Better Sleep,

Better
Performance
PROVEN PRACTICES TO SLEEP
BETTER WITH SKILL

JD Meier
jdmeier.com
The quality of your sleep
is the quality of your
combined Core, REM, and
Deep Sleep, aligned with
your Circadian Rhythm.
 About This Sleep Guide
• I know how important quality sleep is for sustainable
high performance, so I wanted to create a guide that
can help you achieve that with skill.

• I also know how painful life is when you can’t get the
sleep you need.

• I find a lot of sleep guidance to be generic, repetitive,

wrong, not insightful, or not actionable enough.

• In this guide I put my best insights and actions from a

couple of decades of practice and learning from
everyone around me, as well as studying and applying
advice from experts proven practices.

• The most important thing to remind is that figuring out

your best sleep patterns is a journey, and it’s dynamic
over time, as things change.

I hope this sleep guide serves you well. Even if you

don’t need this sleep guide, please share it with
someone who does. You can’t imagine what a
difference you might make.
 3 Types of Sleep:
Core, REM, and Deep Sleep

1. Core Sleep: Essential for basic mental and

physical functions, core sleep includes critical
portions of deep and REM sleep needed for
daily restoration and alertness.

2. REM Sleep: Characterized by rapid eye

movements and vivid dreaming, REM sleep
facilitates emotional regulation, memory
processing, and learning, enhancing brain
activity and cognitive function.

3. Deep Sleep: The most restorative sleep phase,

deep sleep focuses on physical recovery,
immune strength, and hormonal balance, vital
for cell repair, growth, and overall health
maintenance.
 The 8 Hour Myth

• When someone says you need 8 hours of sleep,

it’s a myth.

• The reality is you need your personal

combination of Core, REM, and Deep Sleep.

• You might feel great with 5 or 6 hours of sleep, if

you have enough of your Deep Sleep and REM
sleep, with long enough durations of each.

• You might feel great with 1 hour of Deep Sleep,

90 minutes of REM, and the rest Core sleep.

Targeting 8 hours of sleep might help you find your

pattern of perfect sleep and give you more
chances to achieve long enough durations in
Deep Sleep and REM sleep.
 The 90 Minutes of
Deep Sleep Myth

• 90 minutes of Deep Sleep sounds like good

advice…after all, it’s what Dr. Andrew Huberman
and others tell us it’s what we need.

• It’s necessary, but insufficient.

• You need your personal combination of Core,

REM, and Deep Sleep .

• You also might find, if you monitor your sleep,

that 60 minutes of Deep Sleep is enough for you.

So, in your pursuit of Deep Sleep, keep in mind it’s

part of the story, and it may be 90 minutes, or it
might be less, or it might be more.
 The 11 to 7
Sleep Pattern
• When I was researching sleep patterns for my
productivity system, Agile Results, I polled as many
people as I could across Microsoft and beyond Microsoft
about when they went to sleep and woke up.

• It was easily more than 100 people, but I’m not sure of
the exact number of people I polled.

• I noticed an interesting pattern—11 PM to 7 AM was a

very common pattern among super effective people.

• I shared the 11 to 7 pattern in my book, Getting Results

the Agile Way, not as a recommendation for you, but as
an interesting insight and baseline.

• Two decades after my research, Ben Greenfield, one of

the top health & fitness coaches in the world, wrote
about the 11 PM to 7 AM pattern for sleep and explained
how it lines up with your circadian rhythm.

• You still have to find what works for you, but it’s
interesting that this was 11 PM to 7 AM was a very
common pattern at a point in time.
 Your Circadian
Rhythm

Your circadian rhythm, your "body clock," is a natural,

internal system designed to regulate feelings of sleepiness
and wakefulness over a 24-hour period.

This rhythm is influenced by environmental cues, especially

light, which helps to determine when you feel awake and
alert versus sleepy and relaxed.
 Optimizing Your
Circadian Rhythm
How Circadian Rhythm Aligns with Sleep:

1.Timing of Sleep: The circadian rhythm helps regulate the timing of

sleep by controlling the release of melatonin, a hormone that
promotes sleep. It typically increases in the evening when it gets
dark, helping you feel sleepy, and decreases in the morning when it's
light, helping you wake up.

2.Sleep Stages: Throughout the night, your circadian rhythm works in

tandem with another process known as the sleep-wake
homeostasis, which signals when your body needs sleep (based on
how long you’ve been awake) and helps cycle you through various
sleep stages — from light sleep to deep sleep and REM sleep.

3.Quality of Sleep: Disruptions in your circadian rhythm, such as

exposure to light at night or changes in your usual sleep schedule
(like jet lag or shift work), can lead to poor sleep quality, difficulty
falling asleep, or waking up too early.

