3 Easy Ways I Improved Sleep QUALITY

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I had an “ah hah” moment last week while on my long run. I was listening to the Whoop podcast with Dan Churchill. It takes a lot to impress me. And this guy is impressive. He has a busy, physical day job (chef at a fancy Brooklyn hot spot), is on a book tour and oh yeah, no big deal, just finished the Boston Marathon. He talked about his challenge with getting his ideal QUANTITY of sleep based on his activity and how he focuses on improving his sleep QUALITY. I really resonated with him as I just can’t seem to stay asleep for more than 5-6 hours during the week despite needing 7-9 hours of sleep to perform at my best (physically, mentally and emotionally). I’ve been so hyper focused on extending my sleep that it never occurred to me I could “cheat it” by improving the quality. 

Now Dan does all the Andrew Huberman-ish “bio hack” stuff like cold plunges and infrared therapy. Maybe one day I’ll jump into all that business, but I’m a slow adopter to fads. I did gleam a few easy tips that I can’t believe are measurably working. Maybe they are placebo, maybe not. The fact is my sleep quality and recovery have MEASURABLY improved by adding the following three things to my pre-bedtime routine. 

  1. Magnesium supplement. The link between magnesium supplements and sleep quality in the research is a bit lacking but it’s growing. I’m not a doctor and don’t prescribe or recommend supplements. I am simply sharing my personal experience. Talk to your doctor before trying any supplement to ensure it’s appropriate for you. And be sure to consider the appropriate dose for your biological sex, age and diet.

  2. Kiwi. I cringe at the ridiculousness of telling people “fix your sleep by eating a kiwi for dessert”. CRINGE. But folks, I did it (hey, kiwi are healthy and yummy) because Dan did it. And I was desperate for better sleep. There is research that supports this practice.

  3. MoonBrew Night Time Superfoods Hot Cocoa. Probably overkill to drink this in addition to taking Magnesium, but my husband brought it home and we decided to try it. It has a bunch of stuff you’ll likely recognize (Chamomile, Lavender, Valerian) and some you don’t (Turkey Tail, Bai He and Jujube Seed). We mix it with water (you can improve the taste with milk). It’s pricey. 

Gimmicky? Maybe. But looking at my sleep quality these things seem to be helping. How do I know? Typically Wednesdays are a low recovery score for me (lots of activity on Saturday-Tuesday, less than great sleep quantity). Usually I’m in the yellow or red.

Let’s look at Wed April 24 (before I added the new habits). I was at 59% sleep and 57% recovery. Not terrible. Not great. Typical. Now let’s look at Wed May 1 (one week after starting the new habits). My activity remained the same and so did my sleep quantity (61%) and diet. But my recovery went up to 86%. I NEVER am in the green on Wednesdays. 

Maybe it was just a flook? I don’t think so. You can see a similar jump in my Tuesday too. Went from 39% recovery and 72% sleep on Tues April 23 to 86% recovery and 74% sleep on Tues April 30.

Hello my name is JJ and I like data. And now I eat kiwi before bed.