Sleep better
These pieces on how to sleep better stick to small things you can try tonight. Topics include resonance frequency breathing, a hot bath before bed, and why hitting snooze may backfire, according to Mel Robbins. One article also looks at how social apps affect sleep. 9 picks from the Bez Tytułu newsletter, in reading order.
The picks
How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?
Watch · youtube.com · Issue #141
Joseph Everett's video asks how much sleep people really need. It looks at whether ancient humans were sleep deprived, the Tsimane people, and whether shorter sleep shortens lifespan. It also lists sleep quality tips: sleep efficiency and timing, bright light, temperature, glycine, magnesium, tart cherry juice, weighted blankets and air quality.
Slow five-second breaths improve sleep
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #120
Breathing at about four to seven breaths per minute, roughly five seconds in and five out, improves sleep, the speaker says.
The speaker calls resonance frequency breathing the top way to improve sleep: breathe at four to seven breaths per minute, about five seconds in and five seconds out, optionally with a biofeedback app. The speaker says this improves heart rate variability, deep sleep and how quickly you fall asleep, by shifting the nervous system from fight-or-flight toward rest.
Key points- Biofeedback apps show the breathing rhythm so you can match it
- Claims it improves heart rate variability, deep sleep and REM sleep latency
- Says you should fall asleep within 10 minutes of your head hitting the pillow
A hot bath helps sleep
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #136
A hot bath helps sleep, the speaker says, because core body temperature drops after you get out.
The speaker suggests wearing socks and gloves to bed, or taking a hot bath before sleep. A hot bath dilates blood vessels and brings blood to the skin, and after getting out the body releases that heat, so core body temperature drops. The speaker says this drop is what helps people fall asleep.
Key points- Hot water dilates blood vessels and brings blood to the skin
- Leaving the bath releases a large heat dump, so core temperature plummets
- Socks, gloves or a hot bath are offered as sleep hacks
Snoozing mid cycle causes lasting grogginess
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #86
Hitting snooze wakes you mid sleep cycle, causing grogginess that the speaker says can last about four hours.
Mel Robbins argues that hitting snooze causes sleep inertia. Drifting back to sleep starts a new sleep cycle of 75 to 90 minutes, so the alarm nine minutes later wakes you in the middle of that cycle. She says the groggy feeling can take about four hours to clear and advises getting up immediately.
Key points- Sleep cycles last 75 to 90 minutes, and snoozing starts a new one
- Nine minutes into a 75-minute cycle leaves you in deep sleep
- Sleep inertia, the groggy feeling, takes about four hours to clear, he says
Sleep Position and Spine Health
Watch · youtube.com · 22 min · Issue #115
A physiotherapist's YouTube description by Dr. Marcin Wytrazek, published June 2023, on how sleep position affects people with certain conditions. Conditions named include sciatica, disc herniation, degenerative spine disease, shoulder impingement and peritrochanteric bursitis. The video stresses that sleep position is only one of many factors in spinal health.
How Social Apps Affect Sleep
Read · socialmediatoday.com · 2 min · Issue #114
A 2022 Social Media Today article by Andrew Hutchinson summarizing a Sleep Junkie study of 2,012 Americans who wore smartwatches to track sleep after using their phones before bed. Users of TikTok's For You feed spent about 14% of their sleep cycle in REM, roughly half the recommended amount. The study attributes the effect mainly to blue light, and suggests dark mode and no screens for two hours before sleep.
Sleep Cycle: Sleep Analysis App
Tool · sleepcycle.com · Issue #140
Sleep Cycle is a sleep-tracking app that uses sound analysis, drawing on 3 billion sleep sessions and 15 years of science, to help users sleep better. Features include a Smart Alarm, a sleep journal, a sleep test and an 'Ask me about your sleep' feature. The app offers a 30-day free trial.
Six quick body techniques for common issues
Short · instagram.com · 1 min · Issue #238
The creator lists six quick body techniques for sleep, congestion, nerves, racing heart, low energy and stuck thinking.
The video lists six quick techniques. Blinking rapidly for 60 seconds is presented as a way to fall asleep, and an ice cube on the roof of the mouth as a fix for a stuffy nose. Breathing through one nostril for two minutes is said to lower cortisol before a stressful event. Exhaling for eight seconds slows a racing heart, and brushing with the other hand sparks new ideas.
Key points- Blink rapidly for 60 seconds to tire the eye muscles and signal rest
- Breathe only through one nostril for two minutes when nervous
- Exhale for eight seconds with a hand on the chest to slow the heart
A 28-Hour Day Experiment
Read · sidhion.com · 16 min · Issue #186
A blog post describing a 28-hour day schedule with 18 hours awake and 10 hours asleep, chosen to match a natural rhythm and weekend schedules with friends and a partner. The author runs six 28-hour days per week, starting Monday at 04:00, and built a 28-hour clock with a desktop script. The post is an early-stage account, with a year-one follow-up linked.