Written by Dr. Lycan Dizon, Slumbelry Chief Sleep Consultant

Disclaimer: I am a sleep consultant, not your doctor. Never stop prescription medication without medical supervision.

It is the most common story I hear. “I haven’t slept in weeks. I need something strong.”

We treat sleep like a headache. Take a pill, pain goes away. Take a pill, sleep happens. But biologically, sedation is not sleep.

The Knockout vs. The Cycle

Natural sleep is a complex dance of brain waves. You cycle through light sleep, deep sleep (physical repair), and REM sleep (emotional processing/memory). This architecture is essential.

Most sleeping pills (Benzodiazepines, Z-drugs like Ambien) are sedative-hypnotics. They target the GABA receptors in your brain to shut down neuronal firing.

They do not induce natural sleep cycles. They induce a state closer to unconsciousness or a mild coma.

The Missing REM

Many pills suppress REM sleep and Deep sleep.

• No Deep Sleep: You wake up feeling physically unrefreshed.
• No REM Sleep: You feel emotionally fragile, anxious, and have brain fog.

This is why you can “sleep” for 9 hours on a pill and still feel like a zombie the next day. You got the quantity (time unconscious), but zero quality.

The Amnesia Effect

Here is the scary part: Often, the pill doesn’t even make you sleep more. It just gives you anterograde amnesia.

You might still wake up 5 times in the night. You might toss and turn. But the drug prevents your brain from forming new memories. So when you wake up, you think you slept through the night because you forgot the awakenings.

Is forgetting your misery the same as curing it?

Rebound Insomnia

The trap snaps shut when you try to stop. Your brain has adjusted to the drug (down-regulated GABA receptors). When you stop the pill, your brain goes into overdrive.

You experience Rebound Insomnia—your sleep is worse than it was before you took the pill. You panic, think “I can’t sleep without them,” and go back on the drug. You are hooked.

The Exit Strategy

Pills can be useful for short-term acute trauma (a death in the family, a crisis). But for chronic insomnia, they are a dead end.

The gold standard treatment for insomnia is CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia). It is hard work. It involves changing habits, thoughts, and schedules. But it fixes the root cause.

Sleep is a natural biological function. You cannot buy it in a bottle. You have to build it.

Written by Dr. Lycan Dizon, Slumbelry Chief Sleep Consultant

We have a Disneyfied idea of sleep. We imagine putting our head on the pillow, blacking out instantly, and waking up 8 hours later with birds singing.

If you wake up at 3:00 AM, you panic. “Something is wrong with me.”

Let me reassure you: Nobody sleeps through the night. Not me. Not your doctor. Not even the best sleepers in the world.

The Biology of Awakening

Human sleep is designed in cycles of approximately 90 minutes. We go from Light Sleep -> Deep Sleep -> REM Sleep.

Between these cycles, there is often a brief “micro-awakening.” We might shift position, fix the blanket, or check for danger (an evolutionary holdover). Most “good” sleepers fall back asleep so quickly they don’t remember it in the morning (retrograde amnesia).

“Bad” sleepers simply remember waking up. And then they start thinking about it.

The Historical “Second Sleep”

For most of human history, sleeping in one 8-hour block was weird. Historian Roger Ekirch found that before the industrial revolution, humans slept in two shifts. 1. First Sleep: Sunset to around 2:00 AM. 2. The Watch: A 1-2 hour waking period used for reading, praying, or intimacy. 3. Second Sleep: Until dawn.

Waking up in the middle of the night is not a disorder; it is our natural state.

How to Handle the Awakening

The problem isn’t the waking up; it’s the reaction.

• Bad Reaction: Look at clock -> “It’s 3 AM!” -> “If I don’t sleep now, I’ll be tired” -> Heart rate spikes -> Awake for 2 hours.
• Good Reaction: Wake up -> “Oh, just a cycle change” -> “It feels nice to be in this warm bed” -> Do nothing -> Asleep in 5 minutes.

Tips for the 3 AM Club:

1. Don’t Check the Time: Knowing it is 3:14 AM helps you in no way. It only adds math anxiety (“I have 3 hours left”). 2. Stay in the Dark: Light is the enemy. 3. Enjoy the Rest: If you can’t sleep, just enjoy the sensation of the mattress. It is quiet. No one needs anything from you. It is your private time.

Embrace the wakefulness. It usually goes away the moment you stop fighting it.

Written by Dr. Lycan Dizon, Slumbelry Chief Sleep Consultant

We use the words interchangeably. “I’m so tired,” we say. “I’m exhausted.” “I’m sleepy.”

To a sleep specialist, these are three completely different biological states. And mixing them up is the #1 reason people struggle with insomnia.

