View the Archive: https://thewonderloop.beehiiv.com/archive
The newsletter for the endlessly curious.

Hey friends,

Welcome to the first official edition of The Wonder Loop. A couple quick housekeeping notes before we dive in:

At the bottom of this letter (and every future one), you’ll find a simple 3-option feedback poll. Once you choose one, it will automatically lead you to a short text box where you can share more thoughts, including topic suggestions or anything else on your mind. I read everything and genuinely appreciate it.

Also, if you could answer this short survey (2–3 minutes tops), it’ll help me get to know you better so I can make this newsletter even more geared towards y’all. As a thank you, I’ll send a curated list of must-read books. These are books that I personally love and recommend to just about everyone.

I’ve been absolutely fascinated with the topic of sleep. It’s complex, deeply interesting, and yet something we rarely think about, simply because it feels automatic.

But sleep is vital, and we’re in the middle of a global sleep-deprivation problem. It affects us in far more ways than most people realize.

So for this first official letter, I want to deep dive into sleep, specifically circadian rhythms. If I were to cover everything about sleep, it’d be way too much for one letter.

To start, I think it would be interesting to take a look at just how much sleep impacts us.

Sleep helps us live longer, perform better physically, sharpen memory, reduce the risk of heart disease, dementia, depression, diabetes, and chronic pain. It boosts metabolism, regulates hormones, strengthens the immune system, increases testosterone, and the list goes on. It's easily the most powerful natural remedy for many of life’s problems.

Now you’ve probably heard of the circadian rhythm. It’s your body’s internal clock. An automatic rhythm that decides when you feel alert and when you feel tired, syncing you to the day-night cycle.

This clock is located in a tiny group of cells called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), found in the hypothalamus area of your brain. Throughout the day, clock genes in the SCN send signals that regulate activity across your entire body.

The SCN is especially sensitive to light. It sits just above the optic chiasm, which is the point where your optic nerves cross, so it essentially samples incoming light. These light signals help the SCN sync itself precisely to the 24-hour day.

But this clock doesn’t run the same for everyone or every age group.

Newborns don’t have a set circadian rhythm, which is why their sleep is irregular. Around 3 months in, their internal clock begins to take shape. Toddlers and children develop a more stable rhythm and usually need 9–10 hours of sleep a night.

In teenagers, the circadian rhythm shifts later, making it harder to fall asleep early. Even though their natural bedtime might be around 10 or 11 p.m., they still need about 9 hours of sleep.

Adults tend to have a steady rhythm if they maintain good habits, typically needing 7–9 hours per night. After age 60, this rhythm often shifts earlier, with both bedtime and wake time moving up, though the amount of sleep needed stays just as important.

You’ve probably heard of early birds and night owls. Morning types tend to wake up naturally around dawn, while night types prefer staying up late and sleeping in.

These preferences are mostly genetic. If you’re a night owl, chances are one or both of your parents are too. Unfortunately, night types often get unfairly labeled as lazy or undisciplined, but that judgment overlooks biology.

That said, many people confuse habit with biology. Staying up late becomes easier over time, especially in our current environment. So if you’re unsure of your natural rhythm, try experimenting. Pick a schedule, stick to it consistently for at least a month, and see how your body responds before trying a different one.

The SCN preps the body for sleep by triggering the release of melatonin. A hormone that signals it’s time to rest. Melatonin levels rise in the evening and gradually drop by morning.

Alongside this is something called sleep pressure, caused by a chemical called adenosine. The longer you’re awake, the more adenosine builds up. This creates an increasing urge to sleep. When you finally do sleep, that pressure drops as adenosine gets flushed out.

One common way people override this natural signal? By the world’s most popular drug: caffeine.

Caffeine blocks adenosine from binding to its receptors, dulling your feeling of tiredness. But caffeine lingers; it has a half-life of 5–7 hours, meaning it takes that long for just 50% of the dose to leave your system.

3 Tips That Helped My Sleep

Here are three simple things I’ve personally done that made a big difference in my sleep quality:

This section is for me to share one thing I came across that caught my attention and wanted to share with y’all.

I want most of what I create to stay free and accessible to everyone. But if you’ve been finding value in it and want to see more, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Inside The Loop, you’ll get:

Your support helps me dedicate more time and care to making this better all around. It means a lot, and I really appreciate it.

Join Here!

Enjoyed this letter? Forward it to a friend and have them sign up here.