Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

How I FIXED My Terrible Sleep

22 snips

Jul 2, 2025

Explore how diet affects sleep quality, revealing that refined sugars and late-night snacks can disrupt rest. Eating earlier, ideally by 5 p.m., can enhance sleep. Discover the benefits of intermittent fasting and low-carb diets. Learn about probiotics like kefir and L. reuteri yogurt that boost serotonin and melatonin. Optimize your sleep environment by keeping the room cool and dark, minimizing blue light exposure, and considering infrared light for its soothing effects. Avoid stimulants like caffeine and alcohol for deeper, more restorative sleep.

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ADVICE

Optimize Sleep Environment

Keep your bedroom temperature between 65 and 68 degrees for restful sleep.
Warm your feet with socks if cold, and add plants for oxygenation and better sleep environment.

INSIGHT

Sunlight and Sleep Quality

Exposure to infrared light from sun helps produce vitamin D and increase melatonin for better sleep.
Avoiding sun since the 1980s may have contributed to growing sleep problems.

ADVICE

Avoid Sleep Disruptors

Avoid alcohol as it decreases deep, restorative sleep despite making you feel tired.
Reduce caffeine sources like coffee, tea, and chocolate to prevent stimulant effects disrupting sleep.

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Sleep detoxifies our brains! Refined sugars, junk food, and late-night snacking can interfere with sleep. If you want better sleep, eat earlier in the day. For the best sleep, have your last meal around 5:00 p.m. If you're waking at night to urinate, intermittent fasting and a low-carb diet can help.

Inflammatory foods, such as grains, can also interfere with your sleep. High carbohydrate diets increase your need for vitamin B1, which reduces anxiety and tension.

Kefir contains probiotics that can build up serotonin, which turns into melatonin, the sleep hormone. L. reuteri yogurt also contains helpful probiotics to improve sleep. Consume ½ cup daily; it doesn't have to be before bed.

Try the following tips for better sleep to help you wake up early feeling refreshed and energized:•Sleep in a 65 to 68 degree room•If you have cold feet at night, try sleeping with warm socks•Plants in the room can help oxygenate the space and improve sleep•The darker the environment, the better

Light inhibits melatonin. Blue light from your computer or phone stimulates energy, while infrared lighting helps you wind down. Around 50% of the sun’s rays are infrared and can penetrate several inches into the body. Infrared light helps you make vitamin D, which is vital for sleep and increasing melatonin.

Since culture has pushed us away from sun exposure, sleep quality has declined. Alcohol will make you feel tired, but it interferes with deep sleep. Caffeine, tea, coffee, and chocolate act as stimulants and prevent sleep.

Increase exercise to improve sleep. Stretching and massage can also help you relax. Here are a few more deep sleep tips that can significantly improve sleep quality:•Sleep on your right side•Focus on nose breathing •Reduce stress for better sleep•Ensure adequate sodium intake to maintain healthy cortisol levels •Increase potassium intake •Consume magnesium glycinate powder 1 hour before bed •Sound machine •Binaural beats •Use essential oils (Spikenard, vetiver)

Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.