If you’ve been taking a dip in our Well of Joy for a post or three, you might know how deep our love runs for Dr. Andrew Huberman. His research on sleep at The Huberman Lab at Stanford University has been incredibly exhaustive, and he has several protocols he recommends to improving the quality of our sleep hygiene for better health overall. This list covers a few of Dr. Huberman’s musts along with a few of our own – and if you stick with them, we guarantee you’re going to feel a shift:

1. Get Sunlight ASAP

On every podcast, lecture, article, and infographic put out by Dr. Huberman, he speaks to the importance of getting sunlight directly into our eyes (not through windows, rather viewing the light from outdoors) immediately upon waking. This is sans sunglasses, not staring right at the sun, but at the sunLIGHT. According to Dr. Huberman, this helps to optimize our circadian rhythm and improve overall sleep quality.

Here’s a fantastic podcast where he goes into great detail and answers so many fantastic questions and concerns surrounding sleep and how it impacts our overall health.

We wake before the sun rises each day, so I’ll start a workout indoors, then as soon as the light starts changing outside, I’ll finish it outside facing in the direction of the sun. You could also take an early morning walk, or have your coffee outside, whatever works best for you!

2. Take a Magnesium Supplement

I shout this one from the rooftops to all of my friends, family, and wellness clients. It has made the biggest impact (supplement-wise) to our overall health, and is another tool in our sleep toolbox praised by Dr. Huberman. I particularly like this brand since it is organic, small-batch, and crosses the blood-brain barrier with maximum absorption for maximum impact. Not all magnesium supplements are created equal, so choose one that best fits your health goals. Before taking this, I struggled with sleep, migraines with aura, and overall sluggishness. I have taken Cymbiotika for nearly two years, and have everyone in my life doing the same. 10/10 recommend! PRO TIP: Take your magnesium at the same time each day for optimal absorption (we take ours at 7pm nightly).

3. The Bedroom is for Sleeping

We have a TV in our bedroom, and in our next house, we most definitely won’t. Setting your bedroom up for incredible, regenerative sleep can include everything from sheets that you can’t wait to dive into, a sound machine to lull you into dreamland, silk pillowcases, and an eye mask to block out the light. See? I told you, we are all about minimizing disturbances and maximizing that luscious restorative REM sleep. Each of the items we linked to above we have used for years, and love them so deeply, we have an extra of each in a suitcase that we travel with.

4. Watch When (and What) You Eat

I had no idea that what I ate for dinner had a major impact on my sleep until I got the Oura ring. Mind you, I had debated this purchase for over a year. I live for tracking other wellness metrics on my Apple Watch, but take it off overnight to charge, and as I’m working toward improving overall health span, I know it starts with sleep and wanted to get as much intel as I could. On nights that I have a particularly large dinner especially close to bedtime, I notice an immediate drop in my REM sleep, and on nights that I have dessert, my heart rate rises, and I don’t sleep as well. The ring knows it all! Use this link and receive $40 off! PS – Here’s what Dr. Daniel Amen has to say about how various foods disrupt our sleep patterns. And a fun fact about how sleep helps our brain health!

5. Meaningful Movement

Going back to the top tip, I ran my own study on days that I get the most ((outdoor)) movement early on, versus the days that I workout indoors due to weather, or sadly, not at all. I always, I’m talking 100% of the time, sleep better on days that I have moved my body in a meaningful way in the first part of the day. For me, this looks like a weights workout at home, then a minimum of a 3 mile fast-paced outdoor walk. But I’m confident each of us are different – we just have to do a little trial and error to see what works for us. But what I know for certain, working out too close to bedtime has never served me well. I think in this case the early bird gets the good night’s sleep.

Do you have a nugget of wisdom to share for better sleep? We’d love to hear in the comments below! In the meantime, be well + joyful, kind friend. Goodnight!