Sleep enough

Welcome to week 1 of our ongoing series, starting with the Body. More posts will follow in January, this is a sneak preview to what it will look like!

Why it matters

Sleep is the basis. Without sleep, you won’t exercise, you will eat junk food, you won’t be able to focus at work, and so on. We’ve all been there.

Why is that? Sleep is not merely “resting.” It is an active biological state where your body performs essential repair and maintenance.

• It repairs your body and brain: During deep sleep, your brain actively waste products that build up during the day, and your body repairs damage, builds muscle, and reduces inflammation.

• It fuels willpower and performance: Sleep deprivation creates a “willpower deficit.” Whether you are aiming for dietary adherence or complex work, adequate sleep is necessary fuel.

• It maintains emotional stability: A tired brain struggles with regulation. Good sleep keeps your mood steady.

Top three things to do

The most effective interventions are often simple and cost nothing but require discipline.

1. Go to bed at a consistent time so you don’t need an alarm.

Your body relies on a rigid internal clock (the circadian rhythm). The single best way to set this clock is to go to bed at exactly the same time every day, including weekends. This anchors your hormones and greatly improves sleep onset at night.

You will know that you get enough sleep if you wake up consistently before your alarm and feel rested. If you don’t, move sleep time earlier.

Think of adjusting your sleep schedule like treating jet lag. You might need a few tries before your body gets used to the new bedtime.

I used to think I was a night owl... procrastinated going to bed every night because I was worried I couldn’t fall asleep, partied on weekends and 9-to-5ing during the week, always at the mercy of my alarm.

Three months ago I moved in with my partner: she goes to bed at nine or ten, also on weekends. I gave it a try. Complete game changer. Now I wake up every morning without an alarm, rested, happy. And if I still party I go to bed even earlier the next day.

Not saying that everybody should do this but that there is lots of value in experimenting.

— Christoph

2. Minimise stimulation

In order to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep with few interruptions, you need to reduce all kinds of stimulations. Here are the most common ones:

• Darkness: Get an eye mask and blackout blinds.

• Silence: Get earplugs (try silicone), a quiet flat, flatmates that have similar schedules.

• Coolness: Turn off your heating at night in Winter, use A/C or a fan in summer.

• Stress: Avoid your phone, social media (also helps with darkness), the news, etc, before bed.

• Diet: Avoid caffeine and alcohol, and food late at night. Try herbal tea instead.

I always identified with having issues sleeping; I’d often wake up multiple times a night and have no idea why. I tried all the usual advice, earlier bedtime, no phone in bed, herbal tea (btw, these are all good ideas to try!), but nothing really moved the needle. I’d still jolt awake in the middle of the night, wired and frustrated, then drag myself through the next day on caffeine and willpower.

Eventually, I started paying closer attention and realised something simple: it wasn’t my mind waking me up, it was my environment. A neighbour’s door slamming, construction (often very loud in London), cars outside, my partner turning over in bed, a bit of light sneaking through the curtains, tiny things, but just enough to pull me out of sleep, over and over again.

So I decided to treat my bedroom like a sensory deprivation tank. I got blackout blinds. I started wearing an eye mask. And the biggest game-changer of all, silicone earplugs that mould to your ear shape. I stopped waking up to every random noise. My sleep went from broken 5–6 hour chunks to solid 7–9 hour stretches. I woke up feeling rested, instead of groggy.

I’d always thought fixing my sleep would be complicated. In the end, the most powerful change was incredibly simple. Cutting out as much noise and light as possible. For you, it might be something different, but just as simple.

— Cam

3. If you can’t sleep, leave the bed immediately.

This is the core principle of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), the clinical gold standard for treating chronic sleep issues. If you have been awake for 15–20 minutes, you risk associating the bed with frustration. Break that link: go to another room, keep the lights dim, and return to bed only when genuinely sleepy.

For chronic insomnia, supplements are rarely sufficient. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line recommendation, offering better long-term outcomes than many pharmacological approaches.

We’d love to put a quote of somebody here who struggled with chronic sleep issues. If that’s you, join our community, share your story, and we’ll feature you here!

Try one thing this week

Do not attempt to change everything at once. Focus on implementing one high-value habit immediately. You probably know best what resonated, but here are some ideas:

• Set a strict wake-up time for the next 7 days.

• Acquire a sleep mask or earplugs.

• Implement the 15-minute rule if you wake up tonight.

• Reach out to a specialist if you have tried all of the above already

• Check out this longer list of sleep interventions

Next up: Nutrition

This was a test-post for Euzoia. We will continue the series in January with a post on our next principle - “Eat balanced”.

Have stories to share on that topic? We’d love to hear them! Join our community and help us work out the best actionable advice for eating a balanced diet.