Optimizing Circadian Rhythm for Better Sleep:

• Regular Exposure to Natural Light: Spend time outside during

daylight hours to help reinforce the strongest cue for maintaining a
healthy circadian rhythm.

• Consistent Sleep Schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the

same time every day, even on weekends, reinforces your circadian
rhythm and improves sleep quality.

• Manage Light Exposure: Avoid bright light in the evening, especially

blue light from screens, as it can delay the release of melatonin and
shift your circadian phase to a later time.
 Get Enough Quality
CORE, REM, and Deep Sleep
and Align with
Your Circadian Rhythm
• It’s not as simple as “get 90 minutes of deep
sleep.” (If that’s all you got, you might feel
terrible)

• If you get enough Deep Sleep, but not enough

REM, you might feel physically capable, but not
alert and mentally groggy.

• If you feel get enough REM, but not enough Deep

Sleep you might feel alert, but physically drained
and sluggish.

• It’s your combination of the three types that

counts.

• Align with your circadian rhythm, your internal

“body clock” to optimize your sleep.
 What’s the End Game
for Better Sleep?

1. You want to find your ideal patterns for what

time to go to sleep and wakeup (and how to
prep).
2. You want to figure out your personal
combinations of your best Core, REM, and
Deep Sleep patterns.
3. You want to figure out your recovery patterns
when your night does not go as planned.
 Example of an
Ideal Sleep Pattern

Sleep is a personal thing--Your ideal pattern is

something you have to figure out for yourself.

Here is an example of a sleep pattern for

someone who has monitored their sleep for years
and figured out what they need:

• 5 or 6 hours max (in peak shape)

• 60-90 minutes of Deep Sleep, 90 minutes of
REM, the rest is Core
• Longer intervals of each sleep type vs.
fragmented
• No caffeine after 3 PM
• No food or drinks after 6 PM
• “Digital Sunset” one hour or more before bed
• Ideal sleep window starting around midnight
Owls, Larks, and Hummingbirds:
Which One Are You?
Dr. John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist and author,
discusses the concept of chronotypes in his work, particularly in his
book "Brain Rules."

Chronotypes refer to the natural inclination of individuals toward

being more active and alert at certain times of the day, categorized
mainly as "owls," "larks," or "hummingbirds":

1.Owls: Owls are people who naturally stay up late and feel most
energetic and productive in the evening hours. They often struggle
with traditional early morning schedules because their peak
productivity happens later in the day.

2.Larks: Larks are early risers who feel most alert and productive in
the early morning hours. They tend to wake up early even on days off
and may find their energy waning in the late afternoon or evening.

3.Hummingbirds: The majority of people fall into this category.

Hummingbirds have a more flexible circadian rhythm that allows
them to adapt relatively easily to both early and late schedules,
though they may have a slight preference for morning or evening.

Dr. Medina emphasizes that these chronotypes are biologically

ingrained, and understanding your own can help you optimize your
productivity by aligning work and activities with your body’s natural
energy fluctuations.

This insight can be particularly useful for scheduling tasks that require
more concentration and mental effort at times when you're naturally
more alert.
 Tony Robbins’
Sleep Pattern

To shake things up, Tony Robbins’ sleep pattern

for years was going to bed at 2 or 3 AM, and
waking up at 7 AM.

It worked for him.

He must have mastered his Core, REM, and Deep

Sleep patterns, and got to a point where he was
recharged after 4 or 5 hours of sleep.

The point is this—what works for Tony Robbins

doesn’t mean it works for you.

But it also means that sleep patterns among

people can vary wildly.
 Digital Sunset

• "Digital Sunset" is the practice of turning off your

digital devices such as smartphones,
computers, and televisions a certain amount of
time before you go to bed, typically an hour or
more.

• This practice is part of a broader effort to

improve sleep quality and overall well-being by
reducing exposure to blue light and digital
stimulation, which can interfere with the natural
sleep cycle.

