These days, it feels like everyone has a protocol. Cold plunges at 6am. NAD+ IV drips on Thursdays. Six different supplements before you’ve even had your coffee.
We’ve entered the age of the health stack – thanks to the likes of Gary Brecka, Bryan Johnson, Andrew Huberman, and your friend who now refers to themselves as their own “biohacking experiment.”
But for all the obsession with mitochondrial function, metabolic flexibility and glymphatic drainage... one thing matters more than any...
Sleep.
Not just an afterthought. Not just something you “try to catch up on.” But the real, biological foundation that every other health upgrade relies on.
Everyone’s Talking About Sleep – But Not Actually Prioritising It
Gary Brecka says sleep is the most powerful tool in the 10X protocol. Bryan Johnson – the man who spends $2 million a year trying to reverse ageing – swears by an iron-clad sleep schedule. Even Huberman puts sleep at the top of his science-backed stack for hormone health, fat loss, and cognitive performance.
Yet most of us still treat sleep like background noise – something to fit in after emails, Netflix, and late-night group chats.
Let’s put it plainly:
You can do the sauna. You can do the ice bath. You can track your glucose and meditate in red light.
But if you’re not sleeping well, none of it will work the way it’s meant to.
What Sleep Actually Does for You
You’re not just resting when you sleep – you’re rebuilding. Sleep is your body’s chance to catch up on all the critical stuff that gets ignored during the day.
Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:
- 🧠 Brain detox – Your brain clears out waste and processes information. Hello, mental clarity.
- 💪 Muscle recovery – Growth hormone is released during deep sleep, helping your body repair.
- 😴 Mood regulation – REM sleep is where you process emotions and reduce anxiety.
- 🧬 Longevity support – Quality sleep improves telomere health and reduces systemic inflammation.
- ❤️ Cardiovascular reset – Your heart rate drops and blood pressure stabilises.
No nootropic, no supplement, no wearable can do all of that in one go.
The Health Stack Only Works if Sleep Comes First
Let’s say you’ve got your routine dialled in:
- 5am cold plunge
- Mid-morning sunlight exposure
- Precision nutrition and fasting
- Evening red light therapy
- Supplements galore
It’s all great. Until you go to bed at 12:45am, wake up groggy at 6:30am, and run on coffee and cortisol all day.
The real flex? Protecting 7.5 to 9 hours of consistent, high-quality, deep sleep – every night. No badge of honour. No compromise. Just elite-level self-respect.
Why People Still Get Sleep Wrong
Because sleep feels free and passive, we often devalue it. But poor sleep is quietly eroding your protocol from the inside out.
The biggest mistakes?
- Inconsistent bed and wake times
- Using screens right up until sleep
- Overstimulating the nervous system with late-night stress
- Sleeping in bright, noisy, dry, or warm rooms
- Shallow breathing or open-mouth sleeping
Fixing these isn’t complicated – but it is intentional.
Build a Sleep Protocol That Actually Works
You don’t need a lab. You don’t need to take 111 pills a day. You need a simple system that makes deep sleep more likely, more often.
Here’s what that looks like:
1. Create a repeatable wind-down ritual
Same time. Same signals. Like a sleep Pavlov.
We recommend:
- Herbal tea, 45 mins before bed
- Dimming the lights
- No screens after 9pm
- Reading, journalling or box breathing
- Pillow Spray on your pillow and bedding - maybe even on your eyemask, 10 mins before shuteye time.
2. Dark, cool, and silent sleep environment
Make your bedroom a sleep cave.
- Aim for 16–19°C
- Use a blackout DreamMask
- Add a DreamPod under your pillow for calming sound without blue light
3. Breathe through your nose, not your mouth
Mouth breathing can lead to dry mouth, snoring, and poor oxygen regulation.
Try DreamTape – gentle mouth tape shaped like a cloud.
4. Keep sleep consistent, not perfect
Forget the all-or-nothing mindset. Perfection isn’t the goal – consistency is. Your body just wants a rhythm it can trust.
Sleep Is the Most Underrated Protocol
Yes, we’re obsessed with all things health too. We love a sauna. We’ll try a supplement. We’ve experimented with Zone 2 cardio.
But the older (and wiser) we get, the more it’s obvious:
The protocol is sleep. Everything else is a bonus.
So if you’re trying to level up your health, your mood, your focus, your longevity – don’t skip the basics. Sleep first. Sleep properly. Then watch the rest of your routine start to actually... work.
