# Run one-variable self-experiments

Trackers tell you how you slept, not why. Finding the why is your quest.



## Takeaways

- One variable, ~7 nights, compare.

- Stack small wins.

- Solve causes, don't mask them.



Everyone has the ability to run self-experiments. Start by changing one thing. Is it your bedroom temperature? Your partner? Sensitivity to light? Exercising too late? Eating too late? Caffeine after noon? One at a time.

Stack wins: none of the individual levers (lavender, kiwis, sound machines, magnesium) will knock you out on its own; each has a small documented effect and you're looking to accumulate them.

The Lab tab implements exactly this: a baseline window, an intervention window, one variable, and a comparison of total sleep, morning feel and resting heart rate. The Day log feeds the 'with vs without' comparisons that tell you what to test next.



## Sources

- Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a systematic review & meta-analysis (Mah J, Pitre T, 2021)

- Effect of kiwifruit consumption on sleep quality in adults with sleep problems (Lin HH, Tsai PS, Fang SC, Liu JF, 2011)

- Effect of inhaled lavender and sleep hygiene on self-reported sleep issues: a randomized controlled trial (Lillehei AS, Halcón LL, Savik K, Reis R, 2015)

- Self-monitoring in weight loss: a systematic review of the literature (Burke LE, Wang J, Sevick MA, 2011)

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Educational summary of published research, not medical advice. Screening scores are not diagnoses. If a score is elevated or you feel unwell, talk to a clinician.

SleepShred for iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6802040541