• The concept of "Digital Sunset" was popularized

by Tristan Harris, a former design ethicist at
Google and a prominent advocate in the tech
industry for more ethical use of technology.
Simple Solutions
for
Better Sleep
 Dr. Andrew Huberman’s
Guide to Better Sleep
1. Light Exposure:
• Morning Light: Get exposure to natural sunlight within the first hour of
waking up to help set your circadian rhythm, which aids in better sleep at
night.
• Evening Light: Reduce exposure to blue light from screens in the evening,
ideally using blue light-blocking glasses if necessary and aiming for a digital
sunset.
2. Temperature Regulation:
• Keep your sleeping environment cool. Lowering the body temperature can
promote faster sleep onset and deeper sleep.
3. Consistent Sleep Schedule:
• Maintain a regular sleep and wake schedule, even on weekends, to
stabilize your body's internal clock.
4. Supplements:
• Use supplements judiciously. Dr. Huberman has mentioned the potential
benefits of magnesium threonate or magnesium bisglycinate, theanine,
and apigenin to help facilitate relaxation and sleep.
5. Wind-Down Routine:
• Develop a pre-sleep routine that helps signal to your body that it's time to
wind down and prepare for sleep. This might include reading, meditation,
or light stretching.
6. Avoid Stimulants:
• Avoid caffeine and other stimulants in the late afternoon and evening, as
they can interfere with the ability to fall asleep.
7. Daytime Naps:
• Be cautious with naps, especially long ones or those taken late in the day,
as they can disrupt your nighttime sleep.
 4-7-8 Breathing:
Exhale –Emphasized Breathing
To prep for sleep, it helps to have a reliable way to slow
your heart rate down.

One of the insights that Dr. Andrew Huberman shares is

this:

“You know that exhale-emphasized breathing will slow

your heart down, and inhale-emphasized breathing will
speed your heart up.”
-- Dr. Andrew Huberman

One technique for exhale-emphasized breathing is from

Dr. Andrew Weil.

It’s very simple but takes practice:

1. Inhale through your nose to a count of 4.
2. Hold your breath for a count of 7.
3. Exhale through your mouth forcefully, making a
“whoosh” sound for a count of 8.

Dr. Weil explains that while it’s a simple set of steps, it

does take practice, especially exhaling for a count of 8
while forcefully blowing out your breath with the “whoosh”
sound. (Watch his videos to see how he does it).
 Paul McKenna’s Book:
I Can Make You Sleep

In my experience, this book is the gold standard and

has multiple proven practices to help you get to sleep,
stay asleep, and rest well.
 Image Streaming:
My Favorite Technique from
I Can Make You Sleep
If I can’t seem to fall asleep right away, and I’m not in
the mood for a Sleep Story, my go-to method is Image
Streaming, from I Can Make You Sleep.

It’s simple—you describe a scene with all your senses

and you narrate to yourself with your internal voice in a
slow, monotonous tone:

• Now I see the ocean.

• Now I hear the crashing of the waves on the beath
below me.
• Now I see the setting sun glinting on the waves far out
to see.
• Now I can feel the sun on my body.
Etc.

I use my senses to feel the sun on my back, feel the

sand beneath my toes, smell the salty air, smell the
boardwalk, hear the seagulls nearby, etc.

I found that it’s using my senses more fully, that

immerses me in the experience, and, I never remember
how it ends, because I always fall deep asleep.
 Sleep Stories
Going to bed to Sleep Stories has been a total
game changer for me.

Sleep Stories let me choose my adventure

whether it’s take a scenic railroad, go camping in
the words, or fly a magic carpet.

I found the key to falling asleep well and

immersing yourself in the Sleep Story is to try to
remember the story well enough that you can tell
someone about it the next day, even just to
yourself.

Good luck actually recounting the story.

You can find Sleep Stories in lots of apps, but my

app of choice is Insights Timer—it’s free, it works,
and I like their huge and growing library.
 Insights Timer

I had a hard time finding the app – the name

doesn’t help.

It’s been worth it, and it gives me access to a wide

library of Sleep Stories.
 My First Sleep Story

Desert Nights of the Sahara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKhpi3gtaw4

I was so lucky that I had a great experience with my first Sleep

Story.

It was a story from Michelle’s Sanctuary called Desert Nights

of the Sahara (it’s in Insights Timer).

I felt like I was on a real magic carpet ride at night with wind in
my hard and the ripple of the carpet below my beneath me.
 Caffeine, Food, and
Alcohol

• Beware of the impact of caffeine, food, alcohol,

and supplements, on your sleep.

• For many people, avoiding caffeine after 3 PM

can help.

• Avoiding food and drinks after 6 PM can help

avoid both having to urinate in the night and
having your digestion disrupt your sleep.
 Keep a Yellow Sticky Pad
by Your Bed

I found that if I don’t have a way to capture my

thoughts or ideas, then they can keep me up.

I found that by keeping a pen and pad by my bed, I

could easily jot down thoughts or ideas, so they
don’t torment me through the night or keep me
awake (and so I could remember them in the
morning).

