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Dr. Chris Winter’s Analysis of The Sleep Program

Person lying on black cushioned surface with headphones and pink light therapy in dim spa setting

THE ART + SCIENCE OF SLEEP PROGRAM

February · 2024

In 2003, Dave Brailsford was tapped to lead British Cycling, and organization that had enjoyed little success at the Olympic games, winning only 1 Olympic gold medal in the previous 100 years. Brailsford brought to the organization the concept of marginal gains, a theory that if you improve multiple aspects of one’s performance in sport (or business), the overall improvement will be monumental.

As a sleep expert, one of the most common questions I am asked is, “What is the one thing I can do to improve my sleep the most?” While this is a very intriguing, there are two inherent problems with this query. First, the answer absolutely varies from person to person. Second, the net gain from any one change is typically quite small. If we apply the concept of marginal gains to the question, suddenly, we arrive at an answer that is simultaneously profound…and a bit overwhelming.

The answer is profound because if we can identify and improve 100 aspects of our sleep by 1%, we have improved our sleep 100%. It’s overwhelming because identifying 100 sleep variables to change and the proper way to change them would be a daunting task…even for me!

Fortunately, the work has already been done. At the Equinox Hotel’s Art + Science of Sleep program, you will be completely immersed in an environment where countless seen (and unseen) sleep variables have been perfectly optimized to not only improve your sleep during the experience, but help to improve your sleep long after you leave the gorgeous Hudson Yards property.

Recently, I had the opportunity to experience the Art + Science of Sleep for myself. During the stay I had every intention of counting the number of marginal gains it had to offer, and trying to roughly calculate the overall impact the program could have on a patron’s sleep. Within the first 24 hours, it became clear that to adequately complete this kind of computational work would probably take an advanced degree in math. That said, here are some of the sleep gains I encountered during my visit and an attempt to assign a percentage improvement it could create for a patron’s sleep.

Immediately upon entering the hotel, the property was thoughtfully lit, especially at night when lighting can have an adverse effect on melatonin secretion and sleep. The room lighting was similarly well designed with multiple levels of lighting and the ability for the room to be completely blacked out. If lighting is still an issue, they provided an Inactivators sleep mask. Looking at recent research about sleeping with an eye mask shows as much as a 20 minute addition to total sleep time at night. For an 8 hour night, an additional 20 minutes would represent a 4% sleep improvement. +4%
Upon entering my room, there was a carafe of tart cherry juice and a treat made from tart cherries. In addition to reducing inflammation, tart cherries have shown promise in research for helping to improve sleep quality. A small 2018 study looking at the effects of tart cherry juice on insomnia patients increased their total sleep time by an average of 84 minutes. If the actual improvement was only half of that improvement for the average individual, it remains a 6% increase in sleep quality.
+6%
There is perhaps no better intervention for improving sleep quality than exercise, and the Equinox fitness facility and club is unparallel for providing the most state-of-the-art equipment for your exercise, group fitness programming, personal training and sleep coaching Pilates and temperature therapy plunges and pools. While it’s difficult to quantify sleep improvement based upon available evidence, a 5% improvement is a very conservative estimate.
+5%
The Spa by Equinox Hotels has a variety of treatments that can potentially impact sleep. According to a 2021 study, increasing body temperature 2-3 hours prior to bedtime via (via hot bath or sauna) can potentially shorten the time it takes to fall asleep by an average of 6 minutes. If it takes someone an hour to fall asleep, this would by itself represent a 10% improvement.
+10%
While enjoying my sauna and during my stay, I was offered magnesium and electrolytes to take. In a 2012 study, simply supplementing magnesium in an insomnia population increased total sleep time by as much as 8%
+8%
Equinox Hotels also gives its guests access to cold plunge tubs. In a 2021 study on individuals using cold water therapy during the day, they saw as much as a 10% increase in their percentage of deep sleep.
+10%
Equinox Hotels has a Spa Wave Table treatment as a part of the Art + Science of Sleep package, and while the research on the effects if the therapy on sleep vary, there is little doubt that meditative experiences can have a positive effect of sleep quality and quantity. Conservatively, it could improve sleep by 5% for the upcoming night.
+5%
Cryotherapy therapy is also offered as a spa treatment and the very cold chamber exposure (just 3 minutes…you can do it!) has been shown to improve the sleep quality of elite athletes.
+2%
Hand holding Cheribundi SLEEP drink beside smartphone in sleek, dimly lit high-tech setting with control panels.
Woman sitting up in bed at Equinox Hotel, wearing a branded sleep mask and wrapped in white sheets, with only her shoulders and above visible as the rest of the room fades into a soft blur, highlighting a moment of restful stillness.
“Tart cherries have shown promise in research for helping to improve sleep quality”
“There is perhaps no better intervention for improving sleep quality than exercise”
“According to a 2021 study, increasing body temperature 2-3 hours prior to bedtime (via hot bath or sauna) can potentially shorten the time it takes to fall asleep by an average of 6 minutes.”

So that’s a 50% improvement and we have only begun to scratch the surface of the experience. Keep in mind this is a bit of a stretch of the available research and keep in mind that each individual brings to the experience a different set of sleep practices and baseline sleep quality. This little summary does not cover the optional IV therapies, in-room AM + PM Rituals program, pre-sleep meditations, delicious and sleep-promoting offerings at the in-house Electric Lemon restaurant, the in-room selection of sleep-promoting teas and supplements, or the lavender-infused chocolate on my pillow. In summary, if only half of the sleep-directed interventions offered by Equinox improve your sleep by a mere 1%, the trip and experience will most certainly be a gold-medal worthy experience.

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