For most of my life, I chose to sleep as little as I could. I always thought there was something more productive or exciting to do than going to bed. (I still think there are better things to do than sleep!).
Even in the first 18 months after founding Bulletproof, I slept for about four hours a night. I used the extra three hours to spend time with my kids, start a company, and work a full-time day job. However, I started to feel some burn out. I resolved to finally hack sleep, once and for all. I became leaner, healthier, and younger on 6.5 hours of sleep per night…which is the exact amount that some large studies1 say is associated with living the longest.
I started focusing on sleep quality and now I get better sleep than most 20-year-olds. (Sleep quality normally declines slightly with age.) I’m so passionate about sleep that I started my own company, TrueDark® which makes glasses specifically designed to help you get better sleep.
It turns out that lack of quality sleep doesn’t just leave you tired. It also accelerates aging. If you know me, you’ll know I have a goal of living to at least 180, so sleep is non-negotiable now.
6 a.m.: I wake up using the SleepSpace alarm that gently rouses me at the top of a sleep cycle, so I don’t get jarred awake. (The phone stays on airplane mode.)
From there, I say a short intention, drink water with sea salt for electrolytes, take a natural thyroid supplement, and go outside and get some sun in my eyes for 10-20 minutes. Sometimes I’ll also do a cold plunge, or sometimes I’ll walk barefoot on the grass. Just a few minutes of morning sunlight helps my body make melatonin later that night, which improves sleep quality. Walking barefoot on the earth, aka grounding, helps reduce inflammation.
Then I drink my first Danger Coffee (espresso/Americano), brush my teeth, shower, and take the kids to school. Only then do I take my phone off airplane to start my day. (That way, I have focused on my family and my health first.)
5:00 p.m.: I finish my last meal of the day. I choose to eat my last meal at least 2-3 hours before bedtime because eating too close to bedtime negatively affects sleep quality. Dinner usually consists of grass-fed steak or lamb, steamed low-toxin veggies (broccoli or brussels sprouts), a clean carb like white rice, and lots of grass-fed butter!
8:00 p.m.: At this point, the sun has set which means I’m putting on my TrueDark® glasses. Wearing them has allowed me to double my amount of deep sleep. (The automated systems deep within your body are completely thrown off by blue, violet, green, and yellow light at night. This so-called “junk light” suppresses melatonin, the hormone that tells your body when to go to sleep.)
9:00 p.m.: I power down electronic devices and Wi-Fi. These devices create non-native EMFs that may negatively impact sleep2. Electronic devices also give off lots of junk light that tells your body it’s daytime.
Sometimes I will also have a teaspoon of honey with MCT oil at this time. Why honey? If your brain runs out of glucose at night, it won’t be able to do its job of cleansing and regeneration. Adding MCT oil helps me stay in ketosis.
9:15 p.m.: I take my sleep supplement stack, starting with Sleep 101 from my Suppgrade™ company. On top, I add Lion’s mane, magnesium glycinate, trace minerals, L-ornithine, and GABA. I often use other high-quality sleep supplements to shake things up.
9:30 p.m.: I write 3 things I’m grateful for in my gratitude journal. Practicing gratitude literally re-wires your brain and increases resiliency, immune health, and well-being.
9:35 p.m.: I close my blackout curtains… You’d be surprised how much junk light can make it through the cracks on the sides of your windows. You can find blackout curtains online (I don’t recommend any one brand over the other), but be sure to buy some velcro to tape down the sides and put a valance on top because light can seep in all around the edges of the curtains. You want your room to be completely dark. A darker bedroom equals better sleep.
10:00 p.m.: I put in my sexy custom bite guard, which keeps my jaw forward and prevents me from grinding my teeth. I put tape over my mouth. Mouth taping encourages nasal breathing, and all kinds of magical things happen when you switch from mouth breathing to nose breathing.
10:05 p.m.: I hop into my bed with a chemical and flame-retardant-free Essentia foam mattress, and I turn on my nighttime cooling system. This system monitors the temperature all night long and adjusts depending on my sleep stage, so I’m always sleeping in the ideal thermal environment.
10:10 p.m.: My body is asleep and working hard, cleansing my brain, consolidating memories, and getting me ready for another day of kicking ass.