The Crucial Distinction

Fatigue is a lack of energy. It is physical exhaustion (from a workout), mental drainage (from a long meeting), or emotional depletion (from stress). You feel heavy. You want to lie down.

Sleepiness is the inability to stay awake. It is your eyelids fighting to close. It is the “head bob” in a boring lecture. It is a biological drive, like hunger.

The Mistake: Going to Bed When “Fatigued”

Here is the trap: You come home from work. You are shattered (Fatigued). You think, “I’m so tired, I should go to bed early to catch up.”

You climb into bed at 9:30 PM. But you aren’t Sleepy. Your Adenosine levels (sleep pressure) haven’t hit the tipping point.

So you lie there. Your body rests (addressing the fatigue), but your brain is wide awake. You start to worry. “Why can’t I sleep? I was so tired five minutes ago!”

Now you have associated your bed with frustration and wakefulness.

The Solution: Wait for the “Sleep Wave”

You generally cannot force yourself to sleep if you are only fatigued. You must wait for sleepiness.

1. The “Heavy Eyelid” Test

Don’t go to bed because the clock says 10:00 PM. Go to bed when your eyelids feel physically heavy. If you can read a book without your eyes closing, stay out of bed.

2. Treat Fatigue with Rest, Not Sleep

If you are exhausted but not sleepy, do “active rest.” Sit in a comfortable chair (not the bed). Listen to an audiobook. Meditate. Stretch. Allow your energy to recharge without demanding unconsciousness from your brain.

3. The “Sleep Restriction” Concept

It sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes the cure for insomnia is staying up later. By delaying your bedtime until you are truly, undeniably sleepy, you build up massive “Sleep Drive.” When you finally hit the pillow, you pass out instantly.

Stop chasing sleep. Let sleep come and find you.

Written by Dr. Lycan Dizon, Slumbelry Chief Sleep Consultant

It is the most frustrating feeling in the world. You lie in bed. You stare at the ceiling. You see the clock change from 1:00 to 2:00 to 3:00. Finally, the alarm goes off. You drag yourself out of bed, telling your partner, “I didn’t sleep a single minute last night.”

But here is the controversial truth from modern sleep medicine: You almost certainly did.

This phenomenon is called Sleep State Misperception (or Paradoxical Insomnia). It is not that you are lying; it is that your brain is deceiving you.

The Broken Sensor

Dr. W. Chris Winter, a leading neurologist, explains that many “insomniacs” have a broken sleep perception sensor. In sleep lab studies, patients will swear they were awake for 8 hours. However, their EEG (brain wave) data shows they slept for 6 hours or more.

Why the disconnect?

It usually stems from Hyperarousal. Your body is asleep, but your mind remains in a state of high alert. You might be in “Stage 1” or “Stage 2” light sleep, where you maintain some awareness of your surroundings. You hear the dog bark; you hear the fridge hum. Because you are processing sensory input, your brain logs this time as “awake.”

The “Insomnia Identity”

The danger of this misperception is that it creates an Insomnia Identity. You start to label yourself as a “bad sleeper.” This label creates performance anxiety.

• If I don’t sleep tonight, I will crash tomorrow.
• I am broken.

This anxiety releases cortisol, which actually does keep you awake, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

How to Fix Your Perception

1. Ditch the Clock

If you are prone to this, looking at the clock is poison. It provides the data points (“It’s 3:00 AM”) that your brain uses to build the “I’m awake” narrative. Turn the clock around or cover it.

2. Redefine “Rest”

Stop judging your night by unconsciousness. Instead, judge it by Rest. If you are lying comfortably in a dark room, your body is getting 80% of the benefits of sleep (muscle recovery, energy conservation).

Tell yourself: “I am resting. If I sleep, great. If not, I am still resting.” This removes the pressure.

3. Trust Your Day, Not Your Night

Do not judge your sleep by how you felt the night went. Judge it by how you function today. Did you fall asleep driving? Did you collapse at noon? If not, you likely got more core sleep than you realize.

You are not broken. Your sensor is just a bit sensitive. Relax, and let the sleep happen.

Written by Dr. Lycan Dizon, Slumbelry Chief Sleep Consultant

You do the math. You go to bed at 11:00 PM. You set your alarm for 7:00 AM. “Perfect,” you think. “That’s exactly 8 hours. I’m going to feel amazing.”

But when the alarm screams at 7:00 AM, you don’t feel amazing. You feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. Your eyes are heavy, your brain is foggy, and you’re hitting snooze before you’re even fully conscious. “What happened?” you ask yourself. “I got my 8 hours!”

