How I FIXED My Terrible Sleep

Berg describes magnesium glycinate as a highly absorbable form that specifically targets muscle issues and promotes calm without laxative effects. He personally does this every night. The warm water helps absorption and adds to the relaxation ritual. Adding chamomile tea boosts the sedative effect through its apigenin content. He doesn’t specify a brand, just ‘powder.’ He emphasises that magnesium is crucial for sleep because deficiency leads to muscle cramps, restlessness, and a higher cortisol state. The timing 1 hour pre-bed allows the magnesium to peak in the bloodstream as you're settling down.

Berg explains that the body’s core temperature needs to drop by about 1-2°F to initiate sleep, so a cool room (65-68°F) assists. He champions total darkness because any light, even from a clock, can suppress melatonin. He notes that blue light from screens and phones is a primary sleep disruptor because it mimics daytime light, signalling to the brain to stay awake. However, blue light in the early morning is beneficial as it awakens the circadian system. In the evening, the presence of longer wavelengths (yellow, purple, red) and infrared helps switch off the stress response. He stresses that over 50% of the sun’s rays are infrared, which can penetrate deep into the body, triggering mitochondrial melatonin production and vitamin D synthesis, both crucial for sleep. He ties the historical sun avoidance since the 80s to rising sleep disorders.

Detailed explanation about gut-stress: when you go to bed with a full stomach, digestion keeps the body active, and inflammatory foods cause gut irritation that sends alert signals. High carbohydrate diets drain vitamin B1, which is needed for the nervous system; deficiency leads to restless legs and anxiety at night. Intermittent fasting helps not only with digestion but also reduces the urge to urinate at night by shifting fluid balance. The inclusion of kefir or L. reuteri yogurt adds good bacteria that produce serotonin precursors, directly feeding the melatonin pathway. He prefers L. reuteri because it’s more efficacious for sleep than kefir.

Berg contrasts nose breathing with mouth breathing, noting that the nose filters, warms, and humidifies air, and more importantly, produces nitric oxide which improves oxygen exchange in the lungs. A slow, extended exhale particularly stimulates the calming vagal tone. He suggests that this simple technique can rapidly shift the nervous system from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest, making it a powerful tool to deploy when lying in bed unable to sleep. He doesn’t give a specific count, just 'slowly in and a little bit slower out.'

Berg introduces essential oils as a ‘really cool’ non-oral sleep aid. He singles out spikenard, a less common oil, as a potent sedative that calms the nervous system, and suggests pairing it with vetiver, which specifically deepens sleep architecture. The method is simple: breathe in the vapour from a tissue or diffuser, or apply diluted oil to temples or chest. He emphasizes no consumption needed, just inhaling. There’s no mention of brand or dilution ratio.

This is Berg’s personal nightly ritual due to a past lower back injury. He explains that simply stretching large muscle groups signals the body to shift into relaxed mode. The technique: lying supine, arms extended above the head, then simultaneously pushing through the heels in one direction and reaching with the hands in the opposite direction, creating a gentle longitudinal pull on the spine and limbs. He believes this releases deep muscular holding patterns built up from the injury. He promises a video demonstration, so the details on duration and intensity are left to that visual aid.

Berg demonstrates a self-treatment protocol with his invented device. Starting with the midback: lie on the floor with the device under the back, positioning it from the upper to lower midback, letting body weight gradually compress the muscle until it softens – an ischemic compression technique. The suboccipital release: sit on a chair with tall back or couch, place the device behind the head so its tip is under the skull, then lean back to press into the small muscles at the base of the skull, holding to dissipate tension that often links to stress and eye strain. For the abdomen: sit or lie and press the device upward under the rib cage to relieve diaphragmatic and abdominal spasms caused by bloating. He says all these areas contribute to sleep disruption because of the continuous sensory input from tight muscles.

Berg developed this device after struggling with tension from an old lower back injury and noticing that pressure on specific knotted spots in the midback would allow the muscles to ‘let go.’ He describes using it on a flat surface to pin a spot from the upper to lower midback, holding until the muscle relaxes – a form of self-administered ischemic pressure. For the brain stem area, he places the device on the back of a tall chair or couch and leans back so the tip presses into the suboccipital region, releasing the small muscles that connect to stress and tension. The abdominal use targets the diaphragm and stomach area, where bloating creates muscle spasm that inhibits breathing and relaxation; pressing up under the rib cage helps ‘take the bloating out.’ He doesn’t sell the device but presents it as a DIY solution he relies on every night.

Berg noticed that when he tried to sleep on his left side, he felt less relaxed and couldn’t drift off. He hypothesizes that if there is any congestion in the liver (from food, inflammation, or sluggish bile flow), the liver’s weight or swelling presses on the heart when lying on the left side, causing a sensation of pressure or palpitations that keep him awake. He doesn’t recommend this for everyone but presents it as a personal fix that ‘helps me relax.’ He emphasizes starting on the right side, especially if you have a tendency toward bloating or liver issues. The mechanism is purely mechanical: gravity and organ position. He doesn’t cite any studies, only his own experience.

Berg explains that sodium is essential for adrenal function and fluid balance. When you’re sodium-depleted, the adrenals secrete more cortisol to compensate, which keeps you in a stressed, alert state incompatible with deep sleep. Many people, he says, avoid salt or eat mostly processed foods with poor-quality salt, missing out on mineral-rich sea salt. He estimates that the average person needs more than a teaspoon of sea salt per day, far above typical consumption. Adding a pinch of sea salt to coffee in the morning (a practice he endorses) helps meet those needs and may blunt the cortisol spike from caffeine. The sleep improvement comes from stabilizing the nervous system and reducing the overactive stress response.

Berg positions L. reuteri yogurt as a step above kefir. He says both contain probiotics that help build serotonin, the precursor to melatonin, but L. reuteri is ‘even better.’ The mechanism: probiotics increase tryptophan availability or serotonin synthesis in the gut, which crosses the blood-brain barrier or signals via the vagus nerve, boosting brain serotonin and subsequently melatonin. He emphasizes that you don’t need to consume it right before bed – half a cup at any point during the day suffices because the effect is mediated by gradual serotonin buildup. He cautions that making L. reuteri yogurt (notably fermented dairy) may require specific starter but doesn’t elaborate. The dose of half a cup is non-negotiable, he says.

Berg describes his nightly routine: he lies on his back with arms extended above his head, then simultaneously pushes his feet in one direction and his arms in the opposite direction, creating a gentle traction through the spine and limbs. He says this ‘puts your body into a relaxed mode.’ The stretching probably engages the parasympathetic nervous system via muscle spindles and deep breathing, acting as a signal to downregulate stress. He stresses that this is a response to a past injury and that he ‘has to do it’ to avoid pain interfering with sleep. He plans to show a video demonstration (link below), indicating that visual cues are needed for proper form.