Sleeping Better

The general consensus is that most people need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Myself, other biohackers and various sleep researchers feel this is a rule that cannot be broken but can be bent. On average we spend a third of our lives sleeping and while many people sleep less than that, they aren't taking relatively simple steps to do so effectively.

Most important is the quality of sleep over quantity. 1-2 hours of deep (restorative) sleep. 2-3 hours of REM (rapid eye movement, which is the stage which you do the most active dreaming) and to my knowledge there hasn't been quantifiable data on how the 'light sleep' is necessary except to assist your body in moving into the deeper stages of sleep. With that in mind the faster you can move into these stages the less total sleep you need.

Most effect ways to improve sleep quality:

1. Sleep in a pitch black environment (eye masks seem to work pretty well)
2. Don't eat a large meal 2 hours before bed
3. Wind down and stay away from LEDs (fluorescent, etc) an hour before bed or use flux
4. Have a certain routine you do before bed
5. Take a small dose of melatonin if you aren't able to consistently sleep at the same time
6. Sleep in an area where all you do is sleep or have sex
7. Use biofeedback to quantify you really are getting enough sleep (I use zeo and there are other alternative, here's a good adjustment as you hack your quantity) note that they can be expensive
8. Actively use your mind and body so you're not fighting yourself to get to sleep

I've been doing this for several months now and actually have more energy then when I'd sleep ten hours simply because I could. Average 6-7 hours giving myself a half hour window to wake and get out of bed with ease!