Sleep
↓ Jump to ResourcesOptimising the quality and quantity of our sleep is one of the most important things that we can do for our performance, and for our health. Chronically inadequate sleep can increase our all-cause mortality by 12%, and poor quality sleep can reduce our productivity by up to 60% the next day. This category includes all-things-sleep, including resources to help you nod off, stay asleep, get back to sleep if you've woken up in the night, wake refreshed, and manage menopause, children, pets and naps! As always, please let me know if there's anything that is unanswered, or if you would like to nominate something that you've found useful that could help someone else. References: Hafner M et al. Why Sleep Matters: www.rand.org 2016 Williamson A, Feyer A. Occup Environ Med. 2000; 57(10): 649–655.
Perspectives
"Without enough sleep, we are all tall two-year-olds"
— Jojo Jensen
"The bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep"
— E. Joseph Cossman
"Sleep deprivation is an illegal torture method outlawed by the Geneva Convention and international courts, but most of us do it to ourselves"
— Ryan Hurd
"We often feel we need to add things to support sleep, but I found it helpful to just stop interfering with what is naturally trying to happen, and let night follow day"
— Lilli
"The Lumie lamp has been a game-changer for me - I used to snooze for ages and now I wake up much more awake"
—
67 Resources in Sleep
Andrew Huberman Expert Series: Protocols to improve your sleep
A 6 part Andrew Huberman Guest Series with Dr Matt Walker: Protocols to improve your sleep
Audible
Audible is a subscription service for audiobooks and podcasts.
Baby and child sleep training
A range of digital programmes and tailored one-on-one consultations targeting baby and child sleep training with Polly Revaliente, and The Sleep Project
BetterSleep app
Popular app with music, sounds, meditations and stories for you to choose from to support your sleep
Blue Free Optical blue light blocking glasses
Blue light blocking glasses
Bodyscan (The Sleep Project)
A guided bodyscan from the Sleep Project
Bon charge blue light blocking glasses
Blue light blocking glasses
Bon charge blue light blocking lighting
Lights and lightbulbs to reduce blue light
Bon charge sleep mask
A black out sleep mask
Bose QuietComfort headphones
Noise cancelling headphones
Breathwrk app
App providing breathing exercises
Calm app
A meditation and sleep app
Chillow
Having pillows that are either less likely to get hot, or actively cool down, can help during hot flushes. Here are some options, and the integrated mattress systems also can cool the pillow area.
Clocky alarm clock on wheels
Clocky helps if you're struggling to get out of bed in the morning. Unlike a traditional alarm clock, Clocky jumps off your nightstand and wheels around your room, forcing you to physically get up to turn it off.
Day One app
A journalling app with photo, video, voice and journalling entry
Does alcohol affect your sleep? Matt Walker & Andrew Huberman
A podcast where Professor Huberman interviews Dr Walker about the impact of alcohol on sleep
Earth.fm
Nature soundscapes and guided meditations
Eckhart yoga
Online yoga, pilates and meditation studio with a large variety of classes
Eight sleep mattress cover
A mattress cooling solution, which can have separate zones, and helps track sleep
Expert conversation on Sleep (Dr Caitlin Chasser)
A recorded conversation between Lilli and Dr Caitlin Chasser of The Sleep Project about sleep, its importance, and some tips for surgeons.
Expert conversation on the DOSE effect (Tj Power)
A recorded conversation between Lilli and Tj Power, author of the DOSE effect, exploring the impact of dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins on rest, performance and wellbeing.
Fancy a takeaway? Sleep
An exercise to work through at home to help to improve your sleep consistency.
Fans (manual)
Physical fans to cool you.
F.lux screen dimming software
F.lux dims your screen at local sundown.
Greyscale mode
Turning your phone to greyscale helps make it less attractive to our brains
Happy Ears earplugs
Multi-use earplugs
Headspace
A meditation app
Insight timer
Free meditation app
Kitsch Eye Mask
Eye masks to help with sleep
Light lux meter pro app
Photon detection app
Loop earplugs
Earplugs designed for sleep, with adjustable noise relief
Lumie lamps
Light therapy lamps to help you wake, focus and support your circadian rhythm
Manta sleep masks
Blackout, 'zero pressure' eye masks for sleep
MEQ chronotype assessment
Test your chronotype here
Neal's yard bath/shower products
Neal's yard bath/shower products for sleep
NSDR by Andrew Huberman
A 10 and 20 minute NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) meditation by Andrew Huberman
Ocushield blue light screen protector
Blue light screen protectors
Old school alarm clock
Manual alarm clock
Optimising Performance for Surgeons course
A 6 week, remote, coaching course to help surgeons feel happier, be more productive and optimise their performance.
Oura ring
A ring-worn tracking device
Panda London eye mask
Hypoallergenic sleep mask made of bamboo
Retimer glasses
A wearable sleep tracker that also intervenes with light
Retrain your sleep (The Sleep Project)
A 4 week programme to help you optimise your sleep
Reveri app
Guided self-hypnosis app
Sacred rest
Sacred rest, a book by physician Saundra Dalton-Smith
Simba cooling pillow
Cooling pillow
Sleep cycle
A sleep tracker that wakes you at the optimum time in your sleep cycle
Sleep well through menopause programme
A 4 week programme for menopause and sleep
Spotify
A digital music, podcast and video app
The DOSE effect (book, audiobook)
A book by Tj Power about optimising dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins
The Five Minute Journal
A gratitude journal that takes just 5 minutes per day
The Holistic Psychologist meditation
A 16 minute meditation for times of stress
The Matt Walker Podcast
Dr Matt Walker's podcast focussed on sleep
The shift work survival guide
A 3 part blog by Dr Caitlin Chasser of The Sleep Project on managing shift work. You can also hear us talk about shiftwork on our conversation with experts.
The Shipping Forecast
A BBCR4 broadcast with weather reports for the seas around the British Isles
The Sleep Charity
Information about sleep
The sleep foundation
An excellent repository of advice and information about all-things sleep
The Three Question Journal
A twice-daily journal incorporating habit formation and gratitude
The Way of Rest (book, poems)
The Way of Rest (book, poems) by Jeff Foster
Timeshifter
An app to help with circadian shifting, through jetlag or shift work
Waking up app
Sam Harris' app combining mindfulness, meditation, lessons and conversations.
White, pink and brown noise
White, pink and brown noise soundtracks for sleep
Whoop
Body-worn tracking bands and garments
Why We Sleep (book)
A popular book by Dr Matthew Walker about the neuroscience and physiology of sleep
Yoga Nidra (The Sleep Project)
A 10 minute yoga nidra or non-sleep deep rest audio from The Sleep Project
Yoga with Adriene
A free online yoga resource
Yoga with Kassandra
Free online yoga classes taught by Kassandra