How to sleep like a baby in a coma

Science-based “hacks” I used to cure my insomnia

Hello beautiful readers 👋

Here’s your weekly injection of Steroids For Your Brain 🧠

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How to sleep like a baby in a coma

Thursday this week, instead of writing my blog, I was giving a talk at Google on the science of sleep.

After 5 years of reading into the scientific literature, I had to squeeze everything I knew into a 20-minute presentation.

Less than 6 hours of sleep a night has the same effect on cognitive performance as being tipsy; and just 5 seconds of blue light at night is enough to disrupt your circadian rhythm and tell your body it’s morning again!

And so in this week’s edition, you’ll find everything I’ve learnt about getting baby-coma sleep – from 100+ academic papers, every sleep book out there, hours of podcasts, interviewing neuroscience professors, and completing a 10-week CBT-i course for insomnia sufferers.

👉 The full article: How to sleep like a baby in a coma

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Something To Make You Think 🤔

Doing the easy thing consistently is (often) better long-term than doing the hard thing inconsistently

For the last year, I’ve tried to hit a rigorous morning workout every day of the week (except Sunday).

On a good day, I’d wake up at 8am, jog to the steelworks gym at my park, complete a 45-minute calisthenics workout, jog back home, meditate, shower, journal, and start work.

But most days weren’t good.

Most days I’d wake up at 8am, hit snooze (several times), feel overwhelmed by the idea of 60+ minutes of exercise, go back to bed and feel bad about myself the rest of the day.

Since moving to France, I’ve given up on this “hard” morning routine and opted for an easier start to the day; a start I actually look forward to.

Instead of 60 minutes pushing myself, I go for a 20-minute walk in the Sun while listening to music or an audiobook.

I get the benefits of sunlight, light exercise, education…and it puts me in such a good mood, I end up working out later in the day anyway.

Many of my coaching clients make the same mistake: trying to be perfect (working super hard, optimising down to their toilet breaks etc.) and then falling off the wagon because their workload/routine/lifestyle just wasn’t sustainable.

So, are you struggling with consistency in your exercise/work/nutrition etc?

And if so, could you increase consistency by making things easier for yourself?

Hit reply with your answer! 👇

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Ask Me For Advice 👋

As always, would love to hear any feedback you have for the newsletter so far - content ideas, things you like/dislike etc.

Andrew ✌️❤️