Wearable users are party to more data than we ever thought to ask for.  Among the avalanche of data generated, the sleep breakdown is one of the most interesting. Comparing quantified sleep stats to mood and energy is interesting. But it did throw up a question. This is all great but what can you actually do about it? Sleep duration can obviously be changed. But the rest?

This paper gives one useful insight. It turns out that hitting the carbs around 3 - 4 hours before bed reliably increases REM (dreaming) sleep. It doesn't change overall sleep length but changes the composition of that sleep. 

The trade off is that you need to swap the REM for something, and it turns out to be deep sleep state. REM is associated with brain health, memory and mood. Deep sleep is associated with body repair and growth hormone.

You need both, but if you want a lever to change the proportions, carbohydrate intake before bed might be it. 

You can find the full paper here.