Dr.

Christian Poensgen

8 hours of sleep is terrible advice.

Here’s what to do instead

(The 3T Method):
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

“8 hours of sleep a night" is as terrible

advice as “2000 calories a day”.

If you eat junk food (think burgers, fries &

soda), you’ll end up sick and miserable.

Junk sleep is similar. It looks like the real

thing, but lacks the “nutrients” you need.
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

85% of people spend their nights in junk

sleep – which kills their productivity and
resilience during the day.

Quality sleep, conversely, starts with 90

mins of deep sleep (DS) a night.

It’s the most restorative and rejuvenating

sleep stage, says Prof. Matthew Walker.
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

As it turns out, we get most of our DS in

the first half of the night.

That’s why mastering DS is like landing a

plane: we need to prepare its descent,
set up the landing strip, & touch ground.

Here’s how to prepare the descent with

the 3T Method around time givers,
technology and timing:
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

1) Time givers

To set your system up for sufficient DS in

the first half of the night, you need to tell
it when it’s day and when it’s night.

The strongest lever (aka “time giver”) you

have is how you view light:
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

Follow my 10-10-10 rule:

Get 10 mins of sunlight into your eyes

before 10 am. Then avoid bright, blue
light after 10 pm.

- Why it works -

You’ll optimize your cortisol & melatonin

levels – by spiking cortisol early in the
day and melatonin late in the day.
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

2) Technology

Our devices are arguably the biggest DS

killers. One reason is blue light.

Yet, there’s more to it: devices also crush

your DS by making you more alert (or
even stressed) at night.

Thus, setting boundaries is crucial. Start

with your phone:
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

Do Intermittent Digital Fasting (IDF):

Put your phone out of sight 1 hour before

bed (give it its own bedroom!) – and let it
“sleep in” for 1 hour after you wake.

- Why it works -

You’ll prevent “time confetti” in the last

and first hour of the day, lowering your
stress levels – and increasing your DS.
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

3) Timing

As Prof. Walker put it, “regularity is king”.

The best way to get plenty of DS is to go

to bed and wake up about at the same
time (meaning within 30-60 mins).

Also, timing sleep right helps you avoid

“sleep inertia”:
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

Sleep in 90-min multiples:

Set your alarm so that you get 7.5 or 9

(not 7 or 8!) hours of sleep a night. Add
5-15 mins for falling asleep.

- Why it works -

You’ll avoid morning “sleep inertia” – the

feeling of grogginess when waking up in
the middle of a 90-min sleep cycle.
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

TL;DR:

1. DS is our most restorative sleep stage

and mostly occurs in night’s first half.

2. Prepare your descent into DS with the

10-10-10 rule for light (time givers)

3. Also, prevent your phone from killing

your DS with IDF (technology)

4. Sleep in 90-min multiples to avoid

morning “sleep inertia” (timing)
 Dr. Christian Poensgen

Again, getting to 90 mins of deep sleep

right is like landing a plane.

You’ve just learned how to prepare its

descent with the 3T Method.

I’ll share how to set up the landing strip

and touch ground soon. Follow me if you
don’t want to miss out.
 P.S.

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