Shaving an hour off your sleep requirements gains you 365 hours a year to do stuff. Improving the quality of existing sleep can turn a thousand tired, unproductive hours into fun, energetic, productive hours.

Sleep is by far one of my most important things to get under control, given how much energy levels affect quality of life, and given how much time is spent asleep.

Ensuring Good Sleep

Avoid the Obvious Sleep Disruptors – Don’t drink a lot of alcohol, don’t eat large meals right before bed, don’t have caffeine past mid-afternoon, don’t watch super-intense movies right before bed, etc.

Melatonin – I take less than one milligram roughly a half-hour before bed. Really helps me fall asleep quickly and maintain a 24-hour sleep cycle. Unclear whether it helps me sleep better.

Darkness – My room at night is quite dark. I unplug as many light sources as possible, and I cover up the ones I can’t avoid.

Unwind Time – Roughly between when I take my melatonin and when I want to fall asleep, I try to unwind and relax as much as possible, usually by reading fiction on my Kindle, often in bed.

Consistent Length – I always aim for 7.5 hours of sleep, though occasionally alow longer sleep if it seems necessary. While I do strive for consistency in when I go to bed and wake up, I find locking in the duration of sleep better than forcing a consistent schedule.

White Noise – I have a white-noise generator that fills my room with background noise (sounds a lot like a fan) while I sleep.

Alarm Clock Placement – Related to the above, I always put my alarm clock (usually the same old iPhone that’s playing background noise) on the other side of the room, so that I have to get out of bed to turn it off.

Absolutely No Snoozing – When I do use one, I avoid snoozing my alarm clock as much as humanly possible. Getting out of bed immediately when you wake up (or are woken up by an alarm clock) feels shitty at first, but always makes me feel better in the long-run.

F.lux – A free Mac app that takes out blue light from your display at night. I also generally try to avoid using my computer or other devices for at least the hour before I go to bed.

Good Equipment – You use it every night, so spend the time to find the mattress, pillow, and sheets that work for you! I use a memory-foam pillow well-suited to the fact that I’m a side-sleeper.

Exercise – Exercise also has a big impact on sleep. See the Exercise section for details on that.