Dr. Brown here, creator of **Atrantil and Re:flux.** Sleep is one of the first things I ask about with patients, because it affects almost everything: digestion, inflammation, blood sugar, cravings, mood, energy, and how well the body repairs.
And while melatonin can be helpful for some people, it is not where I start.
Before supplements, I want to look at the signals your body is getting every day. Your brain and gut are constantly paying attention to light, food, stress, caffeine, temperature, and timing. When those signals are inconsistent, sleep gets harder than it needs to be.
Try this for 14 nights.
Wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Your wake time teaches your body when the day starts. Once that is steady, your body usually starts finding the bedtime.
Get outside within the first hour of waking, even for a few minutes. Morning light tells your brain, “This is daytime,” which helps your body release melatonin at the right time later.
Your gut should not be doing a full shift while you’re trying to sleep. Late meals can make reflux, bloating, blood sugar swings, and restless sleep worse.
Not a workout. Just a walk. This helps digestion, supports blood sugar, and gives your body a calm signal that the day is winding down.
Caffeine can stay active for hours. If sleep is a problem, treat noon as your cutoff for two weeks and see what changes.
Alcohol may make you feel tired, but it can break up the second half of sleep. If you wake up at 2 or 3 AM, this is one of the first things I’d look at.
Your brain doesn’t just listen to the clock. It listens to light. Keep lights lower at night and get off screens at least 30 minutes before bed.
Your body needs to drop its temperature to sleep well. A cooler room, around the mid-to-high 60s for many people, can make sleep more stable.