Sleep Optimisation Plan

Scope first — this is not a sleep clinician. It is a behavioural sleep protocol for healthy adults. It does not diagnose sleep apnoea, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, or any sleep disorder that needs medical evaluation. Loud snoring, observed breathing pauses, gasping awake, persistent insomnia unresponsive to behavioural changes, or sleep problems alongside mental health concerns all warrant a GP or sleep specialist. The skill flags these explicitly rather than burying the recommendation. It also won't recommend specific supplements or dosages — supplement choices are a conversation for a healthcare provider.

Within scope, the skill does the part most generic sleep advice skips: it classifies the problem first. Sleep onset insomnia (30+ minutes to fall asleep) has different drivers than maintenance insomnia (waking at 3am) than early morning waking than non-restorative sleep than erratic-schedule sleep. Hyperarousal isn't the same as cortisol dysregulation isn't the same as circadian misalignment. The protocol is only useful if it matches the actual pattern, so the classification step is non-negotiable.

The protocol is tiered, not a list of twelve things to do at once. Tier 1 is the circadian anchor — fixed wake time, morning light, caffeine cutoff. These three changes alone will move most people inside a week, and they're load-bearing for everything that follows. Tier 2 is the wind-down — a 60-90 minute pre-sleep routine with specific timestamps, not vibes. Tier 3 is environment — temperature (16-19°C is non-negotiable for sleep onset), darkness, noise. Tier 4 is targeted to the specific pattern — racing mind gets a worry-dump and cognitive shuffle, 3am waking gets blood sugar stabilisation, sleep anxiety gets paradoxical intention. Layering matters: trying Tier 4 without Tier 1 is treating symptoms.

The implementation timeline runs four weeks. Week 1 fixes the anchor. Week 2 adds the wind-down. Week 3 fine-tunes. Week 4 reassesses with a sleep diary in hand. If consistent adherence hasn't moved things in four weeks, that's the signal to get professional help — not to keep tweaking the protocol indefinitely.

A few hard principles. Fixed wake time moves the needle more than any supplement, device, or trick. Sleep is not a performance task — trying harder makes it worse. Consistency beats duration; 7 hours every night beats alternating 5 and 9. And bedroom temperature is physics, not preference — core body temperature has to drop for sleep to start.