This article is part 1 of a 2 part Hack Your Sleep Special we’ve put together to help you hack one of the most important parts of your day.

It’s pretty common knowledge that “Doctors recommend adults get at least 8 hours of sleep every night for good health” But who has time to sleep AT LEAST 8 hours??! And actually STAY asleep comfortably and uninterrupted!? The largest study of sleep ever, of 1.1 million people, showed that people who slept 6.5 hours a night lived the longest and people who slept MORE than 8 hours died more often than those who slept LESS than 8 hours. That means quality does not have to mean quantity. Stop wasting time falling asleep slowly or in light sleep; instead spend more time dreaming or in deep sleep for physical recovery. Quality sleep is essential for a productive brain, a fat-burning metabolism, and optimal body.
These following article shows you how and why:

• The number of hours you sleep is not as important as the quality of sleep.
  Eating the right foods improves your sleep.
  Supplementing with vitamins can better your sleep.
  Bulletproofing your sleep can reduce headaches.
• (source: https://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-hack-your-sleep-the-art-and-science-of-sleeping/)

Quality sleep is one of the most important variables to improve your brain function, longevity, and performance in all aspects of life.  The problem is it’s hard to find lots of time for sleep.  We’ve all got busy lives, think of how much more productive you could be if you didn’t spend so much time trying to get to sleep or tossing and turning hitting that snooze button every morning..

The Bulletproof® way isn’t to sleep more, it’s to sleep better.

There are three principles of sleep hacking:

1. Get to sleep as fast as possible.
2. Spend as much time in REM or Deep sleep as possible.
3. Have raw ingredients available for cellular recovery.

These tasks can be achieved at the same time with the following methods.

• Eat a Bulletproof® Diet
• Install F.lux on your computer (it’s free)
• Don’t exercise for at least 2 hours before bed
• Avoid bright lights and LCD screens at least 1 hour before bed
• Go to bed before 11:00 PM
• Track coffee, green tea, and chocolate consumption to see if they effect your sleep (this is where a Zeo becomes a necessity)
• Cheat with biochemistry (use supplements)
• Sleep on an earthing mat (advanced hacking – only use an approved device!)
• Run a current across your brain with a cerebral-electric stimulator, AKA, “electrosleep” machine (We’ll explain in a future article for you)
• (source: https://www.bulletproofexec.com/improve-your-sleep/)

Let’s break those down into more detail.

The Basics of Sleep That Don’t Cost Anything

Whether or not you currently have trouble sleeping, there are several key things you can easily do to improve your current sleep.  These are the most basic yet most critical hacks that will help you upgrade both the quality and quantity of sleep so you can optimize your rest every night.

1. First, sleep in a pitch-black room. Make it as dark as you can possibly make it.  Block all the light sources you can, whether it’s a curtain or just pinning up fabric as needed. Seriously, if you live in a city, you need blackout curtains that don’t allow in all the light pollution. Cover LEDs (like clocks, standby lights etc) with black electrical tape.
2. Start winding down at least two hours before bed. This means less bright lighting at night as well as eliminating, or at least dimming, computer screens and TVs.
3. Third, though it may seem obvious, caffeine is not a sleep aid – stop drinking it by 2:00 p.m. each day, or at least 8 hours prior to bedtime (earlier if you’re sensitive to it).
4. Go to bed by 11:00 p.m. when possible because your body creates a cortisol surge after 11 p.m. to keep you awake.
5. Don’t exercise within 2 hours of bedtime, unless it’s relaxing yoga or something similar.

These are basics that are easy to implement immediately at zero cost, and they ensure you’re starting off on the right foot – or right side of the bed, rather…

Top Hacks for Better Sleep

Even if you read no further, you can implement just these 4 things to dramatically improve your sleep.  This is because they prepare your body for sleep hours by lowering stress and activity levels in the hours prior to bedtime.

• Consider Upgraded™ Coconut Charcoal when your sleep cycle is disturbed, such as in jet lag. When your circadian rhythm is off, your gut bacteria can make more endotoxins that will slow you down the next day. It makes sense to bind them.
• Use Upgraded™ Glutathione Force as an antioxidant and to help your liver do its detox work at night.
• Put your phone on airplane mode to avoid EMFs which can disturb sleep. This is surprisingly effective.
• Only drink Bulletproof® Coffee in the morning up until 2 p.m. Test to see if your sleep is impacted by coffee at 1 p.m. or even noon. Different people clear it at different rates.  Try decaf, matcha, or don’t drink it at all if a cup in the morning hurts your sleep.

Food and Sleep

Your brain uses a lot of energy while you’re sleeping for critical resting, healing, and repairing functions. It helps to fuel your brain optimally so it can get its job done! There is a powerful connection between what you eat and how you sleep. Following the full Bulletproof® Diet is one of the most important things you can do to ensure better sleep quality over time. Within this spectrum of healthy eating, these specific sleep-focused guidelines will optimize your sleep even more:

1. Eat low-mercury fish and seafood at dinner, or take krill oil 2 hours before bedtime: omega-3’s aid in your sleep processes, and krill oil in particular works in the brain because its omega-3 is bound to phospholipids. It helps with my sleep. More fat keeps your energy level stable for longer, and it takes energy to sleep efficiently.
2. Some clients do very well with adding up to 1 Tbsp of Upgraded™ Brain Octane or Upgraded™ XCT oil before bedtime, blended into herbal tea as a way to provide fat to the brain for stable energy during sleep. Try it to see if it works for you. This hack is compatible with the next one.
3. We introduced our sleep formula late last year and our friends still rave about it. Have you tried it? Try up to 1 Tbsp of raw honey before bed on an empty stomach. Your brain uses liver glycogen (carb storage) at night, and raw honey replenishes this supply and can create stable glucose levels for hours. You can take it with Brain Octane so your brain can burn glucose (from the honey) and fat (ketones from the Brain Octane) while you sleep.
4. Other clients have improved sleep by taking 1-2 tablespoons of Upgraded™ Collagen protein before bed. If you are short on amino acids, the enzymatically processed protein does not require digestion the same way that normal proteins do.
5. Reminder: Only drink Bulletproof® coffee before 2:00 p.m. or less than 8 hours before bedtime! Coffee is awesome but it doesn’t make sense to ruin your sleep with it.

You may not want to do everything all at once the first time because you won’t know which part worked best; isolate them and try them out one by one.  We’re all a little different, so a personalized bedtime plan makes sense.

The Bulletproof® Sleep Induction Mat

You’re not alone if you’re looking for the easiest way to put yourself into deep sleep without resorting to drugs or counting sheep, and for fast, measurable relaxation for your body.  We’re so impressed with this, we use it almost every night and even travel with it. Enter the Bulletproof® Sleep Induction Mat.  It looks like a large pillowcase crossed with a porcupine, but it’s so much more – it can help you get to sleep and stay asleep, while reducing your muscular aches and pains. This is an acupressure mat specifically designed to quickly induce sleep and stimulate muscle relaxation.  It is bigger and longer than typical acupressure mats available, featuring more powerful acupressure points, organic and toxin-free materials, and a travel-friendly design.  It has no toxic foam insert, making it toxin-free and easier to take on a trip. Simply lying on it for a few minutes will cause a surge of endorphins, a wave of relaxation you can feel, and it helps to create very deep sleep.

Happy Sleeping!