Habits That Support Better Sleep
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In this clip from Dr. Rhonda Patrick's appearance on The Mel Robbins Podcast, she outlines a practical sleep audit built around adequate sleep, morning light, regular timing, earlier meals, and alcohol awareness. Bright morning light helps anchor the circadian clock and can shift sleep timing earlier when a person's internal rhythm is delayed. Clinical evidence also suggests that light therapy can modestly reduce wakefulness after sleep onset in people with insomnia. [1] [2]
A broadly consistent wake time gives the body another daily timing cue. Large wearable studies have associated greater sleep regularity with better long-term health outcomes, while small controlled trials suggest that late dinners can worsen overnight glucose handling. A recent randomized trial also found that extending the overnight fasting interval improved nighttime diastolic blood-pressure dipping. Together, these findings support regular sleep and meal timing as complementary parts of circadian health. [3] [4] [5]
Alcohol can make sleep onset feel easier while changing the structure of sleep later in the night. A meta-analysis found that alcohol delays REM onset and reduces REM duration, with larger effects at higher doses. Morning light, adequate sleep opportunity, regular timing, and avoiding alcohol near bedtime provide a useful foundation for better sleep. Persistent insomnia, loud snoring, gasping, or marked daytime sleepiness may require clinical evaluation rather than sleep-hygiene changes alone. [6]
This clip is excerpted, with permission, from Dr. Rhonda Patrick's appearance on The Mel Robbins Podcast. Thank you to The Mel Robbins Podcast for allowing us to share it.
- ^ 10.1111/j.1469-7793.2000.00695.x
- ^ Chambe J; Reynaud E; Maruani J; Fraih E; Geoffroy PA; Bourgin P (2023). Light therapy in insomnia disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sleep Res 32, 6.
- ^ 10.1093/sleep/zsad253
- ^ 10.1210/clinem/dgaa354
- ^ 10.1161/atvbaha.125.323355
- ^ Gardiner, Carissa; Weakley, Jonathon; Burke, Louise M.; Roach, Gregory D.; Sargent, Charli; Maniar, Nirav, et al. (2024). The Effect Of Alcohol On Subsequent Sleep In Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Sleep Medicine Reviews , .
Mel Robbins: I have a quick question. Someone may be listening and saying, “I have been doing everything. I have been going to the gym, watching what I eat, drinking water, and trying to sleep, but nothing is changing.”
Dr. Patrick, what is the first thing you would have that person audit about their lifestyle?
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: For someone who thinks they are doing all the right things, I would first ask: Are you getting seven and a half to nine hours of sleep? I mean actual sleep, not only being in bed for seven and a half to nine hours.
I would also ask whether you get bright-light exposure within 30 minutes of waking for at least 15 to 30 minutes. That resets your biological or circadian clock.
Every organ in the body has a clock. Metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis, immune function, and hormone production all run on clocks. You want to reset that clock every morning, and bright light is the reset.
The master regulator in the brain is the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Light resets it so the brain and body know that the day has started and can produce hormones at the right time.
Bright light helps produce cortisol. We have all heard of cortisol and may be afraid of it, but it is important. You want a large cortisol peak first thing in the morning because it helps wake you and gives you energy. Cortisol regulates many genes and important processes.
What you do not want is a small, prolonged cortisol response throughout the day. You want the strong morning peak rather than a slow stress response.
Morning bright light also helps the body know when to sleep. Melatonin can rise at the right time, core body temperature can fall during sleep, and heart rate can decrease. These processes are controlled by the circadian clock.
I would also ask whether you wake at the same time every morning. A consistent wake time is another signal for the clock. The body anticipates when it is supposed to wake. If wake times are constantly erratic because of late socializing or other changes, the brain has difficulty timing the hormones and processes that affect sleep.
Next, I would ask whether you eat within three hours of going to bed. You do not want to be digesting food while you sleep. If you eat an hour before bed, digestion can continue for hours. Digestion activates the sympathetic nervous system and raises signals associated with wakefulness. You may be asleep, but the body is still processing food, which can contribute to more awakenings.
Late eating may also reduce the normal nighttime cardiovascular reset. Blood pressure may not dip as much during sleep. A smaller nighttime blood-pressure dip has been associated with higher cardiovascular risk.
Finally, I would ask about alcohol. Are you drinking too close to bed? Alcohol may help a person fall asleep faster, which is why some people drink at night, but it disrupts REM sleep and can cause more awakenings.
That is a lot, but these points are important. Many people may not realize that their sleep is not optimized. A few core behaviors can affect sleep, and that is a good place to start.
If you are chronically sleep-deprived, you may gain visceral fat and wonder why it is happening despite exercise. You are creating a tug-of-war between those behaviors.
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Sleep News
- Keeping everyday activities on a regular schedule was linked to less pain and fewer depressive symptoms in older adults.
- Cutting sleep by 80 minutes per night increased body weight and waist circumference in adults with cardiometabolic risk factors.
- Regular sleep timing may be just as important as sleep duration for long-term health.
- A single 14-gram dose of creatine helped preserve cognitive performance after a sleepless night.
- Magnesium and potassium supplementation may ease insomnia severity in people with diabetes.
