#35 How to Sleep Better as a Dad (Even With Young Kids)

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Sam and Cole talk sleep this week — one of the biggest challenges of fatherhood, and one where you lose a lot of control when kids arrive.

Most sleep optimization advice comes from people without kids, talking about perfectly controlled environments that just aren't realistic for parents. But the truth is, you still have control over more than you think. And improving sleep quality by even 20-30% — for you and your whole household — makes a real difference.

They break down:

• Circadian rhythm basics: morning sun exposure, cortisol spikes, and melatonin at night
• What they did wrong with their first kids (and how they'd do it differently now)
• Caffeine timing, meal timing, and why delaying caffeine 60-90 minutes matters
• Light exposure: LED bulbs vs incandescent, blue light at night, and simple changes that help
• Nose strips, mouth tape, and practical sleep hygiene
• Why natural sleep schedules work better than forcing rigid routines

Plus: practical tips like buying full-size beds for your kids from the start (you'll end up sleeping in them), coordinating with your partner so both parents aren't getting destroyed every night, and understanding that better sleep for everyone in the house creates more harmony overall.