I'm a psychologist… follow the 'three 15's' method to ensure you get a good night's sleep
How well you sleep at night can affect your mood, productivity and health.
Some people drift off as soon as their head hits the pillow, but for others it's harder – especially in winter, an expert has revealed.
Clinical psychologist and sleep specialist, Dr. Michael Bruesbetter known as the 'Sleep Doctor', is on a mission to help the world improve their lifestyle with a good night's sleep.
Dr. Brues posts snippets under his TikTok handle @thesleepdoctor, sharing suggestions that can help you sleep.
The sleep doctor explained that you need sunlight in the morning – people don't know, but vitamin D is a circadian pacemaker, so being out in the sun can help
Appears on Last year's Today Showexplained Dr. Brues explains the process he swears by during the colder months to get a good night's sleep: the 'three 15 method'.
He begins by explaining, “During the winter months, a number of things can happen to sleep.
'One thing we know specifically is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – because there isn't enough light, people don't feel very well, a bit like the winter blues.
“But from a sleep perspective, here's what we know: Because we don't have as much light, our circadian rhythms can be a little bit off and that can be a problem.”
He revealed that we can follow some important rules to sleep better at night, but we need to do them in the morning.
The sleep doctor explained that you need sunlight in the morning as vitamin D is a circadian pacemaker, so being outside in the sun can help.
How well you sleep at night can influence a host of other factors in your life, including your mood, productivity and health (stock image)
The circadian rhythm is the body's internally controlled 24-hour clock that regulates vital functions such as sleep, appetite and metabolism according to a daily cycle. When it starts to get dark earlier, this can be confusing for our bodies.
Dr. Brues said: 'You only have to believe it for fifteen minutes, or not. That really helps with your sleep. I know it sounds strange to do something in the morning that helps you sleep, but trust me.
“If you start preparing for bed at the beginning of the day, you will have a great night.”
“What I tell people is when you wake up in the morning, I have a bit of a routine: you can do this for kids, you can do this for adults.”
He explains that he called the method “the three 15 steps you should do in the morning”: 15 deep breaths to wake up your respiratory system, 450 ml of water and 15 minutes of sunshine.
Dr. Brues emphasizes that it should be water and not caffeine, because sleep itself is a dehydrating event.
He added: 'We don't want to do caffeine, we want to hydrate first. 'We lose almost a full liter of water through both the moisture in our breath and our sweat and the oils passing through our skin, so people need to go to bed reasonably well hydrated.
“But don't drink a big glass of water before you go to bed because you will have to go to the toilet all night.”
He reveals that you should go to the window in the morning when it's a little too cold to be outside, but if you can tolerate being outside, it's “best” for your sleep.