The Sleep Routine That Helped Me Recover From Chronic Fatigue (CFS)

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Overview

If you’re stuck in survival mode, waking up every day still exhausted with chronic fatigue, and wondering if your body will ever feel normal again, then this newsletter is for you.

In it, I’m sharing the exact sleep routine that helped me recover from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and go from 4 hours of broken sleep, to 7-8 hours of deep, restorative sleep every night.

When I was going through chronic fatigue, before I learned what I’m gonna share with you today, I’d wakeup exhausted everyday...

And I was bummed because I knew that sleep was the BEST time for my body to recover, but I wasn’t sleeping even half as much as I should be. I knew that my energy levels, brain function, and recovery all improved dramatically with better sleep.

Eventually after 3 years of trial and effort, I cracked the code on sleeping with chronic fatigue, and I’m going to share it with you today, so that you can get back to your high-performer self and enjoy life again.

Note: I suggest you watch the video version of this newsletter above, but if you're a reader, then that's what this written section is for :)

Quick disclaimer: No, I’m not a doctor, this is NOT medical advice, just my experience. But I DO know what it’s like to have your life put on hold by chronic fatigue, and more importantly, I know how to beat it, even when some doctors say it’s incurable.

Why a consistent sleep routine is key to recovery...

Sleep is when your body does its deepest healing. No matter how well you eat or how much you work on rewiring your nervous system, if you’re not recovering properly, your progress will always be limited. I used to pride myself on needing very little sleep — running on just four to five hours a night and telling myself that was productive. But in reality, I was wrecking my health.

Even now, I’m not perfect—I still fall asleep to movies a couple of times a week. But the difference between chronic undersleeping and consistently getting eight hours each night is night and day. When sleep and recovery become a priority, healing speeds up, your energy skyrockets, your mood improves, and everything else gets easier.

Here’s why keeping a consistent sleep routine is so important:

• Supports your circadian rhythm: Your body’s internal clock thrives on regularity. Irregular sleep confuses your system and keeps you stuck in a fatigued state.
• Improves nervous system regulation: A routine signals safety to your body, helping it shift into rest and repair mode.
• Enhances deep, restorative sleep: Consistency optimizes your deep sleep and REM cycles, which are crucial for energy and recovery.
• Reduces fatigue and brain fog: Predictable sleep lowers inflammation and accelerates healing.

Bottom line: Sticking to a structured sleep routine is a total game-changer for restoring your energy and overcoming chronic fatigue.

How to optimize your sleep routine...

Now, let’s get practical. Optimizing your sleep routine doesn’t need to be complicated or gimmicky. I focus on three key areas:

1. Your environment: Building the perfect sleep setup
2. Your routine: Setting a consistent sleep and wake cycle
3. Your nutrition and supplements: Fine-tuning for deeper sleep

1. Build the Perfect Sleep Environment

Your bedroom environment plays a huge role in how well you sleep. Here’s what I recommend:

• Keep it cool: Aim for 60 to 67°F. Cooler temperatures signal your body it’s time to rest.
• Make it dark: Use blackout curtains to eliminate light. You can find affordable options online for around $20.
• Keep it quiet: Earplugs can help block out disruptive noises.
• Ditch blue light at night: Avoid screens at least 60 minutes before bed. If you must use devices, wear blue light blocking glasses or switch to red lighting.

Full disclosure: I’m not perfect, and sometimes I fall asleep watching light-hearted movies or romcoms a few nights a week. But I avoid anything jarring or triggering—no scary movies, action, or thrillers, as they keep you wired.

Also, invest in quality sleep gear. A good mattress, supportive pillows, and breathable sheets can make a world of difference.

2. Set a Consistent Sleep and Wake Cycle

Consistency is king. Here’s what works best:

• Pick a set wake-up time: Wake up at the same time every day—even on weekends—to anchor your circadian rhythm.
• Create a wind-down ritual: This could be reading a book, watching a fire, drinking hot tea, taking a hot shower or Epsom salt bath, light stretching, or doing brain retraining exercises. You can mix and match to find what relaxes you most.

For me personally, I usually combine several: reading, watching a fire, sipping something warm, stretching (to avoid cramps), and brain retraining rounds.

3. Fine-Tune Your Nutrition and Supplements

What and when you eat matters for sleep quality:

• Time your last meal: Eat dinner (and any dessert) 2 to 3 hours before bed to avoid blood sugar crashes waking you up.
• Minimize alcohol: Ideally, avoid alcohol during healing. If you do drink, limit yourself to 1–2 drinks to minimize its negative impact on your sleep.

Now, let me share the exact sleep supplement stack that helped me improve my sleep significantly:

• Glycine: 3 grams at night, taken directly on the tongue to dissolve. It tastes slightly sweet and helps with deep sleep.
• Inositol: 3 grams at night, also dissolved on the tongue. It supports nervous system balance.
• Magnesium glycinate: 400 milligrams before bed to promote deep sleep, nervous system relaxation, and muscle recovery.

This stack alone can add at least an extra hour of quality sleep per night if you’re struggling.

Regarding melatonin: I get asked about it a lot. You can take 0.5 to 3 milligrams occasionally if you’re dealing with jet lag or shifting sleep schedules, but avoid nightly use since it can interfere with your hormones. Instead, stick with the sleep stack I just described for regular use.

Step-by-step sleep optimization checklist...

1. Optimize your bedroom environment: Keep it cool, dark, and quiet.
2. Set alarms for bedtime and wake-up time: For example, 9:30 p.m. as a reminder to start winding down, and 6:00 a.m. to wake up.
3. Choose your wind-down ritual(s): Reading, tea, shower, Epsom salt bath, stretching, brain retraining, or a combination.
4. Minimize alcohol and eat dinner 2–3 hours before bed.
5. Optional supplements: Use melatonin sparingly (0.5–3 mg only if needed). For regular use, try magnesium glycinate (start with 200 mg and build up to 400 mg), plus 3 grams each of glycine and inositol, taken 30–60 minutes before sleep.

Recap and next steps...

Now you know the sleep routine that helped me recover from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

You know why a consistent sleep routine is key, you know how to optimize your sleep routine, and I gave you a step-by step sleep optimization checklist to help you start getting 8 hours of sleep a night so you can supercharge your recovery from chronic fatigue.

Imagine if you actually applied this and started getting full, restful nights of sleep....

Just imagine: Waking up this week with energy again, with a clear mind, and excited for the day and your future…

Just Imagine a few weeks or months from now, recovering from chronic fatigue & getting your life back—working full-time again, working out, socializing and having energy/time for your family, & having energy to have fun & enjoy life again.

That’s what dialing in your sleep can lead to.

That’s what happened for me. And If I could rebuild my sleep, so can you.

Your action step: start implementing the sleep optimization checklist I shared with you in this newsletter. This could be the start of YOUR comeback story.

Now, if you want more help on overcoming chronic fatigue naturally, regain your health and achieve total wellness, then I invite you to join my free weekly newsletter or apply to work with me 1-1 and I’ll help you start rewiring your brain & fix the glitch today.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the next newsletter!

-Jeff Bangshow
Your CFS To Wellness™ Mentor

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1.Join The Jeff Bangshow Newsletter: Join and get free weekly insights to overcome chronic fatigue naturally, rebuild your health, and achieve total wellness.

2.Work With Me 1-1: Get 1-1 mentorship from me personally to overcome chronic fatigue naturally, regain your health and achieve total wellness.

3.Book Me To Speak: Want me on your podcast or at your next event? I speak about overcoming chronic fatigue naturally and achieving total wellness. Email me the details: [email protected].