So many of us find ourselves tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep or stay asleep, leaving us feeling drained and unfocused the next day.
The quality of our sleep is crucial for our overall health and well-being, but achieving a truly restful, deep sleep can be a challenge these days, thanks to our fast-paced, technology-driven lifestyles that often leave us out of sync with our body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
Fortunately, there are innovative strategies to biohack your sleep, helping you to optimize your sleep quality and wake up feeling more refreshed than ever!
In this article, we’ll explore actionable tips to help you biohack your way to better sleep on every level.
What is Biohacking: An Overview
Biohacking refers to the practice of using science, technology, and lifestyle changes to improve your body's performance, particularly in areas like sleep, energy levels, and longevity.
When it comes to sleep, biohacking focuses on methods that optimize the sleep cycle, enhance melatonin production, and regulate the circadian rhythm (your body’s 24-hour clock).
By making simple targeted adjustments to your sleep environment and daily habits, you can improve the quality and duration of your sleep, leading to both better physical and mental health.
7 Ways To Biohack Your Sleep
Biohacking your sleep involves a combination of techniques that target various aspects of your sleep cycle and environment.
Here are some of the most effective strategies to improve sleep duration, sleep quality and reduce sleep disturbances.
#1: Mouth Taping for Better Sleep
One of the most effective sleep biohacks is the practice of mouth taping. Mouth taping helps promote nasal breathing, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy sleep cycle and improving oxygen levels during sleep.
By keeping your mouth closed, you also reduce snoring and ensure you stay asleep longer. (1)
When comparing chin straps vs mouth tape, mouth taping is a much more effective, convenient, and comfortable way to promote nasal breathing.
So, for those struggling with poor sleep quality due to mouth breathing, mouth taping with a high-quality mouth tape like Dream Recovery can be life-changing. Consider adding it to your nightly routine to enhance your sleep quality and overall health.
Explore the best mouth tapes for sleeping and our somnifix mouth tape review.
Note: While mouth taping is generally considered very safe, you should only use mouth tape if you can breathe through your nose. If your nasal breathing is obstructed, you might benefit from using nasal strips or dilators to help improve your nasal breathing.
Learn more about why you can’t breathe through your nose when you sleep and nasal strips vs. nasal dilators to help you make an informed decision.
#2: Optimize Your Sleep Environment
Your sleep environment plays a significant role in how well you sleep. To biohack your sleep, focus on reducing exposure to artificial light, particularly blue light from screens, which interferes with melatonin production, a hormone that plays an important role in sleep.
The best way you can help your body’s natural melatonin production and release is by:
- Investing in blackout curtains in your bedroom
- Reducing screen time 1-2 hours before bed
- Using blue light-blocking glasses in the evenings
- Consider using a sleep mask to block out light
Maintaining a cool temperature in your bedroom, around 65°F (18°C), can also promote deeper sleep.
#3: Regulate Your Circadian Rhythm
The circadian rhythm is your body’s natural sleep and wake cycle over a 24-hour period, which can be disrupted by irregular sleep schedules, exposure to artificial light, stress, and more. (2)
To biohack your sleep, maintain a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
Also, try to expose your eyes to sunlight as soon as you wake up. This will signal to your pineal gland that it’s morning, helping to further regulate your circadian rhythm and improve your sleep once nighttime arrives.
#4: Use a Sleep Tracker
Tracking your sleep patterns can provide valuable insights into the quality of your sleep and help you identify areas for improvement.
Modern sleep trackers can monitor your sleep stages like REM sleep, body temperature, and heart rate, giving you a comprehensive overview of your sleep health.
By analyzing this data, you can make informed decisions about changes to your sleep routine and environment.
#5: Incorporate Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation is key to falling asleep quickly and staying asleep throughout the night. Techniques such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, and using a weighted blanket can help reduce cortisol levels (your body’s primary stress hormone) and promote relaxation before bed.
These methods are especially useful for those experiencing insomnia or chronic sleep deprivation.
4-7-8 breathing is a simple exercise you can try this evening to help promote calm and relaxation.
To perform this breathing technique for better sleep:
- Inhale for 4 seconds
- Hold for 7 seconds
- Breathe out for 8 seconds
-
Repeat for at least 4 rounds
#6: Avoid Caffeine After 1 pm To Sleep Better
A morning cup of coffee can be a great way to kickstart your energy levels and productivity, but getting a caffeinated boost too late in the day can severely impact your sleep quality since caffeine can remain in your bloodstream for up to 10 hours!
You can also consider switching from coffee to green tea, which provides a smaller dose of caffeine with the added benefits of the amino acid called L-theanine which has been shown to promote feelings of calm and relaxation. (3)
#7: Exercise Regularly Within The First Half of The Day
Research shows that regular physical activity can help to improve sleep quality and reduce the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. (4)
However, some research suggests that high-intensity exercise close to bedtime may negatively affect sleep due to an increased release of cortisol, so it’s always best to keep vigorous exercise to earlier in the day to be safe.
Why Sleep Quality Matters
Quality sleep is a non-negotiable essential for maintaining optimal physical and mental health. It plays a crucial role in everything from memory consolidation and cognitive function to immune system support, emotional regulation, and blood sugar control.
Chronic sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality can lead to a range of health issues, including increased stress, weakened immune function, and a higher risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and dementia. (5)
By biohacking your sleep, you can improve your sleep patterns, enhance melatonin production, and ensure you get enough sleep to support your overall health and well-being.
It’s important to remember that biohacking sleep isn’t just about getting more sleep, it’s about improving the quality of your sleep so you can wake up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day.
Final Thoughts
Biohacking your sleep is about more than just adding a few extra hours of rest, it's about transforming the quality of your sleep to enhance your physical and mental health.
By implementing these strategies, such as mouth taping, optimizing your sleep environment, and regulating your circadian rhythm, you can achieve the best sleep of your life.
Biohack sleep with Dream Recovery Mouth Tape.
References:
- Lee, Y. C., Lu, C. T., Cheng, W. N., & Li, H. Y. (2022). The Impact of Mouth-Taping in Mouth-Breathers with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Study. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 10(9), 1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091755
- Wahl, S., Engelhardt, M., Schaupp, P., Lappe, C., & Ivanov, I. V. (2019). The inner clock-Blue light sets the human rhythm. Journal of biophotonics, 12(12), e201900102. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.201900102
- Hidese, S., Ogawa, S., Ota, M., Ishida, I., Yasukawa, Z., Ozeki, M., & Kunugi, H. (2019). Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 11(10), 2362. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102362
- Alnawwar, M. A., Alraddadi, M. I., Algethmi, R. A., Salem, G. A., Salem, M. A., & Alharbi, A. A. (2023). The Effect of Physical Activity on Sleep Quality and Sleep Disorder: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 15(8), e43595. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.43595
- Ramar, K., Malhotra, R. K., Carden, K. A., Martin, J. L., Abbasi-Feinberg, F., Aurora, R. N., Kapur, V. K., Olson, E. J., Rosen, C. L., Rowley, J. A., Shelgikar, A. V., & Trotti, L. M. (2021). Sleep is essential to health: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 17(10), 2115–2119. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.9476