Insomnia

Written By Sebastian Browne

1. Sleep hygiene, CBTi (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia - app available)

2. Nutritional Supplements: Magnesium threonate, Apigenin, L-theanine - 1-2 hours before bed

3. Hormonal Supplements: Melatonin - if a shift worker for circadian dysrhythm

4. Sound therapy:

How It Works: Brainwave Entrainment

  • Binaural beats: Two slightly different tones played in each ear; brain “hears” the difference (e.g., 200 Hz in one ear and 204 Hz in the other = 4 Hz beat perceived → theta wave entrainment).

  • Isochronic tones: Pulsing sounds that turn on/off at specific rates (more effective without headphones).

Best Use Cases:

  • Delta (0.5–4 Hz): Deepest sleep stage promotion.

  • Theta (4–8 Hz): Drowsiness, transition to sleep.

  • Pink noise / White noise: Background masking to improve sleep continuity.

  • 528 Hz or 432 Hz: Subjective relaxation, not scientifically brainwave-based.

Max Richter "Sleep" Album : https://open.spotify.com/album/0JLN7JryQ2T7lBEYIrSQF1?si=BP7gCk8vTUK2FQ71Tps22A

Binaural Beats Album : https://open.spotify.com/album/6Od5boK8bzys1YHQmLB92h?si=CbAvhb7ARwutLSv2hHHWIA

5. Meditation - specifically NSDR - non sleep deep rest - if you can't sleep this type of meditation (spotify and youtube) can provide some benefits of sleep without actually sleeping. The goal here is to take the pressure off "having" to sleep, as any rest (even just lying down) does give your body some rest and rejuvenation

5. Consider medications - my preference for first line is Dayvigo 5mg-10mg nightly (doesn’t affect REM sleep like other sleep medications/cannabis/alcohol)

Sebastian Browne
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