Inspired by the science-backed habits of a professional sleeper.
Living forever starts with sleeping better.
There’s a reason why Bryan Johnson, the world’s most measured man, spent 8 months refining his nighttime routine to achieve a perfect sleep score. Sleep is foundational to our overall health, affecting numerous biological processes like neural development and cognition, cardiovascular and metabolic functions, cellular toxin removal, immune function, stress response, and gene expression. And for someone like Bryan Johnson, who is spending $2 million a year to live forever, the importance of good sleep is vital—a matter of life and (potential) death.
Jonson’s chronological age is 47, but on the biological front (i.e. the age of his cells) he has reversed this number by 5.1 years. Through a highly regimented routine, he has slowed his aging rate to 0.64, which means he ages at only two-thirds the pace of a typical year. If you’ve seen his Netflix Documentary, then you appreciate the lengths of his commitment to longevity:
- 100 pills a day
- whole-body light therapy
- 2250-calorie vegan diet (consumed entirely before noon)
- Vagus nerve stimulation to activate his parasympathetic system (i.e. to help his body relax)
- and a strict 8:30 pm bedtime
The specifics of Johnson’s routine are subject to shift based on emerging data. But, as a self-proclaimed professional sleeper, his devotion to quality sleep never wavers.
What is a good sleep score?
As previously noted, Johnson boasts a perfect sleep score. In fact, he claims to have the best sleep score in human history. But what even is a perfect sleep score?
A sleep score is a quantitative measure of your sleep quality, typically ranging from 0 to 100. This nightly metric score takes into account factors like, hours of sleep, sleep stages (deep and REM sleep), and disruptions throughout the night. A higher score indicates more restorative sleep, which is essential for overall health and longevity.
Different sleep trackers calculate this score in unique ways, each with its own criteria for what counts as quality sleep.
Sleep score constraints vary by platform and tracker. But according to the Oura Ring’s algorithm, which also considers tossing and turning and latency (i.e. how quickly you fall asleep) any score above 70 indicates that your sleep is on the right track, and below 70 indicates that it might be time to take a leaf out of Bryan Johnson’s book and incorporate new sleep habits.
8 Ways to Optimize Your Sleep Score
1. Prioritize morning sunlight
Exposure to natural light in the morning regulates your circadian rhythm, signaling to your body that it’s time to wake up and be alert. This not only improves daytime energy but also helps your body produce melatonin at night, setting you up for better sleep. During winter months, when sunlight is scarce, 15-30 minutes in front of a light therapy device is enough to support your circadian rhythm.
2. Reduce caffeine
Caffeine disrupts an essential brain chemical that promotes sleepiness, keeping you up and active even when your brain and body need rest. And the effects of this stimulant linger in your system for 5-6 hours after consumption. So, while that 4 p.m. caffeine fix might be tempting, skipping the afternoon espresso can help your body preserve its natural sleep rhythms.
3. Time your meals
The timing of your meals plays a significant role in sleep quality. Eating too close to bedtime can disrupt digestion, spike blood sugar, and interfere with melatonin production, keeping your body in an alert state when it should be winding down. While Bryan Johnson follows an extreme schedule, consuming all his calories before noon, most people can benefit by simply moving their last meal earlier in the evening. Allowing your body a few hours to digest before sleep helps maintain your natural rhythms and supports better rest.
4. Perfect your sleep environment
Where you sleep influences how you sleep. Your bedroom should be cool, dark, and quiet to promote optimal sleep. Bryan uses blackout curtains, a white noise machine, and keeps the room at a temperature that supports deep rest (60°- 67° F) . Eliminating screen time an hour before bed is also critical, as blue light from devices stimulates your brain and suppresses the release of melatonin.
5. Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation, like body scans or breathwork can calm the mind, prepare the body for rest, and improve overall sleep patterns and quality. Not only does meditation decrease ruminative or anxious thoughts, but it also promotes physical effects in the body that contribute to better sleep:
- Increases melatonin
- Promotes melatonin’s precursor serotonin
- Reduces heart rate
- Decreases blood pressure
- Activates parts of the brain that control sleep
Johnson incorporates vagus nerve stimulation into his routine, activating the parasympathetic system to reduce stress and improve sleep quality.
6. Build consistent sleep habits
Sleep hygiene refers to the habits and practices that support quality sleep. Consistent sleep habits, like maintaining the same bedtime and wake-up time daily, align your body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm, with your schedule. This regularity promotes hormone regulation, deeper sleep cycles, and improved energy, helping you fall asleep faster when your head hits the pillow.
In contrast, inconsistent habits can disrupt your internal clock, leading to poor sleep quality. While most of us can’t replicate Johnson’s strict 8:30 p.m. bedtime, adopting his focus on consistent nightly schedules and rituals can significantly improve sleep quality over time
7. Track Your Data
Data drives Johnson’s approach to longevity, and sleep is no exception. He uses wearable devices to track metrics like sleep duration, heart rate variability, and sleep stages, fine-tuning his routine based on the results. Sleep trackers like the Oura Ring or Whoop make it easy to understand your body’s sleep patterns, offering insights into everything from REM cycles to nightly wake-ups and disturbances.
8. Optimize your sleep quality with supplemental therapies.
Because sleep is foundational to Johnson’s longevity mission, he goes beyond typical sleep habits, incorporating advanced therapies like light therapy and targeted supplements to ensure a perfect sleep score night after night further optimize his sleep. These interventions help him address specific needs, such as boosting melatonin production or improving recovery, ensuring he maximizes every night’s rest.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is another powerful tool to supercharge sleep. By increasing oxygen levels in the body, HBOT promotes cellular repair, reduces inflammation, and accelerates recovery—key factors for improving overall sleep quality and supporting deep, restorative rest.
Good sleep doesn’t just help you wake up feeling refreshed—it can enhance nearly every aspect of your health, from your energy levels to your immune system’s ability to fight off illness.
Take your sleep score further
Explore supplements and peptides formulated for better sleep
For those looking to go beyond routine adjustments, supplements and peptides for sleep may help promote full-body relaxation. Pinealon, a peptide that supports brain function and helps regulate circadian rhythms by promoting better neural health and recovery, can be especially beneficial for enhancing deep sleep and overall sleep efficiency.
Another widely recognized option is melatonin, a hormone your body naturally produces to signal bedtime. As a supplement, melatonin can be used to reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle, particularly in situations where it’s disrupted, such as jet lag or shift work.
Incorporating Bryan Johnson’s sleep-enhancing strategies into your routine can be a game changer for both your short- and long-term health. By prioritizing quality sleep, you lay the foundation for improved cognitive function, stress management, immune health, and overall well-being.
Whether you’re looking to optimize your sleep score with simple habits or exploring advanced therapies, focusing on your rest can help you unlock your full potential. With these science-backed practices and cutting-edge tools at your disposal, you can take meaningful steps toward sleeping better and living longer—just like the world’s most measured man.
