Optimize Sleep
Fix sleep before anything else. Most "optimization" downstream of broken sleep is theater.
What it does
The infrastructure layer. Almost every other intervention assumes it's working — when it isn't, training doesn't recover, glucose drifts, hormones skew, cognition erodes, and no supplement compensates. The protocol is unglamorous: fixed wake time, dark cool room, morning light, early caffeine cutoff.
Sleep drives glymphatic clearance, memory consolidation, hormonal regulation (growth hormone, cortisol, testosterone), and immune function. Insufficient or fragmented sleep degrades all of these at once.
What the evidence shows
Overall evidence strength: High certainty
Who it's for, who should skip
Everyone — fix this before anything downstream. 7–9 hours on a consistent schedule; regularity appears to matter independently of duration. Tracking is useful for trends, not nightly decisions.
Measuring it
Retest Sleep duration — track duration and regularity over weeks.
Stacking & alternatives
Access & cost
Self-directed — no purchase required.
Last reviewed 27 August 2026.