What protocols are recommended for improving sleep?

To improve sleep, several protocols have been recommended by experts on the Huberman Lab:

Basic Sleep Hygiene Tips

1. Maintain Regularity: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends. This regularity helps anchor your sleep and improve its quantity and quality by training your central 24-hour circadian clock 1.
2. Darkness: Reduce light exposure in the evening by dimming lights at least an hour before bed to encourage melatonin production, which helps time the onset of sleep 1.

Unconventional Methods

1. Do Nothing After a Bad Night: If you have a poor night's sleep, avoid sleeping in, taking naps, or consuming extra caffeine. Maintain your regular sleep schedule to avoid disrupting your adenosine buildup (which creates sleepiness) 2.
2. Limit Time in Bed: For those struggling with insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) suggests limiting the time spent in bed to increase sleep efficiency. This can mean initially reducing your sleep window to as little as 5 hours and gradually increasing it as sleep efficiency improves 3.
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     Sleep Hygiene Essentials

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     Sleep Strategies Unveiled

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     Sleep Efficiency Strategies

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     Deep Sleep Essentials

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     Sleep Supplements

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     Sleep Tools

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     Sleep Tips

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Enhancing Deep Sleep

1. Exercise: Engaging in regular physical activity improves the electrical quality of deep sleep. However, exact prescriptions (e.g., duration and intensity) vary, so consistency in exercise is key 4.
2. Temperature: Keep your bedroom cool to promote deeper sleep. Lowering the ambient temperature helps your body temperature drop, which is necessary for deep sleep onset 4.

Supplements

1. Magnesium Threonate: Enhances sleep onset and depth.
2. Apigenin: Helps with sleep initiation.
3. Theanine: May help with relaxation, though it might cause vivid dreams for some individuals 5.

Behavioral Tools

1. Reverie App: Uses sleep hypnosis to help users fall asleep and stay asleep. It can be particularly effective for those who are supplement-averse and serves as a behavioral tool to improve sleep quality 6.
2. Myofunctional Therapy: For those with snoring or REM sleep issues, tongue exercises can help improve sleep quality by preventing the tongue from obstructing the airway during sleep 7.

These protocols, both conventional and unconventional, provide a comprehensive approach to improving sleep quality.