Reading philosophy before bed
Ending the day on a page or two of philosophy, then thinking it over before sleep
A short stretch of reading last thing at night, taken from philosophy rather than news or work. Usually it is the same handful of books in rotation, opened anywhere, with no target page count. The point is not to finish anything but to pick up one or two ideas and turn them over while falling asleep. People who keep the habit describe that as self-examination rather than study. It doubles as a way of getting off screens before bed. Anyone who finds the material a chore tends to drop it within a week, so the usual advice is to read whichever tradition you actually find interesting.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Naval RavikantDoes it
Angel investor · AngelList and the Naval podcast
Schopenhauer, Krishnamurti, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Te Ching: one of them is always going, usually a reread, and he reads at night before sleep. He picks up one or two things to reflect on afterward. It is not a formula, he says, and he only does it because the material genuinely interests him.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #473 transcript: Naval Ravikant on Happiness and Reducing Anxiety
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress or sleep.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Warm bath or shower before bed
Warm water an hour or two before sleep drops core temperature after
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
No phone calls after 10 p.m.
A hard stop on calls and conversations late in the evening so the brain can wind down
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Washing the dishes
Doing the dishes by hand after dinner as a fixed, screen-free end to the day
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - Protocol$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Sauna
Regular heat exposure, often 4 sessions a week at 20 minutes
On record from 17 of 62 tracked people: 11 do it, 3 recommend it, 3 have discussed it - Supplement$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Magnesium (threonate or glycinate)
Taken 30-60 minutes before bed to help with sleep onset
On record from 11 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it, 1 recommends it, 2 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Breathwork
Structured breathing sessions to shift the nervous system up or down
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it, 1 has discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.