- April 3, 2025
Deep sleep is crucial for optimal performance. A good night’s sleep enhances mental agility, memory, fat burning, and cellular energy production. With 80% of people experiencing occasional insomnia, learning to hack your sleep is invaluable.
One innovative sleep hack to add to your biohacking arsenal is inclined bed therapy. Simply raise the top of your bed frame by a few inches. It’s easy, free, and you can start tonight.
Sleeping on an incline is a revolutionary sleep hack that I discuss in my book “Game Changers.”
The Science Behind Inclined Bed Therapy
In “Game Changers,” I explain how sleep psychologist Dr. Günther W. Amann-Jennson observed that both wild animals and domestic livestock prefer to sleep with their heads slightly uphill. This led him to study the effects of gravity on sleep.
During sleep, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collaborates with glial cells to flush out debris accumulated in the brain throughout the day—a process known as glymphatic drainage. This is one of the most critical aspects of sleep.
Sleeping on an incline may enhance glymphatic drainage. Lying flat for 7-8 hours distributes CSF evenly across the brain. Elevating your bed a few inches leverages gravity to restore your body’s natural orientation, potentially promoting better glymphatic drainage.
Sleeping horizontally can also increase pressure on the eyes, ears, face, sinuses, and gums. This sustained pressure can cause discomfort and swelling.
Medical anthropologist Dr. Sydney Ross Singer tested inclined sleeping on migraine sufferers. One hundred patients slept with their heads elevated by 10% to 30%. Most reported symptom improvement within a few nights, along with better rest and reduced sinus congestion.
Dr. Amann-Jennson suggests that inclined sleeping can lower blood pressure, reduce water retention, improve varicose veins, and may even help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, which some researchers believe is linked to excessive pressure in the head. This theory warrants further research.
People who practice inclined sleeping report:
Research also supports elevating the head of your bed to alleviate acid reflux. Lying flat allows stomach acid to rise into the esophagus at night; keeping your head elevated prevents this.
Inclined sleep therapy has worked wonders for me. My sleep trackers reveal significant improvements in sleep quality and depth. Given how simple it is to try, you have nothing to lose.
To practice inclined bed therapy, elevate the head of your bed between six and nine inches, achieving a 10% to 30% incline. It may feel unusual initially, so start with a six-inch rise and gradually increase.
You can purchase six-inch bed risers online or at hardware stores for about $15. Traditionally used for all four bed posts, in this case, use them only on the posts near your head. Memory foam is another good option as it won’t slip and adjusts to support your bed posts perfectly. Alternatively, use books, bricks, or wood pieces, ensuring they are secure.
If you’re new to Bulletproof and want to sleep better, start with the Bulletproof guide to sleep hacking. It offers well-tested hacks to improve your sleep. If you’ve already tried those, this inclined bed biohack might help you sleep even better. Give it a try and see how you feel.
Inclined bed therapy involves elevating the head of your bed by 6-9 inches to improve sleep quality and promote glymphatic drainage.
Elevating the head of your bed leverages gravity to enhance glymphatic drainage, reduce pressure on the head, and improve overall sleep quality.
Benefits include deeper sleep, fewer headaches and migraines, improved memory, better cognition, and relief from acid reflux.
Use bed risers, memory foam, books, bricks, or wood pieces to elevate the head of your bed by 6-9 inches.
Yes, studies have shown that inclined bed therapy can reduce migraine symptoms and improve overall sleep quality.
nataly@bioupgraded.com
@bioupgraded
Dallas, TX, USA
