Tossing and turning at night? Run through this physiologist’s five-point sleep checklist to finally nod off
Tick off these five biological cues before settling into bed
It’s never been more difficult to get a good night’s sleep, according to physiologist and wellbeing expert Oli Patrick.
“Everything is now anti-sleep. The modern world—from light to temperature, to noise and stimulus—has made it the most difficult time in lived history to sleep well,” he says.
Patrick was speaking at an Eight Sleep event to mark the launch of Pod 6, a smart mattress cover that can track health metrics (like your heart rate) and adapt its temperature.
He's an advocate for the device, but he tells Fit&Well that you can improve your sleep without any kind of tech.
If you’ve been struggling to switch off at night, try running through Patrick’s five-point checklist to give your mind and body the best chance of a restorative night’s sleep.
1. Give yourself the opportunity to get seven hours of sleep
Getting seven hours of sleep is the sweet spot, according to Patrick.
This amount of rest allows your body to fulfill its biological duties, including consolidating memories and repairing tissues.
“You’re a pretty special creature if you can genuinely do all the amazing jobs sleep does in less than seven hours,” he says.
2. Stick to the same wake and sleep times every day
Consistency is another essential point to respect.
“Sleep forms a vital part of our 24-hour biological clock, often referred to as the circadian rhythm, and that clock does not like to be disrupted,” Patrick explains.
With consistency, the body gets used to producing the hormone cortisol two hours before you wake up in the morning, to help you surface gradually.
Shuffling your sleep and wake times every day can confuse your body.
“If you wake up two hours later than usual, cortisol will have been produced too early, and you’ll experience this social jet lag where the hormones that give you energy in the morning and help you go to sleep in the evening aren’t running in time with your normal day,” he says.
Patrick sets himself a hard deadline of going to bed by 22:30, aiming to be asleep by 23:15, with his alarm set at 06:45 each day.
“That gives me the opportunity for seven hours and while I’m not stressed if I don’t hit it, I know if I get that right I’ll tend to feel more rested.”
3. Seek daylight for 10-15 minutes within the first hour of waking
Once awake, Patrick recommends “letting bright light into the back of your eye” to give your circadian biology the cues it needs to get you ready for the day ahead.
The perfect scenario would be to get outside in sunlight, possibly combined with a light walk.
But artificial light produced by LED alarms or light therapy boxes that emit bright, UV-filtered white light to mimic natural sunlight can also do the trick.
If you don’t manage to get seven hours of sleep or keep your wake and sleep times consistent, bright light first thing in the morning can help reset your circadian rhythm.
4. Make your bedroom as dark as possible
Minimizing light exposure in the evening signals to your body that it’s time to sleep.
Patrick says you want your bedroom to be as “dark as you can tolerate.”
That means avoiding taking your phone to bed and limiting use of your laptop and TV.
5. Lower your core temperature by one degree
Another factor affecting your circadian biology is temperature.
“We want to cool our body temperature before bed,” says Patrick.
That might mean avoiding late meals, which can raise core temperature, as well as exercising or working too late into the evening
For others, it’s taking a quick shower before bed, which can bring more blood to the surface of the skin, helping your body lose heat in the early stages of the night.
Intelligent sleep systems, like Eight Sleep, can also lower the temperature of your bed to suit your individual needs.
What to do if your sleep is still poor
If you don't see improvements after ticking off all the above, Patrick says three other behavioral factors could be disrupting your sleep.
First, he says, you need to look at avoiding caffeine after lunch.
Next, avoid alcohol altogether, which he describes as “the greatest sleep disruptor” of all.
Then, if you’re still struggling, you might need to experiment with practices like journaling, breathwork or yoga to help clear and calm your mind.
“However, I’ve not met many people who have ticked off all of the above behaviors and still struggled,” he says.
“In most cases, when we've got those key biological cues right, we unlock the body's single best opportunity to recover and restore energy.”
Oli Patrick graduated from Birmingham University with a degree in Exercise Sciences. In 2004 he created the UK’s first level-7 diploma in health and wellbeing physiology. He has worked as the professional lead of the physiology and nutrition department at Nuffield Health, redesigned corporate health assessments as director of wellbeing at Latus Health, and is the host and co-host of several podcasts, including the “Energy Equation” podcast by High Performance.
