Hey {{first_name|there}},
Most people think a sleep routine begins an hour before bed.
Mine begins within minutes of waking up.
Your body uses the signals it receives throughout the day to decide when to feel alert and when to wind down.
Over the past few weeks, I've been working through the health concerns that came up most in your replies.
We started with stress and the nervous system, then moved on to energy.
Sleep was another one of your biggest concerns.
"I'm tired even after seven hours."
"I'm not getting enough deep sleep."
"I know I need to go to bed earlier."
"My mind won't switch off."
So this week, I want to take you through what I do for my sleep and why I do it.
1. First, I get outside as soon as I can after waking and let natural light reach my eyes.
That morning light helps set my body clock, which affects both when I feel alert during the day and when I begin feeling sleepy at night.
If I can stand barefoot on the ground while I'm outside, even better.
2. I hydrate properly throughout the day, up until it's time for bed.
I drink water with electrolytes before bed. Too little and I wake up from thirst or muscle cramps. Too much and I'm up for the bathroom. The timing matters as much as the amount.
3. As it gets darker, I reduce the light around my flat.
I dim the lights after sunset and avoid bright white overhead LEDs where I can. If my home is still lit up like the middle of the day at 10pm, I'm giving my brain the wrong message.
4. Then I make the bedroom cool and completely dark.
Your core body temperature naturally falls as you prepare for sleep, so I don't want a warm bedroom working against that.
At home, I use blackout curtains. I'll use an eye mask when I travel, but masks move and light can still get in around the edges. I'd rather make the whole room dark when I can.
5. Last, I disconnect my phone and my Wi-Fi.
I put my phone on airplane mode and keep it out of reach. If it's beside me, it's too easy to check the time, answer something or start scrolling.
I turn off the Wi-Fi too. Partly because I prefer to reduce unnecessary EMF exposure where I can, and partly because it marks a clear end to the connected part of my day.
All five habits are doing the same thing: making the change from day to night obvious to my body.
One of the ways I anchor that transition is by putting on my Swanwick Sleep Swannies around two hours before bed. Once they go on, the bright part of my day is finished.
Their amber lenses filter the blue light from screens and artificial lighting around the house, so I can still finish what I'm doing while giving my body a consistent signal that sleep is getting closer.
I've used them for years because they make that shift much easier to maintain.
Shop Swanwick Sleep →
Code TIMBIOHACKER gets you 15% off.
None of these habits is complicated on its own.
But sleep happens in cycles. Your body moves through light sleep, deep sleep and REM throughout the night.
If light, heat or your phone keeps waking you up, you can spend seven or eight hours in bed and still feel exhausted the next day.
That's why my sleep routine starts in the morning.
I don't wait until bedtime and hope my body gets the message. I give it the right signals and reinforce them throughout the day.
One thing worth doing this week
Move your phone out of reach before you sleep.
Put it across the room on airplane mode, or charge it outside the bedroom if you use a separate alarm.
Do it for seven nights and pay attention to what changes.
Do you spend less time scrolling? Does your mind settle sooner? Are you less tempted to check the time when you wake during the night?
Sometimes sleeping better is just giving your body the signal that the day is over.
Look after yourself,
Tim 💚
P.S. Gut health and weight are still to come. If there's a particular part of either you want me to cover, hit reply and let me know. Your questions are helping me shape where this series goes next.