Before I get to my sleepy time strategy (apply named so there is no confession with future sexy time strategy) there is a baby update.  Gator is a real boy!  Not that he didn’t have all the parts before but now his little rocket is circumcision ring free.  We also had a two week check up and the little soldier is progressing nicely.  His two weeks at home have been productive.  Gator has grown three inches and gained 10 oz’s.  Daddy is proud and mommy’s milk seems to be very anabolic (Yes, my thoughts exaclty).  Coolest part is each time we take him to the doc they do this grip and hold test and he kills it.  I really don’t care what Gator grows up interested in as long as he is happy.  But, I will push for him to continue to build strength.  I don’t care who you are or what you do, it just that much cooler when you’re the strongest guy in the room.  

“Baby update. Check.”  Now it’s time to discuss “Joe’s Quest for the Perfect Night’s Sleep.”

I will be attacking my quest for the perfect nights sleep in the same fashion the Germans hit Europe; hard, fast, and from all angles.  My blitzkrieg to slumber land will consist of supplementation, nutrition, exercise and even a few helpful gadgets.  Here is the outline:

 

Exercise:  I am going to incorporate some iso-lateral movements (one leg, one arm at a time).  It seems that time to sleep is actually shortened with complex stabilization movements. 

Nutrition:  The plan here is to make my last meal fat and protein heavy.  Specifically I’ll be looking to grab 800 milligrams of cholesterol (about four whole eggs) and at least 40 grams of protein 3 hours before bedtime.  Tim discovered this little cue by accident and I plan to put it to the test.  I also plan on watching my water intake and working hard to limit it 3-4 hours before sleep.

Sleep Position:  One of my major sleep limiting habits is tossing and turning.  To limit this I will sleep on my belly, left leg straight, right leg in a Captain Morgan position, left arm straight with palm up, while my right arm will be at 90 degrees hand under the pillow or parallel to my neck.  The key here is that once you are in this position you can’t move.  Try it.  I am

Supplements:  For the past week I have been taking a magnesium supplement called Natural Calm, as advised by Robb Wolf.  So far so good.  If you are looking to get your magnesium from foods try halibut, spinach, and avocado (just to name a few).  I am also waiting for the arrival of California Poppy Extract.  A few drops of this stuff has been shown to increase deep wave sleeping.

Gadgets:  The first, and hopefully last, gadget to try is a Night Wave Pulse Light.  It’s a small contraption that shoots a blue light to the ceiling.  The point is to time your breathing with the pulse.  Seven minutes in I should be out like a light.

These are the opening strategies.  I am starting the fat and protein, military position, and natural calm tonight.  I have to wait for the Poppy Extract and adult night like to arrive in the mail.  Tonight begins the recording phase.  I plan on keeping a dream log, recording hours of sleep, and implementing a subjective 10-1 rating system regarding how I feel upon waking.  The dream log should be interesting.  It’s the first phase toward achieving a lucid dream state (that’s a whole post of its own).  If the dreams are interesting and a lucid dream state is achieved I’ll be sure to give you the break down.  As always I’m interested in your thoughts.  Here is to getting good sleep.      

Oh yeah, The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferris is where I am grabbing most of this sleep jazz.  The book is the the bomb and Tim Ferris’s Blog is also sweet, its where I got the idea to log dreams and gain control of my dream state.