Welcome to the 8-Hour Myth. For decades, we’ve been told that sleep is a block of time. Get 8 hours, and you’re good. But Nick Littlehales, the elite sleep coach who transformed the recovery habits of Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo, argues that this approach is fundamentally flawed. Your body doesn’t run on hours; it runs on cycles.

The Science: It’s Not a Block, It’s a Wave

Sleep is not a uniform state of unconsciousness. It is a dynamic journey through different stages. A typical sleep cycle lasts approximately 90 minutes. During this time, you move through: 1. Light Sleep (NREM 1 & 2): The transition phase. 2. Deep Sleep (NREM 3 & 4): Physical restoration (muscle repair, growth hormone release). 3. REM Sleep: Mental restoration (dreaming, memory consolidation).

After about 90 minutes, the cycle ends, and you briefly enter a lighter state (or even wake up for a micro-second) before starting the next cycle.

The “Crash Landing”

Here is why you feel groggy at 7:00 AM. If you wake up in the middle of a Deep Sleep phase, your brain is disoriented. It’s suffering from Sleep Inertia. Imagine a diver deep underwater. If you yank them to the surface instantly, they get “the bends.” Waking up from deep sleep is the neurological equivalent.

If you wake up at the end of a 90-minute cycle, you are naturally in a lighter state. You wake up feeling refreshed, alert, and ready to go.

The Strategy: Think in 90s

Nick Littlehales’ R90 Technique suggests we stop counting hours and start counting cycles. Instead of aiming for 8 hours (which is 480 minutes—a weird number biologically), aim for multiples of 90 minutes.

• 5 Cycles: 7.5 Hours (The Standard Goal)
• 4 Cycles: 6 Hours (The Minimum for Functionality)
• 6 Cycles: 9 Hours (The Athlete/Recovery Mode)

Why 8 Hours Fails

8 hours is 5.3 cycles. That means you are setting your alarm to ring right in the middle of your 6th cycle—likely during Deep Sleep. By trying to get “more” sleep (8 hours vs 7.5), you actually make yourself feel worse.

Quality Over Quantity

It’s not just about the math; it’s about the continuity. A 90-minute cycle only works if it’s uninterrupted. If you toss and turn, or if your partner wakes you up, you break the cycle and have to restart. This is where your sleep surface matters. A mattress that isolates motion and relieves pressure points ensures that once you enter a cycle, you stay in it until the end.

The Takeaway

Tonight, try a little experiment. If you need to wake up at 7:00 AM, count back in 90-minute increments.

• 7:00 AM minus 7.5 hours = 11:30 PM.

Try going to sleep at 11:30 PM instead of 11:00 PM. Yes, that’s less sleep, but it might just be better timing. Stop chasing a number. Start riding the wave.

Written by Dr. Lycan Dizon, Slumbelry Chief Sleep Consultant

The alarm screams. You drag yourself out of bed, your eyes heavy, your mind foggy. You shuffle to the kitchen like a zombie, operating on pure instinct. Coffee. Now. It feels less like a beverage and more like a survival tool.

We treat that first cup as a lifeline, believing it has the magical power to wash away the exhaustion of a broken night. But an hour later, the fog hasn’t really lifted. You’re just… wired and tired. Your heart is racing, but your brain is still stuck in neutral.

Why does this happen? Because coffee is a loan, not income. It borrows energy from your future self without actually replenishing your reserves. And right now, your body doesn’t need a stimulant; it needs a signal.

Shawn Stevenson, author of Sleep Smarter, reveals a biological truth that changed my mornings forever: The secret to deep sleep tonight isn’t in your evening tea—it’s in your morning sky.

The Science: It’s All About Timing

Your body runs on a strict 24-hour internal clock called the circadian rhythm. This master clock, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of your brain, dictates when you feel alert and when you feel tired. But like any old mechanical clock, it tends to drift. If left unchecked, your body’s “day” would actually be slightly longer than 24 hours. It needs to be reset, every single morning.

The “reset button” isn’t caffeine. It’s sunlight.

When sunlight hits your eyes (specifically the photoreceptors in your retina), it triggers a beautiful biological chain reaction that sets the stage for your entire day—and your night.

1. The Cortisol Switch

Morning light tells your body to stop producing melatonin (the sleep hormone) and release cortisol (the get-up-and-go hormone) naturally. We often demonize cortisol as the “stress hormone,” but in the morning, it is essential. It is the spark plug that ignites your energy and focus. Without this light signal, your melatonin levels stay elevated, leaving you with that heavy, groggy “sleep inertia” that no amount of espresso can cure.

2. The Serotonin Battery

Here is the most critical part: Sunlight stimulates the production of serotonin. Think of serotonin as the “battery” for your sleep later tonight. Through a complex enzymatic process, your body converts this stored serotonin into melatonin when darkness falls.

