How to Improve Your Sleep Tonight
I discovered something life-changing this month.
You can transform your conscious existence with simple habit changes.
What’s the thing that influences your conscious existence the most? Sleep.
I’ve always been a light sleeper, prone to waking up at the slightest noise or spending hours tossing and turning. Few things make you feel worse the next day than a bad night of sleep. If this sounds familiar, I have good news. With simple changes in your habits, you can immediately transform your sleep, turning you into a happier, healthier, and more capable version of yourself. Given my lifelong history of sleep struggles, I decided to try a few habits that should help me sleep better.
At the beginning of this month, my sleep was a mess. I’m in the middle of moving, and the stress of searching, planning, and procrastinating hits different. One week ago, I had nowhere to live with half a month left on my current lease. After several stressful days, I finally found a cool place in Edmonds. Even after I got everything lined up, the lingering anxiety still disrupted my sleep.
I was tired of my sleep sucking, so I did some research.
I looked at what the world's #1 sleeper Bryan Johnson did. I wanted to know what habits he uses to sleep so consistently. He had 10 habits to explain. Feeling hopeful, I took five of them that worked best with my schedule and applied them to my bedtime routine for a week.
The Sleep Habits I Tried Out:
Set a consistent bedtime ⏰
What I did: Committed to being in bed by 9:30 p.m.
Why it works: A consistent bedtime helps regulate your circadian rhythm, your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. It makes falling and staying asleep easier. Inconsistent bedtimes can throw off this rhythm and can lead to sleep problems like insomnia.
No liquids one hour before bed🥤
What I did: No drinking liquids after 8:30 p.m.
Why it works: Drinking before bed leads to waking up to use the bathroom, making it harder to return to deep, restorative sleep. Avoiding liquids one hour before bed helps prevent this.
No eating two hours before bed🍴
What I did: No eating after 7:30 p.m.
Why it works: When you eat late, your body still works to digest food instead of winding down, making it harder to fall and stay asleep through the night. Eating late disrupts melatonin production (the sleep hormone), causes blood sugar fluctuations, and keeps your temperature elevated. If you have flexibility with your schedule, eat as early as possible.
Use dim lighting at night 🕯️
What I did: No screens after 8:30 p.m.
Why it works: Artificial light triggers cortisol production (your body’s stress hormone) because it tricks your system into thinking it’s daytime. This spike in cortisol helps you wake up but makes it harder to wind down at night. This process also suppresses melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. Dimming your lights at night signals your body to relax and prepare for rest. In a dim environment, melatonin production is raised, helping you fall asleep. Along with turning the lights down, I use blue light glasses in the evening and a program called f.lux on my laptop to reduce artificial light exposure.
Cool down your room ❄️
What I did: Turned off the heater in my room before bed
Why it works: Your core body temperature naturally drops to prepare you for sleep. A cooler room helps align with this process, helping you fall and stay asleep. Deep sleep stages are also more likely to occur in a cooler environment. Experts say the ideal sleeping room temperature is 60-67 degrees.
Out of seven days, I nailed my routine five times. The results?
Immediate improvements: Even the first two nights were better—I still woke up briefly but had no trouble falling back asleep.
Sleeping through the night: By the last three nights, I slept through without interruptions for the first time in weeks.
The routine matters: My sleep suffered when I skipped parts of the routine. It took longer for me to fall asleep, and when I woke up at night, it was harder for me to fall back asleep. The difference was undeniable.
My Takeaways
This Works Fast
My sleep improved on the first night of the challenge. I thought it would take several nights to see results. It’s incredible how tweaking your routine for one night can transform how you feel the next day. If you’re ready for better sleep, start this routine tonight.
Prioritization Is Key
What stood out from Bryan Johnson’s routine was how he identified himself as a “professional sleeper”. To make this thing work, I had to plan my week around sleep. It wasn’t as hard as it sounds, since I finish work at 5:00 p.m. most days. I started cooking dinner when I got home instead of putting it off. This also meant adjusting weekend plans, like scheduling activities earlier. The two nights I didn’t follow the routine, I was spending time with friends. So I didn’t have to give up fun completely. But if you stick to the routine most nights, the overall impact on your health will still be huge.
Domino Effect
Quality sleep is like the first domino that starts a positive chain reaction. It reduced my stress, boosted my energy, and sharpened my focus. After just a few nights of consistent rest, my anxiety about moving nearly vanished. Without that mental drain, I could focus on personal goals, like writing this blog post. My energy levels stayed steady all day. For example, going to the gym after work felt easier. With more energy, I could also concentrate longer on evening activities like reading. As each domino fell, the stress of moving turned into excitement, and I felt more optimistic.
Society is Against You
Society isn’t set up to support good sleep. From the constant glow of electronics mimicking daylight and triggering cortisol to late-night clubs, movies, social media scrolling, midnight snacking, and alcohol, it’s no wonder many of us wake up feeling drained. On top of that, there’s this expectation, especially among younger people, that having a fun weekend means staying out late and partying. I’ve heard “You’re young, you’ll be fine” so many times. If you let society set the standard for your health, you’ll end up with the same results as most people. And those results aren’t great. I’m not saying give up partying altogether, but there’s something to be said for waking up on a weekend refreshed instead of hungover.
Final Thoughts
Sleep is the #1 factor influencing my conscious existence because it directly shapes my energy, mood, focus, and ability to function. While I love sharing how food and nutrition have transformed my health, everything works better when paired with the synergistic effects of good sleep. By making a few changes to my nightly routine, I improved my sleep in just one night. If you’re tired of feeling tired, start tonight. This challenge can help you. Will you try it?
Bonus Tip: When in bed, meditate or read. Either you will detach from your crazy thoughts, learn something, or fall asleep. Victory either way!
