A Science-Backed Sleep Toolkit

Actionable Tips to Help You Get Your Best Rest Yet

Each month, I lead a group call for the athletes I have the honor of coaching.

Before I get into the main topic, we start with a guided meditation, introduce new team members, and go around the horn to check in.

In February, we discussed sleep, specifically the knowledge I’ve gained from Dr. Matthew Walker and Dr. Andrew Huberman. Here are my notes from our call and a practical guide to optimizing your sleep.

My Top Ten Tips to Get Better Sleep

1. View Sunlight

   • Morning: get 5-20 minutes of sunlight in your eyes within an hour of waking.

     • If up before sunrise, turn on bright artificial lights and get outside as soon as the sun is up.

     • Try to get more morning light on cloudy days, but cumulative time in a given week is what matters.

   • Evening: get outside again as the sun is setting.

     • Once inside, dim lights, especially blue light, and reduce screen time to enhance melatonin production.

   • Midday sun, when it’s highest in the sky, is great for vitamin D, enhancing mood, and reducing stress, but it doesn’t anchor our body’s clock the way morning and afternoon sun do.

   • Do not use sunglasses and do not look through a window.

2. Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule

   • Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends (avoid social jet lag).

   • Regularity strengthens circadian rhythm and improves sleep quality.

3. Optimize Your Sleep Environment

   • Keep your bedroom at a cool temperature—60-67 degrees—and layer on blankets you can remove.

   • Minimize light. Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask.

   • Use mouth tape to promote nasal breathing and reduce snoring.

   • Use white noise if needed.

   • Invest in a quality mattress and pillow.

   • Keep the bedroom for sleeping and sex.

4. Exercise

   • But avoid high-intensity workouts close to bedtime, as they can stimulate the body.

5. Manage Stimulants and Alcohol

   • Avoid caffeine 8-10 hours before bed.

     • If you experience an afternoon crash, wait 60-90 minutes after waking to have caffeine.¹

     • Rehydrate with electrolytes before reaching for that next cup of coffee.

   • Avoid alcohol or drink earlier in the day to not disrupt sleep.

6. Limit Naps

   • To under 90 minutes—enough to get light sleep without entering deep sleep stages, which can cause grogginess.

   • If you can’t sleep at night, don’t nap, especially late in the day.

7. Have a Wind Down Routine

   • Signal your body to prepare for sleep.

   • Use a bedtime alarm, just like a waking alarm.

   • A variation of mine: take supplements with tart cherry juice, read fiction, journal on paper, meditate, stretch, listen to relaxing music, take a hot shower or bath.

8. Use Supplements Wisely

   • Magnesium L-Threonate: promotes relaxation (mag citrate is a laxative).

   • Apigenin: chamomile extract.

   • L-Theanine: amino acid (avoid if prone to intense dreams, sleep-walking, or night terrors).

   • Others I play around with: tart cherry juice, GABA, inositol.

   • Start with one supplement and add in one at a time as needed. If I could only take one, it’d be magnesium.

   • Avoid melatonin. Use for jet lag, not nightly.

9. Follow the 10-3-2-1 Rule

   • 10 hours before bed: no caffeine.

   • 3 hours before bed: no food.

   • 2 hours before bed: no liquids (if you do drink, sip, don’t gulp).²

   • 1 hour before bed: no screens.

10. Practice NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest)

    • Shift from sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and digest).

    • Can be done before bed, in the middle of the night if struggling to fall back asleep; however, I like to do 5-10 minutes of box breathing or other down-regulating breathwork post-workout to elicit the same response in my nervous system and promote recovery.

      • Add calming instrumental music (my go-to right now is East Forest) and an eye mask to enhance the experience.

      • Elevate your legs to improve circulation and reduce inflammation.

Sleep Struggles

• Instead of counting sheep, take a mental stroll. Imagine going on a walk you know well and immerse yourself in the details.

• If you’re still awake after 30 minutes, get out of bed, read under dim light, or do another relaxing activity. Only return to bed when you feel tired. Associate your bed with sleep.

• Take the clock out of the bedroom or turn the clock face away from you. Stressing about the time will only make things worse.

Sleep Expectations

• You’ll likely experience a natural spike in wakefulness an hour before bed. It will pass.

• Sleep needs evolve as we age and the seasons change. You may be a night owl in your teenage years and rise early later in life. You may be fine with six hours in the summer and need more during the winter. Adapt accordingly.

• Expect poor sleep the night before a big race. You’re excited. You care. It’s normal. You can perform well after a night of poor sleep. If possible, bank sleep leading up to the race, especially if traveling and changing time zones.

Final Thoughts

If I haven’t convinced you that sleep is important, consider this: we spend a third of our lives sleeping. It’s worth thinking about and investing in. It is the foundation to our mental, emotional, and physical health, in all endeavors. If you’re an athlete, or even if you’re not, it can be tempting to look for the quick fix to maximize recovery and gains; however, sleep is the biggest lever you can pull.

In other words, don’t talk to me about compression boots, cold plunges, or red light therapy until you’re sleeping 7-9 hours a night. However, understand no one is perfect with sleep, except maybe billionaire Bryan Johnson, who’s committed to living forever. You will occasionally be up until 3 AM with a crying child, out late drinking with your buddies reminiscing on your college days, and miss your morning sunlight. It’s okay. Aim for progress, not perfection. Start by implementing one tip at a time. I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on the Internet, but I’ve noticed morning sunlight, exercise, and a cool, dark bedroom make the biggest difference for me.

As a former finance bro who geeks out on spreadsheets and data, I would encourage you to count, if not track, your sleep—but not obsessively. If you feel you’re getting decent sleep, you probably are. Over the long haul, feeling well-rested is more important than your wearable score; however, if Whoop has taught me anything, it’s that eight hours in bed is not eight hours of sleep—and that alcohol is poison.

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Are you looking to level up, realize your potential, and be a part of a supportive community of like-minded athletes?

Shoot me a DM on Instagram and let’s chat to see if you’d be a good fit for the team. We hope to see you on the inside.

1. This allows cortisol to spike first, providing a more sustainable energy boost throughout the day. This time also allows your body to naturally process adenosine, a sleep-promoting chemical which caffeine blocks. We want adenosine and sleep pressure to build throughout the day. The longer you’re awake, the more adenosine and sleep pressure are built, the more likely you’ll be able to fall asleep when desired.

2. Your body will want to get excrete the liquid in the same manner in which it was ingested. If you wake up to urinate multiple times throughout the night, try sipping on beverages as you approach bedtime. Conversely, gulp water to rehydrate and kickstart other biological processes in the morning.