Good Sleep Isn’t Luck—It’s A Skill You Can Train

Struggling to power-down after a long day?

. Below are five science-backed habits you can test this week. Keep what works, tweak what doesn’t, and watch your energy climb.

1. Guard Your Clock

Go to bed and wake up at the same times—even on weekends. A steady schedule trains your circadian rhythm and makes it easier to fall asleep and wake refreshed. Aim for a 7- to 9-hour “sleep window” that never moves more than 30 minutes.

2. Design a Sleep Sanctuary

Your bedroom should feel like a cool, dark cave—around 60-67 °F, free of noise and light pollution. Block streetlights with blackout curtains, mask random sounds with a fan, and ditch devices that glow. Even small amounts of light can delay melatonin release and fragment deep sleep.

3. Tame Screens & Stimulants

Blue-rich light from phones and tablets tricks the brain into thinking it’s noon. Power down all screens at least an hour before bed or switch to a true amber filter. The same goes for caffeine, nicotine, and heavy meals—cut them 5–6 hours before lights-out to avoid racing heartbeats at midnight.

4. Move Your Body—Early

Regular exercise acts like a natural sedative, lowering stress hormones and deepening slow-wave sleep. Even a single hour of moderate activity spread across the week reduces insomnia complaints. Finish vigorous workouts at least two hours before bed so your core temperature can fall—the drop signals “sleep time.”

5. Downshift With a Wind-Down Ritual

Spend the last 20 minutes on intentional calm: 4-7-8 breathing, gentle stretches, or journaling tomorrow’s to-dos so worries stay on paper, not in your head. Slow, diaphragmatic breaths cue the parasympathetic system, lowering heart rate and blood pressure for faster sleep onset.

Give yourself seven nights to experiment. Track how you feel at 10 AM: alert, foggy, or somewhere between. When you find the combo that leaves you energized, protect it like your most valuable meeting—because it is. Better sleep tonight = stronger recovery, sharper thinking, and steadier moods tomorrow. Your pillow is waiting; make the appointment. Hack Your Health: An Algorithm to Better Energy | Paperback https://a.co/d/i2SERgs