Dr. Matt Walker

If you wake up later that following morning, your adenosine clock that we spoke about, this building up of sleepiness that happens when we wake up,

is going to start later in the day.

So when it comes time for you to fall asleep at what would then be the next night at your normal time, you're not going to feel as sleepy.

Why?

Because you woke up that much later and you're setting yourself up for failure again.

Equally, don't go to bed any earlier.

If you have become accustomed and your brain has and your circadian clock has become accustomed to going to bed at a certain time and hopefully you're doing it regularly,

Then getting into bed two or three hours early has the danger.

It's not a certainty, but a danger of you then getting into bed and thinking, well, I know I had a bad night of sleep last night, but I still can't fall asleep straight away.

So now you're spending another 90 minutes in bed at the beginning because you've gone to bed 90 minutes earlier thinking it's a good idea to compensate.

Don't do that either.

Hold out even if you do feel tired.

My recommendation would be after that bad night of sleep, hold out for as long as you can, as close to your natural bedtime as possible.

Then go to sleep and you'll give yourself highest chance of success.

Don't over-caffeinate.

That's the obvious one.

Follow the beautiful Huberman taper.

And then obviously try not to compensate with a nap.

Why?

Because that nap, as happens when we sleep, is going to remove some of that sleepiness, that adenosine.