Protocols / SLEEP

Deep Sleep Protocol

Fall asleep faster and wake up recovered.

Most poor sleep improves with a few rules that sleep clinics use: a fixed wake time, using the bed only for sleep, and getting up when you can't sleep. This protocol starts with the signs that need a doctor, then gives you those rules, a two-week diary, an evening light and screen plan, and an honest look at magnesium and melatonin.

€7 · one-time payment · instant PDF · by Anthony Falcone

What's included

  • When to see a doctor: sleep apnoea and insomnia signs
  • CBT-I rules: fixed wake time and stimulus control
  • Two-week sleep diary
  • Evening light and screen plan
  • Magnesium and melatonin: the honest evidence
  • 19 peer-reviewed references

Built for

More Energy · Sleep & Recovery

Inside the PDF: 8 chapters

  1. Before You Start: When to See a Doctor: Most poor sleep improves with the habits in this guide. Some sleep problems are medical and need a diagnosis first. Read this page before anything else.
  2. What Actually Improves Sleep: Adults need 7 or more hours of sleep a night on a regular basis (Watson et al., 2015). If you struggle to get it, the order in which you fix things matters: schedule and behaviour first, light and bedroom next, supplements last.
  3. Your Sleep Window: The two most useful parts of CBT-I are a fixed wake time and stimulus control: teaching your body again that bed means sleep. Both are free and you can start tonight.
  4. Quiet the Mind: A racing mind is the most common complaint in insomnia. Relaxation techniques are a recommended treatment option on their own (Edinger et al., 2021), and they fit into the last part of your evening.
  5. Evening Light and Screens: Light is the strongest signal for your body clock. Bright days and dim evenings help you get sleepy at the right time. This chapter covers the evening; the Morning Protocol covers the daytime half.
  6. Bedroom and Evening Habits: Your body cools down at night as you fall asleep. A cool bedroom and a warm shower both help, and the timing of caffeine and alcohol matters more than most people think.
  7. Supplements and Melatonin: Supplements come last, after the habits above. Here is what the evidence actually says, and the limits we keep to.
  8. Your Nightly Routine: Put it together. The times count back from your bedtime and forward from your fixed wake time. Run it for two weeks with the sleep diary before you judge it: CBT-I works over weeks, not one night.

Safety notes

  • If you nod off while driving or in other risky situations, stop driving until you have seen a doctor. Daytime sleepiness this strong is a medical issue, not a willpower one.
  • If you take sleeping tablets, don't stop them suddenly. Some cause withdrawal and rebound insomnia. Plan any reduction with your doctor.
  • Don't do sleep restriction on your own if you have bipolar disorder, epilepsy, a history of falls, or a job or commute where sleepiness is dangerous. Talk to your doctor first. In any sleep programme, don't drive if you feel sleepy.
  • Don't rely on blue-light glasses. A Cochrane review of 17 trials found that their effect on sleep is unknown: of six trials that measured sleep, three found an improvement and three found none, and the certainty of the evidence was very low (Singh et al., 2023). Dimming your lights does what the glasses promise, for free.
  • Don't take magnesium supplements if you have kidney disease unless your doctor agrees. Magnesium can reduce the absorption of some antibiotics and osteoporosis medicines; take them at a different time and ask your pharmacist.
  • Don't use melatonin if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and don't give it to children without a doctor. It can interact with other medicines, including other sleep medicines, some antidepressants and blood thinners. It can cause next-day drowsiness: don't drive if you feel it.

References (19)

  1. Benjafield, A.V. et al. (2019). Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: a literature-based analysis. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 7(8), 687-698. doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(19)30198-5
  2. Kapur, V.K. et al. (2017). Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnostic Testing for Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 13(3), 479-504. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6506
  3. Riemann, D. et al. (2023). The European Insomnia Guideline: An update on the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia 2023. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(6), e14035. doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14035
  4. Watson, N.F. et al. (2015). Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep, 38(6), 843-844. doi.org/10.5665/sleep.4716
  5. Trauer, J.M. et al. (2015). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine, 163(3), 191-204. doi.org/10.7326/M14-2841
  6. Edinger, J.D. et al. (2021). Behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia disorder in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 17(2), 255-262. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.8986
  7. Kyle, S.D. et al. (2014). Sleep Restriction Therapy for Insomnia is Associated with Reduced Objective Total Sleep Time, Increased Daytime Somnolence, and Objectively Impaired Vigilance: Implications for the Clinical Management of Insomnia Disorder. Sleep, 37(2), 229-237. doi.org/10.5665/sleep.3386
  8. Gooley, J.J. et al. (2011). Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 96(3), E463-E472. doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-2098
  9. Chang, A.M. et al. (2015). Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(4), 1232-1237. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418490112
  10. Brown, T.M. et al. (2022). Recommendations for daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep, and wakefulness in healthy adults. PLOS Biology, 20(3), e3001571. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001571
  11. Singh, S. et al. (2023). Blue-light filtering spectacle lenses for visual performance, sleep, and macular health in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023(8), CD013244. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013244.pub2
  12. Okamoto-Mizuno, K. & Mizuno, K. (2012). Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm. Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 31(1), 14. doi.org/10.1186/1880-6805-31-14
  13. Haghayegh, S. et al. (2019). Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 46, 124-135. doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2019.04.008
  14. Drake, C. et al. (2013). Caffeine Effects on Sleep Taken 0, 3, or 6 Hours before Going to Bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 9(11), 1195-1200. doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.3170
  15. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2015). Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal, 13(5), 4102. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4102
  16. Ebrahim, I.O. et al. (2013). Alcohol and Sleep I: Effects on Normal Sleep. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 37(4), 539-549. doi.org/10.1111/acer.12006
  17. Mah, J. & Pitre, T. (2021). Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 21(1), 125. doi.org/10.1186/s12906-021-03297-z
  18. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2015). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for magnesium. EFSA Journal, 13(7), 4186. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4186
  19. Ferracioli-Oda, E. et al. (2013). Meta-Analysis: Melatonin for the Treatment of Primary Sleep Disorders. PLoS ONE, 8(5), e63773. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063773

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General education, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, take medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before you start.