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This is: Sleep: effective ways to improve it , published by Ben Williamson on the Effective Altruism Forum.
Introduction
Our research found that melatonin supplementation, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), light regulation, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and improved night-time air circulation could all be effective ways for you to increase the quality and quantity of your sleep.
This is a summary of research conducted into the most worthwhile practices for sleeping better. The post is the first in a series looking into the most effective ways people can improve their wellbeing, aiming to present this information as simply and practically as possible.
Thanks to the EA Infrastructure Fund for financing this project. If you find this information useful and/ or take up any of the suggestions, please let me know in the comments or a personal message!
Important note: None of the following constitutes professional medical advice. Some of the interventions suggested have risks of negative side effects that are discussed below. We encourage you to experiment with these practices but please be cautious in doing so and take any risks seriously.
Top takeaway
Our principal recommendations for improving sleep quality are (in order):
Melatonin supplements: 0.3mg (300mcg) daily taken two hours before bed.
CBT-I: a six-to-seven-week, self-guided course in cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, accessed through an app.
Light therapy: greatly increasing exposure to bright light during the day, either through building a lumenator or purchasing a SAD lamp.
Improved night-time air circulation: opening a window to reduce overnight CO2 accumulation.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction: mindfulness training through an app with a focus on sleep.
Key Findings
Following a broad search of possible interventions, this review evaluated the effectiveness of 11 practices for improving sleep quality and quantity using an adapted weighted factor model.[1]
The five most promising interventions are listed below along with a brief explanation. More detailed assessments of all 11 practices are provided further down.
This research compared interventions across six criteria: strength of evidence, quality of evidence, ease of implementation, risk, externalities, and novelty. Full results from the model, along with reasoning for the metrics used and their respective weightings, can be found here.
Melatonin
Ranking: 1st
Intervention: 0.3mg daily supplementation (e.g. Options A, B and C)
Summary: Melatonin is a natural sleep hormone that can improve sleep quality and quantity when taken in small, daily doses. Melatonin supplementation appears highly practical, with a low risk of notable side effects as well as possible spillover benefits for other conditions.
CBT-I
Ranking: 2nd
Intervention: Completion of an app-based CBT-I course (e.g. Dozy; CBT-I Coach)
Summary: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) involves a combination of reframing negative thoughts around sleep, improving sleep hygiene, and implementing sleep restriction. We found good evidence that completing a self-guided CBT-I course via an app can be an effective way to sleep better.
Light therapy
Ranking: 3rd
Intervention: Increasing indoor lighting brightness, preferably up to 10,000 lux or more (e.g. a ‘lumenator’ or a Seasonal Affective Disorder [SAD] lamp).
Summary: Multiple studies have found that significantly increased exposure to bright morning light improves sleep quality and quantity. We found negligible risks to this practice as well as possible benefits to mood and alertness, though this does require some time and money to set up.
Improved night-time air circulation
Ranking: 4th
Intervention: Leaving a window or internal door open while sleeping.
Summary: There is reasonable evidence to suggest that ...
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