Using the 3-2-1 Principle for Better Sleep

Using the 3-2-1 Principle for Better Sleep

Getting better sleep doesn’t always mean investing in the latest sleep tech or some sleep supplement. Sometimes, it’s about going back to the basics. One simple approach is the 3-2-1 principle:

• 3 hours before bed – stop eating

• 2 hours before bed – stop drinking (or at least slow down)

• 1 hour before bed – cut the blue light

This is a pretty simple tactic to seriously improve your sleep and recovery.

3 Hours Before Bed – Stop Eating

People often don’t realise how much eating late at night can mess with their sleep. When you’re digesting food, your body is busy metabolising rather than focusing on deep rest and recovery.

Here’s the big one: during the first sleep cycle, we see the largest spike of growth hormone in the whole day [1]. This growth hormone release plays a huge role in muscle repair, fat metabolism, and overall recovery. If you’re still digesting a meal, that spike doesn't happen, as your body prioritises digestion over recovery.

If you need to eat late, keep it light and low glycemic. A good shout is something protein-based, like a whey or casein shake. Liquid proteins are digested more easily and won’t interfere as much with that growth hormone spike.

2 Hours Before Bed – Stop Drinking (or slow it down)

Hydration is key during the day, but loading up on water right before sleep often leads to midnight trips to the bathroom. Even waking up once can disrupt your deep sleep cycle, and the older we get, the harder it is to drop straight back into that deep phase [2].

Aim to front-load your water intake earlier in the day, then taper off in the evening. Around 1.5–2 hours before bed is a good cut off point. Although I mentioned about having a whey or casein shake before bed (if need be), go easy on glugging it down with too much water. Same goes for sleeping supplements or medications in tablet form; you don't need 750 ml of water to swallow them.

Although this is separate, I'll share a quick one about drinking alcohol before bed. A largely misunderstood "sleep aid", alcohol is a class of sedative drug. It will knock out the cortex in the brain, sedating you and making you unconscious, but without going into natural sleep. You will also wake up numerous times throughout the night. It also decreases the amount REM sleep you have that night.

1 Hour Before Bed – Cut the Blue Light 📱

I'll admit that I struggle with this one. Blue light not only comes from the sun during daylight hours, but also comes from our phones, laptops, and TVs. Blue light hits a cell in the eye called the melanopsin cell, which turns off the melatonin phosphate in your brain. That's what makes you feel great on a summers morning. However, if you wake up early for work and it's a dark winter morning, the melatonin production is still on.

Even if you think you’re sleeping fine, the depth and restorative quality of that sleep might not be what it could be. A study had people reading on an iPad for 1 hour before bed, and people doing the same with a book. The iPad delayed the release of the melatonin by up to 3 hours and reduced it by 50%. Basically, blue light tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime [3].

Smart phones have a setting where you can schedule the blue light. I set mine to turn off 1.5 hours before my average bed time, and turns back on in the morning. There are also light bulbs and glasses which are made with a filter inside them to filter out the blue light.

Lastly

The 3-2-1 principle isn’t about perfection; it’s about giving your body the best chance to recover. Try it for a week and see how much better you feel in the morning. Sleep isn’t just “time off” – it’s the foundation for energy, mood, fat loss, muscle gain, and just generally not feeling like a zombie. 8 hours is 33.3% of your day, so let’s get the most out of it.

Recommended Blogs

1. How to Change Your Habits

2. The Importance of Sleep

3. Sleep: Underactive & Overactive Thyroid