A great way to increase the amount of slow wave deep sleep (and the associated growth hormone release) you get in the first hours of sleep is to take a hot shower or bath one hour before going to sleep but after, rinse off in temperature neutral (not hot, not cold, just neutral temp) water. This drives your core body temperature down faster and further making easier to fall and stay asleep. Not eating in the two hours prior to sleep will synergize with this as well.
I’ve been doing this for the last month or so and I’m seeing dramatic increases in the amount of deep slow wave sleep that I get. Also, heating your sleeping environment in the final 2-3 hours prior to waking can lead to dramatic increases in
REM sleep. Learned that one from Matt Walker. Works exceptionally well! 2-2.5hrs REM not uncommon now. Thank you, Matt!
REM sleep. Learned that one from Matt Walker. Works exceptionally well! 2-2.5hrs REM not uncommon now. Thank you, Matt!
The reasons why the thermoneutral rinse off helps drive body temperature down further and faster is covered in an upcoming podcast with my colleague from Stanford Craig Heller. But spoiler alert, it involves the medial preoptic area of your hypothalamus. A sort of thermostat in the brain.
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