix?
To optimize breathing can By opening your nasal
require some serious life passages, breathe right strips
changes. However one make it easier to breath
simple thing you can do is
They also promote breathing
wear Breath Right strips through your nose the entire night

44. Why It’s Always Better To
Breathe Through Your Nose

45. Mouth breathing:
– Reduces oxygenation of the whole body
– Makes your more susceptible to potentially
harmful germs entering your body
– Increases the chances of getting a cold due to the
increased capacity of cold air entering your lungs

46. Consistency

47. Our bodies love
consistency

48. Consistent sleep schedules
encourages optimal Deep
and REM sleep
Important for the optimal flow of
neurotransmitters and hormones that
help regulate our bodies

49. In Plain
English…

50. In Plain
English…
English
Go to bed and wake up around the same time everyday

51. Exercise

52. Regular exercise makes us
tired

53. Regular exercise makes us
tired
Researchers say to aim 20-30 minutes a day
I only do 20 minutes of scheduled
exercise a week (see more here) but
sleep great by building in exercise into my
routine (i.e. taking the stairs)

54. Regular exercise makes us
tired
It also promotes increases in deep
sleep and reduces awakenings

55. When to Exercise

56. When to Exercise
Avoid strenuous
exercise up to 3hrs
before bed
Intense activity stimulates your
brain, muscles, and heart to a point
that can make it difficult to fall asleep

57. waking up
This is why you feel half asleep after you wake
up even though you got plenty of sleep

58. waking up
Alarm clocks often wake us up in
the middle of a deep sleep
This is why you feel half asleep after you wake
up even though you got plenty of sleep

59. waking up
Alarm clocks often wake us up in
the middle of a deep sleep
This is why you feel half asleep after you wake
up even though you got plenty of sleep

60. TWO
solutions

61. TWO solutions
1) Don’t use an alarm clock

62. TWOsolutions
2) Use a Smart Wake Alarm

63. TWO solutions
2) Use a Smart Wake Alarm
There are a variety of devices that monitor your sleep and wake you
up while in a light sleep state during an indicated time window
i.e. wake me up within 30 minutes of 6am during a light sleep window

64. What I use: zeo
In addition to a smart alarm, I use a Zeo to monitor and optimize my sleep

65. An Even Cooler Benefit

66. An Even Cooler Benefit
The measurement and calibration of my
sleep quality and offline habits has resulted
in behavior changes

67. An Even Cooler Benefit
The measurement and calibration of my
sleep quality and offline habits has resulted
in behavior changes
– With the understanding and observation of how my daily
actions effect my sleep, I’ve started to form habits that
promote better sleep. #WIN

68. DO YOU WANT TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT
HACKING YOUR
SLEEP??

69. Check Out My Online Class On
Hacking Your Sleep
Diet Environment Breathing Consistency Exercise

70. Sharing is Caring. Many Thanks : )
Scott Britton
@Scottbrit
Life-LongLearner.com
Presentation Design by Ricardo
Medina