I don’t just teach sleep – I practise it like a religion. Not because I’ve had a problem… because I don’t want to have one

Falling asleep with ease and waking up fresh – I love it. Especially with my business – delivering keynotes, media appearances, TV, meeting VIP clients – I don’t have the capacity to crash and burn. There is no other Olivia Arezzolo – I can’t just pull a sickie and get a replacement. If I don’t work, nothing works.
So – sleep, and more so, the habits that keep it in check, ensure that I wake up with the energy, vitality and vibrancy I need. And it’s not just for work – because on weekends, time with my friends and family is just as important. Equally, I want to have energy, vitality and vibrancy for them too.
So – if you’re wondering what those habits are, I’ll share a few today. I won’t share everything I do… just a few things… so stay tuned for part two.

The first thing I’d never do: Skip my morning walk

Now I’ll be honest – I live in Melbourne, and any Melburnian knows mornings are not the easiest. It’s dark. It’s cold. It was literally 3 degrees this morning. But there I was, jacket on, gloves on, caffeined up, lapping The Tan with the LOML, Jackie.
Not because it’s easy.
Because it’s important.
Extremely important.
Light tells the brain to be awake. Direct morning light? That’s even better – it starts what’s called the ‘circadian cascade’, which means:

• Cortisol rises (you want this to happen – you feel alert).
• Melatonin is suppressed (again, great, you’re less tired).
• Your melatonin timer starts (around 14 hours later, you naturally begin feeling sleepy, helping you get to bed on time).
  All of the above means, post morning walk, I’m awake, alert and ready for the day.
  Second – I’m not motivated to get up – or go to bed on time – when I know the first thing I have to do is work.
  I mean… who would be?
  Exactly why the morning walk is non-negotiable.
  It’s a moment of precious me time – the same precious me time most of us go to bed wishing we had.

The second thing I’d never do: Not wear blue light blocking glasses before bed

You may have heard other sleep experts say, “Avoid screens for 2 hours before bed.”
Well… that doesn’t work for me – I’m a busy woman running a company, I have regular late-night meetings with my major partner – Novotel, and, to be frank, I have a life after 7pm.
So sorry, switching off all screens, all light, before bed – not going to happen.
That’s why I wear blue light blocking glasses.
Because I want my cake and eat it too.
What good is cake if you can’t eat it?
Here, you get to enjoy your evening, and still get to bed at a reasonable time, sleep deeply, and wake up feeling like a new woman.

Here’s the science:
In order to fall asleep and stay asleep with ease, the body must produce melatonin.
Think of melatonin like a starter gun starting a race – and the race is sleep.
It tells the brain, “Time to switch off. Time to unwind. Time to get ready for sleep.”

The system worked wonderfully well…
Until artificial light.
Specifically, blue light.
Now, with artificial blue light from our phones, laptops, TVs and even ceiling lights, the starter gun never goes off.
As a result:

• The brain never gets the signal it’s time to sleep.
• You’re left wide awake at bedtime.
• Sleep is delayed.
• You wake feeling exhausted the
  next morning.

Enter blue light blocking glasses.
As the name suggests:

• They shield blue light from entering your eyes.
• As a result, melatonin can rise, giving your brain the signal it’s time for sleep.
  The evidence backs this up too.
  One randomised controlled trial found that people wearing blue light blocking glasses before bed fell asleep faster and experienced fewer overnight awakenings compared with those wearing clear placebo glasses.
  Which means:
• You can fall asleep faster.
• Sleep more deeply.
• Wake less throughout the night.
• Feel more refreshed the next morning.

What I love most?
It’s the simplicity.
You literally put on a pair of glasses.
That’s it.
Minimal effort.
Potentially significant gains.
Tick. Tick. Tick.

The third thing I’d never do: Take Melatonin every night

Melatonin seems harmless, and everyone does it… so no problem… right? Not right.
The biggest risk?
Most of the time, you don’t actually know what you’re taking.
A 2023 study of 25 melatonin supplements found 22 were inaccurately labelled. The dosage was up to 473% higher than what was on the label.
If that was you, you’d be tired for days – from a supplement that’s meant to restore your energy, not take it away.
Even if the dosage is accurate – 5mg, 10mg, 20mg – this is still a problem. The body produces 0.3-0.5 mg per night, naturally. So if I were to take 10mg, which is often on labels, you’re taking twenty to thirty times more melatonin than your body would naturally make.
This is referred to as a ‘supraphysiological dose’ – and has not been verified in clinical evidence as safe for long-term use.
Third, it is a bioactive hormone, impacting not only your sleep, but your oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone – our sex hormones.
I plan to have kids in the future.
I don’t want to mess with the hormones that govern fertility, and taking melatonin could do exactly that.
The science backs this up – when kids are given synthetic melatonin, it can delay puberty. Telling us – yes, it does have an impact on our sex hormones, often in an unexpected, unwanted way.
I will repeat – if prescribed, that’s different.
But I do not have a prescription – so I definitely won’t be taking it.

There you have it – three things a leading sleep expert would never do.
Of course, there are so many more…. Stay tuned for part two.
In the meantime, connect on Instagram – I share more advice there, and would love to hear from you. Send me a DM – I’m @oliviaarezzolo