FIX YOUR SLEEP

DR CHATTERJEE’S GUIDE

5 SCIENCE-BASED HABITS
TO MASTER SLEEP
SCIENCE-BASED HABITS TO MASTER SLEEP
A lack of sleep is associated with all kinds of negative health consequences including
increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

In my experience, the majority of people who struggle with their sleep are
unconsciously doing something in their everyday life that is negatively impacting their
ability to sleep at night.

Here are my 5 tips that will positively impact the quality of your sleep.
1. NO TECH 90
90 minutes before bed, try and switch off all modern
technology: tablets, phones and laptops.

This reduces the amount of mental and emotional

stimulation which often keeps us awake.

In addition, the blue-light that comes out of these devices

can actually reduce levels of a hormone called melatonin,
which is something that we need to help us drop into
deep, relaxing sleep. I have seen this tip alone transform
the sleep of many patients.

You can set a ‘bedtime alarm’ as a signal that the wind-

down for bed must begin and set it for ninety minutes
before lights out. And as soon as it sounds, that’s when
your No-Tech 90 begins. This is when you turn off all your
e-devices, including computers. No exceptions. (I don’t
mind a bit of TV, but would really prefer this to go as well.)
2. EMBRACE
MORNING LIGHT
Spend at least twenty minutes outside (without
sunglasses) every morning.

You might not have considered this, but going outside in

the morning and exposing yourself to natural light
actually helps you sleep better in the evening. It does
this by helping you set your body’s daily circadian
rhythm.

Prioritising sleep starts the minute we get up and one of

the best things we can do is get outdoors in natural
daylight. Our exposure to the sun in the morning is a
critical part of our evolutionary heritage. It’s critical for
feelings of well-being in the day but also for good quality
sleep at night.

So have your morning cup of tea in the garden or try to

take a morning break and go for a short walk outside.
3. CAFFEINE BEFORE
NOON
Many of us love a cup of tea or coffee, and I’m no
exception, but for many of us, caffeine after 12pm can
negatively impact our sleep.

There is considerable genetic variation in terms of how

each of us metabolises caffeine. Many of us can take
several hours to fully process the caffeine so it is always
worth giving this tip a try to see the impact on your sleep.

I have many patients who swear to me that caffeine is not

a problem for them until I convince them to try this
suggestion. More times than not, their sleep quality
improves immediately.

Think caffeine is not affecting your sleep? Why not give

this tip a go and let me know how you get on!
4. CREATE A ROUTINE
It’s not just kids that need a routine! With the hectic
lifestyles that most of us now lead, adults bene t from a
bed-time routine just as much as kids.

Many of us expect to be able to nish off our work e-mails

and then immediately go to bed and drop off instantly –
this is unrealistic for the majority of us!

Taking a relaxing bath, dimming lights or reading a book

will all help you to get your body prepared so that it can
drift off into relaxing and restorative sleep.
5. MANAGE YOUR
COMMOTION
Minimise any activity that will raise emotional tension
before bed.

This intervention is about reducing emotional tension or

stimulation in the hours before bed.

For the majority of sleep problems that I see, ‘emotional

commotion’ in the last part of the day plays a big
contributory role (emotional commotion is simply the term
I use to describe being in a state of alert anxiety, or, in
common parlance, ‘a bit wound up’.)

Managing your commotion means making it a cast-iron

rule that you do not discuss emotive subjects in the
evenings, or crack into a new work task, or check your
bank balance or do anything that’s going to set your mind
working.
 BREATHING EXERCISE

THE BEDTIME
1 BREATHING PRACTICE
Breathe in through your nose for three
This is one of my favourite breathing techniques to
seconds (breathing through your mouth is practise before bed. I learned it from the brilliant US
ne, if you are unable to use your nose). breathing researcher Brian Mackenzie. It’s simple, but

2
extremely powerful.

Have a brief pause. When you have a brief pause after inhaling, you help to
switch your body into a state of relaxation. Counting
3 your breath also helps redirect your mind away from
any anxious thoughts that you might have swimming
Breathe out through your nose for six around.
seconds.
Repeat this short breathing sequence as many times as
4 required. Sometimes, you may only need to do 1 minute
of this practice before you’re ready to fall asleep. On
Repeat. other nights, you may be doing it for 5–10 minutes
before you start yawning. Experiment and see what
works best for you.
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“IF SLEEP DOES NOT SERVE AN ABSOLUTELY
VITAL FUNCTION, THEN IT IS THE BIGGEST
MISTAKE THE EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS HAS
EVER MADE”
- DR ALLAN RECHTSCHAFFEN
FEEL BETTER
LIVE MORE PODCAST
I’ve picked out some episodes from my Feel Better, Live More
podcast that will help you improve your sleep.

“
Whatever ailment you are facing, it is
more than likely that sleep has a tool to
help you fight it.
Professor Matthew Walker
#70 Feel Better Live More
Why Sleep is the Most Important
Pillar of Health with Professor
Matthew Walker
Sleep is one of the most undervalued components
of our health, yet neglecting it can have
devastating consequences.
In this episode, I talk to world-leading sleep
researcher, author of the international best-selling
book ‘Why We Sleep’ and Professor of
Neuroscience and Psychology, Matthew Walker.
We discuss everything you ever needed to know
about sleep. Matthew also shares what he has
changed in his own life since starting his research.
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
https://drchatterjee.com/70
The New Science Of The Body Clock
And How It Can Revolutionise Your
Sleep and Health
Russell Foster is Professor of Circadian
Neuroscience at Oxford University.

In this conversation, Russell explains that living out

“
of sync with our circadian rhythms doesn’t just lead
to sleep disruption and tiredness. The further we
stray from them, the more we become vulnerable to
chronic conditions such as obesity, type 2
diabetes, heart disease, cancer, suppressed
immunity, dementia and even mental illness. But
he’s not here to scare us – rather share the We have forgotten that our bodies
strategies that we can all use to get back on track. are governed by a 24-hour biological
clock which guides us towards the
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
best time to sleep, eat and think.
Professor Russell Foster
https://drchatterjee.com/292
#292 Feel Better Live More
 THE 4 PILLAR PLAN
How to Relax, Eat, Move and Sleep Your Way to a Longer,
Healthier Life

I wrote this book to make good health accessible to all.

Based on cutting-edge research and my own experiences
serving as a doctor for nearly 20 years, The 4 Pillar Plan
provides a simple actionable plan to help you feel
fantastic.

The book goes beyond the sort of health advice we’ve all been
reading about for so long – beyond the fad diets and the quick
x exercise programmes.

UK edition We have over complicated health – this book simpli es it. US edition
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MORE FROM DR CHATTERJEE
In his latest book, Dr Chatterjee shares
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It’s more important than ever before that
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– Dr Chatterjee is back to show you how.
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all. Drawing on twenty years of experience as
a GP, Dr Rangan Chatterjee has created a
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Drawing on Dr Rangan Chatterjee's 20

Become a calmer, happier and healthier you
years of experience and real-life case
with Dr Rangan Chatterjee's The Stress
studies from his GP practice, Feel Better in
Solution.
5 is your daily plan for a happier, healthier
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In this book, BBC One's Dr Rangan Chatterjee,
draws on two decades of practice to show you
Feel Better in 5 is the rst daily ve minute
how to make easy-to-follow and sustainable
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 DR CHATTERJEE’S GUIDE

Website: https://drchatterjee.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in this document is not intended to constitute or be a

substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the
advice of your doctor or other quali ed health care provider with any questions you may
have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or
delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this document.
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