The Problem: We Live in “Dark Caves”

The problem is that most of us are suffering from a “light deficiency.”

Light intensity is measured in lux.

• Typical office lighting: 300 – 500 lux.
• A cloudy day outside: 10,000 lux.
• Direct sunlight: 100,000+ lux.

Do you see the difference? Sitting in your kitchen or office is biologically equivalent to sitting in a cave. Your brain never gets a strong enough signal to say, “The day has started!” So, your circadian rhythm drifts, your energy lags, and your sleep cycle becomes fragmented.

The Strategy: The “Sunlight Anchor”

You don’t need a medical degree or expensive gadgets to fix this. You just need to change your relationship with the morning sky. I call this the Sunlight Anchor ritual.

Step 1: Get Outside Immediately

Try to get natural sunlight within 30 minutes of waking up. This critical window helps “anchor” your cortisol peak to the start of the day. Even on a gray, overcast day, the light intensity outside is vastly superior to anything inside your home.

Step 2: The 20-Minute Rule

Aim for at least 20 minutes of exposure. This is the minimum effective dose to trigger the full hormonal cascade.

• Pro Tip: Combine this with movement. Drink your morning water on your patio, walk the dog, or simply sit by an open window. Let the neighbors see you in your robe. It’s for science.

Step 3: Ditch the Sunglasses (Briefly)

Allow natural light to hit your retinas directly. (Safety Note: Never stare directly at the sun!) Sunglasses block the very spectrum of blue light your brain needs to wake up. Wear them later in the day, but give your eyes raw light first thing in the morning.

Why This Changes Everything

When you implement the Sunlight Anchor, you aren’t just waking up faster; you are protecting your night. You are front-loading your energy production so that by the time 10 PM rolls around, your body is chemically primed for sleep.

If you stay in the dim kitchen drinking coffee, your biological clock drifts. You feel groggy, so you drink more coffee, which disrupts your sleep later. It’s a vicious cycle. Break it with light.

Tonight’s sleep begins the moment you open your eyes this morning. Step outside, take a deep breath, and let the light in. Your body knows what to do.

Written by Dr. Lycan Dizon, Slumbelry Chief Sleep Consultant

“I only got 7 hours last night. I’m going to die early.”

The anxiety in my patient’s voice is palpable. We have been brainwashed by a single number: 8.

We are told that if we don’t get 8 hours, we will get Alzheimer’s, get fat, and crash our cars.

Here is the prescription I give these patients: Stop counting.

The “Goldilocks” Genetics

There is no “Magic Number” for the human species. Sleep duration is largely genetic, like shoe size.

* The Bell Curve: Most people need between 7-9 hours. But the “Normal” range is anywhere from 4 hours to 11 hours. * The Thatcher Gene: Some people (Short Sleepers) have a genetic mutation allowing them to thrive on 4-6 hours. Margaret Thatcher was famous for this. * The Long Sleepers: Others naturally need 10 hours to function.

As the old proverb cited in How To Sleep Well says: “Six hours for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool.” While not scientifically accurate, it highlights that “8” has never been a hard rule.

The Danger of “Procrustean” Sleep

In Greek mythology, Procrustes stretched or cut people’s legs to fit his bed. We do this with sleep. * The Scenario: You naturally need 7 hours. You go to bed at 10 PM and wake up at 5 AM feeling great. The Mistake: You read a magazine saying you need* 8 hours. So you force yourself to stay in bed until 6 AM. * The Result: You spend that last hour tossing, turning, and worrying. You develop Psychophysiological Insomnia (worrying about sleep prevents sleep).

Quality > Quantity

The book makes a shocking point: “Sleeping >8 hours can actually increase your risk of dying.” Now, this is correlation, not causation (sick people sleep more). But it proves that more is not always better.

We need to shift the metric from Time to Quality. 6 hours of deep, unbroken sleep is infinitely better than 8 hours of fragmented, light sleep.

How to Find Your Number

Don’t use an app. Use your body.

1. The Vacation Test: On your next holiday (after the first few days of catch-up sleep), see when you wake up naturally without an alarm. That is your biological number. 2. The 15-Minute Rule: If you wake up and can’t fall back asleep in 15 minutes, get up. Do not lie there trying to “hit the number.” You are just training your brain to associate the bed with frustration. 3. Optimize the Environment: Since you can’t always control duration (kids, work), control the depth. Use Slumbelry Ergonomic Support to ensure the hours you do* get are pain-free and physically restorative. * Use Slumbelry Light Management to ensure your melatonin onset is rapid, maximizing the efficiency of your sleep window.