My favorite tool of choice is a yellow sticky pad

and a pen (I could even jot things down in the
dark).
 2-Minute Military Method
to Fall Asleep Fast

Imagine if you could fall asleep in 2 minutes under any

condition and wake up well rested.

The military needed a proven technique to ensure their

fighter pilots could perform their best under stress and
good sleep was key to their performance.

The technique in a nutshell, boils down to 3 main

steps:

1. Relax your body

2. Relax your mind
3. Clear your mind of active thoughts for 10
seconds

The beauty is that anybody can learn how to fall asleep

fast with the military method.

The key to instant sleep is to relax your body, relax your

mind, and then clear your mind of any active thoughts
for 10 seconds.
 How To Practice
Relaxing Physically
1. Relax Your Head
• Close your eyes, breathe slowly and deeply.
• Relax your scalp, forehead, jaw, face muscles, tongue,
and lips.
• Let your eye muscles go limp.

2. Relax Your Upper Body

• Lower your shoulders and chin to release neck tension.
• Relax your chest with deep breaths, exhale tensions.
• Let your arms go limp, feeling the weight and tingling as
blood flows.

3. Mental Association
• Feel the relaxation and warmth, associating this state
with the word “calm”.

4. Relax Your Lower Body

• Allow your thigh, calf, ankle, and foot muscles on each
leg to feel heavy and boneless.

5. Deep Breathing
• Take three deep breaths, exhaling any remaining tension
with each breath.
 How To Practice Relaxing
Mentally (and Stop Thinking)
To get to sleep within 2 minutes and achieve better sleep, you also
have to learn how to relax mentally.

Here is a summary of the approach that the authors share to

practice relaxing your mind and stopping any mental chatter and
thoughts.

Here are 3 ways to relax mentally and stop thinking:

1. Looking Up from a Canoe on a Lake – “The first thing I try is

visualizing a scene on a warm Spring day where I am lying on
the cushioned bottom of a canoe looking up at some very white,
billowy, cumulus clouds lazily floating across the sky. It is very
pleasant. I let no physical activity creep into that beautiful
picture. No paddling the canoe or anything like that. I am just
comfortably floating and very, very relaxed.” Hold this picture
for 10 seconds.

2. A Black Velvet Hammock – “Try visualizing yourself on a black

velvet hammock and everywhere you look it shows black.“ Hold
this picture for 10 seconds.

3.Say “Don’t Think” – “If that doesn’t work, just say silently ‘don’t
think’, ‘don’t think’, don’t think’ so no other thought can creep in.

Note that you only need to use the first technique that works. In
other words, if looking up from the canoe on a lake works, then
stick with that.

If that technique does not work, then try visualizing a black velvet
hammock.
 The Last Resort Trick to
Stop Thinking
If the first 3 methods don’t work to help you relax
mentally and stop your thoughts, then here is a last
resort.

Bud Winter and Jimson share a technique to help you

quiet your mind so you can fall asleep.

Winter and Lee write:

“The last resort trick I use to block out problem thinking

is to close my eyes and imagine I am looking at a blank
television screen.

Then I ask myself, ‘What do you see? What do you

see?’

Soon things appear on the screen and I describe them

to myself.

Amazing scenes produced by my subconscious mind

blot out worrisome cares of the real world and soon I
am asleep.”
Daytime Recovery
for Relaxation,
Stress, and
Enhanced Learning
 NSDR:
Non-Sleep Deep Rest
Dr. Andrew Huberman advocates for the use of non-sleep deep
rest (NSDR) techniques to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and
enhance learning.

He highlights a few methods for achieving NSDR, including:

• Yoga Nidra: A form of guided meditation that aims to induce a

state of deep relaxation while remaining awake. It involves
following a script that guides the body through various stages of
relaxation and awareness, helping the brain to enter a state
similar to sleep but while conscious.

• Focused Breathing Exercises: Techniques like the 4-7-8

breathing method or box breathing, which involve controlled
inhalations, exhalations, and holds, can significantly calm the
nervous system and reduce stress.

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This involves tensing and then

relaxing different muscle groups in the body, which can reduce
physical tension and mental anxiety, leading to a state of
deeper relaxation.

• Autogenic Training: A practice where you silently repeat

phrases to yourself that promote relaxation and reduce muscle
tension.

Dr. Huberman emphasizes that these techniques can be

particularly effective in the middle of the day or before sleep, as
they help to reset the stress response system, improve the
efficiency of sleep, and enhance overall well-being.
Be More, Achieve More
with Agile Results
Getting Results the Agile Way
By JD Meier

Master Your Focus,

Flow, and Fulfillment
Where to Grow
for More?

JD Meier
https://JDMeier.com

Unleash Your
Greatest Impact!