⏱️ Time: 8 hr/night | 🎯 Difficulty: Beginner | 📈 ROI: Quick Win | ✅ Status: Active
Sleep 7-9 Hours
The single highest-ROI health intervention. Nothing else works if this is broken.
Why It Matters
7-9 hours isn’t arbitrary: it’s what the research shows you need (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016; Watson et al., 2015). Chronic sleep deprivation destroys cognition, immunity, and metabolism (Walker, 2017).
The Protocol
If averaging <7 hours:
- No screens 1 hour before bed
- Same bedtime/wake time daily (±30 min)
- Dark room, cool temperature (65-68°F)
If insomnia persists 3+ weeks despite good habits: See a doctor. Rule out apnea or other disorders.
If sleeping 9+ hours and still exhausted: Get evaluated. Something else is wrong.
How To Track
- Average sleep ≥7h (wearable or sleep diary)
- Daytime alertness: Can you function without caffeine by 10am?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). How Much Sleep Do I Need? https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html
Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner.
Watson, N. F., Badr, M. S., Belenky, G., Bliwise, D. L., Buxton, O. M., Buysse, D., Dinges, D. F., Gangwisch, J., Grandner, M. A., Kushida, C., Malhotra, R. K., Martin, J. L., Patel, S. R., Quan, S. F., & Tasali, E. (2015). Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep, 38(6), 843–844. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.4716