A few years ago I wrote a post about everything I did to get more sleep. I’m not going to talk about the myriad benefits of getting more high quality sleep because you know them all already and if you want to forego those benefits then you’re an idiot. A weak-willed idiot at that. Not being able to put your phone down is a limiting belief.
I thought it would be interesting to revisit that post because I recently added magnesium bisglycinate to my stack (bought from Peak Supps: amazing supplier for people in the UK by the way). I’ve been taking zinc and magnesium together for years but this hit differently as it’s supposed to be extremely bioavailable. Since I’ve been taking it I’ve been literally zonking out every night. As in, I turn the lights off, close my eyes, don’t feel like I’m about to go to sleep and then just go. I highly recommend you try it out.
Remember to use the smallest dose possible to start with. Peak Supps recommend four capsules as a serving but I’ve been getting the effect with just two. This is at the same time as being in a sizable calorie deficit and so in maintaining good sleep it’s made the diet way easier.
Now to go back over what I said I was doing five years ago:
No caffeine after 3pm: check. It’s pretty easy to follow this rule because a), I’m not trying to feel a bit more energised for Daygame sessions these days, and b), because I’m not in an office environment where I want to try and escape boredom/spike my state.
Blue Light Blocking Glasses: check. I found out after the fact that the cheapo set I got only blocks 20% of blue light or something like that but it’s a low price to pay to avoid looking like a total dork (as Joe Delaney would say; great video by the way and I recommend checking it out). I put these glasses on around 9pm each night if I’m at home and I think it must signal to my brain that bed time is incoming plus a reduction in eye strain from screens.
Wake Up Time Range: check-ish. Since I’m living with my fiance now and she needs to be out of bed for work around 9am I usually get up around the same time or lay-in and doze for a bit before getting up before 10am. What I’m not afraid of is getting up earlier than that if I feel like it (sometimes I can feel an odd pressure to sleep more even when I don’t really want to… maybe it’s the latent teenager in me).
What I do keep to is not sleeping in forever on weekends. I was setting an alarm on weekends but nowadays I’m getting up purposefully because I want to get the cardio out of the way before She’s up and out of bed.
Water and Vitamins: check. Easy.
Food Before Bed: not check-ish. I don’t really care when my food comes during the day but I usually eat three large meals and one snack. I do try to ensure I’ve eaten dinner before eight o’clock though.
Magnesium: check. I’m still taking it but now I make sure to take it a couple of hours before bed with the old zinc and magnesium tablets and ashwagandha. I’ve learned that calcium can bind to magnesium too so I make sure not to eat dairy and take magnesium within a couple of hours of each other.
I’d say I’ve been very successful in picking the right, effective habits and sticking to them. To develop your own good habits, click the links below.
Yours unfaithfully,
Thomas Crown
> Buy the best of Thomas Crown, Volume One
> Buy the best of Thomas Crown, Volume Two
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