Skip to content
Anew
TopicsSleep

Sleep

Everything else works better downstream of it.

Four of our interventions exist mostly for your sleep. Morning light sets the clock, evening dimming lets melatonin arrive on time, a steady wake time holds the schedule, and magnesium helps at the margin. Fix the timing before you buy anything.

Interventions

What actually works.

Ranked by priority. Same matrix, filtered to this chapter.

All interventions →3 of this chapter's moves are Path steps →

  1. Cost
    Free
    Time
    10 min
    Energy
    Effortless
    Impact
    Extremely high
    Leveragewithin Light Health
    Evidencesolid · 8 papers
    Check first

    Anyone photosensitive, on photosensitising medication, or with an eye condition should ask a clinician first.

    Where the evidence is thin
    • Most trials use light boxes or measured lux, not 'go outside', so the dose you actually get varies with weather, season and latitude.
    • The '10–20 minutes' is a practical extrapolation from the phase-response curve's shape, not a measured protocol — the studies measure illuminance and timing, never minutes outside. Overcast days honestly need longer.

    Read the full page →

    Your screen is why you stay indoors
  2. Cost
    Free
    Time
    -
    Energy
    Moderate
    Impact
    Extremely high
    Leveragewithin Self-Understanding
    Evidencesolid · 2 papers

    Read the full page →

  3. Cost
    $12
    Time
    -
    Energy
    Easy
    Impact
    Very high
    Leveragewithin Light Health
    Evidencesolid · 2 papers

    Read the full page →

    What we use

    Amber Evening Bulb

    Amber Evening Bulb

    $12

    The single easiest upgrade for your sleep.

    Cost
    $12
    Time
    None
    Energy
    Effortless
    Impact
    High
    Anew Researched & CertifiedFull details →
  4. Cost
    $12/mo
    Time
    10 sec
    Energy
    Effortless
    Impact
    Moderate
    Leveragewithin Nutrition, Diet, & Food
    Evidencemixed · 2 papers

    Read the full page →

  5. Nice to have
    19

    Sunrise alarmbeta

    Fake a sunrise over the last 30 minutes of sleep — in winter-depression trials a 250-lux dawn matched 10,000-lux bright light. An addition for dark mornings, never a substitute for stepping outside.

    Read more
    Cost
    $25–120 once
    Time
    None — one-time setup
    Energy
    Set it once
    Impact
    Real, but winter-specific
    Leveragewithin Light Health
    Evidencemixed · 5 papers
    Where the evidence is thin
    • Lux and distance decide whether it works at all: the ramp needs roughly 200–300 lux at your pillow, which means the lamp within arm's reach of your head. Across the room it is a nightlight, and budget units peaking under 100 lux will not move anything.
    • The strong evidence is for seasonal affective disorder in winter — two solid RCTs put dawn simulation in the same league as 10,000-lux bright-light therapy for that population.

    Read the full page →

    What we use

    Sunrise Alarm Lamp

    Sunrise Alarm Lamp

    $40–120

    Wake to light, not noise — especially in winter.

    Cost
    $40–120
    Time
    None
    Energy
    Effortless
    Impact
    Moderate
    Full details →

Run a stack

Curated for this chapter.

Adopt one wholesale, or pick the pieces. Each spread bundles interventions, products, and reading.

All collections →

On the shelf

What we'd buy.

Affiliate-only, scored by the same matrix. We only recommend what we use.

The whole shop →

Other chapters

Eight topics, one matrix. Pick another, or browse the full library.

All topics →Open the library →