Fixing Your Sleep (From The Other Side)

Because sleep is an output, not a switch:

Let’s count to 10

The core premise here is that sleep is an output, not a switch, and this every daytime decision sets up whether or not our system can effectively “power down” at night.

So, with that in mind, consider building these 10 habits into your days, if they’re not already there:

1. Morning movement: begin the day with gentle, natural movement to wake your nervous system gradually instead of spiking it with screens, caffeine, and noise.
2. Breathwork: use slow breathing with long exhales and pauses to signal safety to your nervous system and reduce nighttime hyperarousal.
3. Exercise cut-off: avoid heavy training in the evening, as it raises cortisol, body temperature, and sympathetic nervous system activation, all of which interfere with sleep.
4. Movement breaks: take short, frequent movement breaks during the day to prevent/undo tension accumulation that otherwise carries into the night.
5. True downregulation: replace numbing distractions with physical cues like floorwork, slow mobility drills, long exhales, dim light, and quiet to clearly signal that the day is over.
6. Decompression: counter daily stresses by creating space in your body through hanging, thoracic opening, rib expansion, and hip opening; this will reduce bracing and waking up during the night.
7. Hot and cold therapy: combining sauna with cold immersion (not simultaneously, but in the same routine) for a lowered core temperature later and strongly deepened sleep, especially when done several hours before bed.
8. Evening gear shift: build a clear transition from stimulation to rest using low light, gentle movement, breathing into your ribs, and stopping food intake well before bed. Yes, this is more or less the same as number 5, but we didn’t make the list.
9. Morning light: get real daylight soon after waking to anchor your circadian rhythm and align cortisol, melatonin, and sleep–wake timing.
10. Daytime sleep practice: no, not “practise sleeping during the day”, but rather, treat sleep as something you prepare for all day through movement, breath, tension management, and consistent safety signals.

If ever it seems you’re fighting a losing battle when it comes to getting good sleep, remember that your ability to sleep is (for most people) not broken; it’s just overwhelmed by incorrect inputs. As such, things start to go better as soon as rhythm, movement, and nervous-system regulation improve—which they almost always will, when implementing the above habits.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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10 Tips for Better Sleep: Starting In The Morning

Take care!