Cool, dark bedroom
Around 65-68°F, properly dark, reserved for sleep
Falling and staying asleep needs core body temperature to drop by about one degree Celsius, so a cool room does real work. The usual target is 65-68°F / 18-19°C, with blackout curtains or an eye mask to kill any stray light, and with the bedroom kept for sleep rather than for working. It is the least interesting sleep advice available and the one sleep scientists refuse to stop repeating.
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.
- Bryan JohnsonDoes it
Founder · Blueprint longevity protocol
18 to 21 degrees Celsius, quiet and fully dark: the bedroom is one part of a heavily controlled sleep environment.
Source: Blueprint protocol site - LeBron JamesDoes it
Basketball player · NBA all-time leading scorer
Trainer Mike Mancias described the setup they keep for him in every hotel room: temperature around 68 to 70 degrees, completely dark, electronics off half an hour to 45 minutes before bed. James chimed in on the electronics part and added that he likes a sleep app running through the night.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #349 transcript: LeBron James and Mike Mancias - Tom BradyDoes it
Former NFL quarterback · The TB12 Method
Likes his room cool, dark and as quiet as possible, he writes, with the ideal temperature around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Source: CNBC Make It: Inside Tom Brady's sleep routine“I like my room cool, dark, and as quiet as possible”
CNBC Make It: Inside Tom Brady's sleep routine (opens in a new tab) · 6 Feb 2021 - Andrew HubermanRecommends
Neuroscientist · Huberman Lab
Advises a cool, dark bedroom with blankets you can throw off, because core body temperature has to fall by one to three degrees for sleep to start and hold.
Source: Huberman Lab: Toolkit for Sleep - Bill GatesRecommends
Microsoft co-founder · Gates Notes reading lists
His short answer to how to sleep better relays Walker's sleep hygiene advice as his own. Two things. Swap out the bedroom's LED bulbs, for their blue light, and set the room to drop to 65 degrees at bedtime so core temperature can fall.
Source: Gates Notes: This book put me to sleep - Chris WilliamsonRecommends
Host · Modern Wisdom
Emphasizes a cold, blacked-out bedroom as the foundation, before spending on sleep technology.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Sleep, Sex & Plastic“Darken your room & make it cooler than you think it needs to be. … But the most important hack is to actually prioritise your sleep.”
chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday – Sleep, Sex & Plastic (opens in a new tab) · 21 Sep 2020 - Daniel AmenRecommends
Psychiatrist · Change Your Brain, Change Your Life
Cooler room, no light, regular bedtime. He suggests walking around the bedroom to kill every standby lamp, since for a lot of people the place looks a bit like New York City at night once you start counting the gadgets.
Source: Thirty Minute Mentors: Dr. Daniel Amen - Matthew WalkerRecommends
Sleep scientist · author of Why We Sleep
61 to 65°F, or 16 to 18°C, and genuinely dark: that is the bedroom he asks for, because core body temperature has to drop for sleep to initiate and deepen.
Source: The Matt Walker Podcast: temperature, part 2“So trying to aim for darkness, not just in the last couple of hours before bed, but also darkness when you’re in bed. Blackout curtains, eye masks, all of those good things.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #650 transcript (opens in a new tab) · 21 Jan 2023
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under sleep.
- ProtocolFREE, no cost
Consistent sleep and wake times
Same bedtime and wake time every day, weekends included
On record from 20 of 62 tracked people: 11 do it, 6 recommend it, 3 have discussed 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 - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Eight hours of sleep
Protecting a full night in bed as a training input, not a leftover
On record from 11 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it, 2 recommend it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Morning sunlight exposure
Bright outdoor light soon after waking, 5-30 minutes and no sunglasses
On record from 10 of 62 tracked people: 6 do it, 3 recommend it, 1 has 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 - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Delayed morning caffeine
A 90-120 minute gap between waking and the first coffee
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it
Protocol 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.