Sleep deprivation
- 17 hours awake = cognitive impairment equivalent to 0.05% blood alcohol
- 24 hours awake = equivalent to 0.10% (legally drunk in most countries)
- Sleep deprived people are 3x more likely to catch a cold
- One bad night reduces positive emotion by 60% according to UC Berkeley research
- Chronic short sleep (under 6hrs) associated with 13% higher mortality risk
Screens and melatonin
- 2 hours of screen use before bed delays melatonin onset by 1.5 hours on average
- Blue light suppresses melatonin up to 50% compared to dim light
- People on phones before bed take longer to fall asleep, get less REM sleep, and feel worse next day even with same total sleep hours
Food timing
- Eating within a 10 hour window improved sleep, energy and mood in a Salk Institute study even with no dietary changes
- Night eating increases blood glucose response by 20% compared to same meal eaten earlier
- Irregular meal timing alone predicts higher depression and anxiety scores independent of diet quality
Anxiety and scrolling
- Average person touches their phone 2,617 times per day
- Studies show social media use after 9pm correlates with 50% higher rates of anxiety and depression in young adults
- Checking phone first thing in morning spikes cortisol within minutes
The cascade
- Sleep deprived people eat an average 385 extra calories per day
- Poor sleep increases cravings for high sugar and high fat food by activating the same reward pathways as addiction
- Junk food diet reduces sleep quality by suppressing slow wave sleep, which is the most restorative stage
Tips against those stats.
Sleep
- No screens at least 30 min before bed ideally 1 hour
- No caffeine after 2pm
- No naps longer than 20 min
- No sleeping in to “catch up”
- No bright overhead lights after 9pm
- No checking your phone first thing when you wake up
Food
- No eating within 2-3 hours of sleep
- No big sugary or carb-heavy meals at night
- No skipping breakfast or first meal {eat within an hour of waking}
- No energy drinks especially after noon
- No alcohol thinking it helps sleep {it wrecks sleep quality badly}
Screens
- No phone in bed
- No doomscrolling as a wind-down strategy
- No starting a new video or series after 10pm
- No notifications on during sleep hours
Mental
- No lying in bed trying to force sleep { if 20 min passes get up and do something calm }
- No beating yourself up on bad nights, it raises cortisol and makes it worse
- No all-or-nothing thinking like “i ruined it” after one bad night
Dos
Morning
- Get outside within 30 min of waking
- Eat something with protein within an hour of waking
- Drink water immediately — you wake up dehydrated
- Get natural light in your eyes even on cloudy days
- Move your body even just a 10 min walk
Sleep
- Keep your wake time consistent even weekends
- Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet
- Go to bed only when actually sleepy
- Same wind down routine every night — your brain learns the pattern
- Low dose melatonin 0.5-1mg around 9-10pm
Food
- Eat within a roughly 10 hour window
- Protein and fat at most meals to stabilize blood sugar
- Eat your biggest meal earlier in the day
- Stay hydrated throughout the day, not just at night
- Whole foods most of the time, doesn’t have to be perfect
Evening
- Dim lights after 9pm
- Do something calm and low stimulation before bed
- Warm shower before bed drops core body temperature which triggers sleepiness
- Write down anything anxious or on your mind before bed so your brain lets it go
Mental
- Get sunlight and movement daily, these are the two most evidence-backed mood regulators
- One small win per day builds momentum
- Track your wake time even just mentally — consistency is everything