#44: My latest sleep hacks are showing results: What they are and why they are working

In my ongoing health optimization journey over the last ten years, I have seen significant improvements in some of my markers and modest improvements in a few others. Seeing my triglyceride levels drop from 237 mg/dL to below 50 mg/dL, my HDL-C increase to 65 mg/dL from 38 mg/dL, my muscle mass increase by 3 lbs., and my cardiovascular age drop to 13.5 years below my chronological age, have been exciting wins. However, the markers I value most are those related to my sleep, because of how hard they’ve been to improve. In today’s post, I talk about the latest changes I’ve made to my sleep routine, explore the science behind them, and share the exciting results.

I continue with all the standard sleep hygiene habits I’ve followed over the years: having my last meal about three hours before bedtime, keeping my dinner light, minimizing blue light exposure for 30 minutes before bed, sleeping in a cool environment, avoiding water for at least 2–3 hours before bed, and (trying) going to bed within the same one-hour window consistently. These habits helped improve my sleep from an average of 4 hours and 46 minutes in 2021 to about 5 hours and 42 minutes in 2024. My deep sleep stayed steady at about 72 minutes, REM sleep increased from 24 to 49 minutes, and light sleep went up by 10 minutes. However, my awake time increased from 60 to 90 minutes. While some nighttime wakefulness is normal (average Wake time After Sleep Onset, or WASO, for 50 year olds is 30–60 minutes for men and 45–75 minutes for women), my challenge was waking up around 2 a.m. and struggling to fall back asleep. It became clear I needed to address this issue.

Summary of the science

I had a longer, more detailed version of this section which I was very proud of, but after two of my editors’ eyes glazed over, I decided to provide a simpler and more summarized gist of the science. Tryptophan (from foods like chicken, eggs, cheese, milk, pumpkin seeds, lentils, and chickpeas) helps produce serotonin, which turns into melatonin—the sleep hormone. Insulin (from carbs) helps tryptophan reach the brain, while sunlight, magnesium, vitamin B6, and zinc support serotonin production. Darkness boosts melatonin, but stress, inflammation, blue light, and overthinking can disrupt it. Many people wake up at 2 a.m. due to natural melatonin drops, but calming techniques like 4-7-8 breathing can help by engaging the logical brain and quieting the amygdala (the part of the brain that processes fear, emotion, and threat).

Given this framework, I decided to assess where I stood on each part of the food-to-sleep pathway.

Evaluating my report card

I was getting enough tryptophan from my diet. Check. The timing and type of carbs in my meals were generating enough insulin. Check. My sunlight exposure, magnesium, and B6 levels were reasonable, based on recent bloodwork. Check. Zinc isn’t included in most panels, but I had no symptoms of low zinc, and I’m not on a plant-only diet, so I’m likely fine—though I plan to test it. Mostly check. Of the serotonin inhibitors, my CRP (inflammation marker) was fine, and I was managing blue light exposure. Check and check. That left elevated stress levels (per my Oura Ring) as a likely culprit. As for the serotonin-to-melatonin conversion, my 2 a.m. wake-ups often led to overthinking, activating the amygdala and leading me down an unhelpful rabbit hole.

Making the relevant changes

I made two specific changes to my nighttime routine to address the two issues I was falling short on:

1. Dealing with stress: Given the large body of research demonstrating the benefits of a sauna 3 or more times a week, I began doing 20-minute sauna sessions at around 170°F (~76°C) regularly. Many gyms nowadays often have saunas. Doing this has helped my stress levels significantly, as per my Oura Ring (see left half of the figure above where I compared my stress levels across two Thursdays before vs. after the intervention). Other calming options include reading, taking a hot water shower, listening to relaxing music, or walking—as long as they don’t involve blue light or overstimulate the dopamine system (read: don’t binge-watch Game of Thrones before bed, or don’t go to bed after an intense meeting).

2. Avoiding amygdala activation: On nights I wake up at 2 a.m., I now focus on the 4-7-8 breathing technique (see top right of the figure above) to activate my prefrontal cortex and quiet the amygdala. Popularized by Andrew Weil, this technique is rooted in pranayama. It may sound trivial, even silly, but it’s been surprisingly effective. I often fall back asleep within 5 to 10 minutes. Of all my wellness experiments, this might be the funkiest and most magical. Other popular breathing techniques include the Physiological Sigh (popularized by Andrew Huberman) and Coherent Breathing. I won’t get into the details of those in today’s post but you can look them up if the 4-7-8 technique isn’t working for you.

Measuring the results

The results have been astonishing (see bottom right of the figure above). As of March 26th, my average total sleep time for the month is 6 hours and 29 minutes—a 12% improvement over my 2024 average and the highest I have ever slept in the last 30 years at least. Interestingly, my deep sleep dipped slightly (likely due to reduced daily steps, a conscious decision to avoid overexertion), but my REM sleep jumped from 49 to 66 minutes, and light sleep increased by about 20 minutes. As importantly, my awake time dropped back down to 60 minutes; within the scope of what people my age experience.

How much of this improvement is from the sauna versus the 4-7-8 breathing? Hard to say—I started both at nearly the same time. Ideally, I’d isolate one variable at a time. But I’m sleeping too well to mess with it. For now, sleep wins over science.

As always I welcome your thoughts and please share your experiences in the comments.