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Rick's GUIDES

Rick's Guides — Dr. Chen Is Still Writing the Paper

Research and testing in readable form. No fluff. All data.

FLAGSHIP GUIDE — THE CBT-i FRAMEWORK

The Insomnia Toolkit

Evidence-based strategies for chronic insomnia — the CBT-i framework, sleep restriction protocol, stimulus control, and the products that support (not replace) the real work.

$34
WHAT YOU GET
  • The full CBT-i framework — the clinical first-line treatment
  • The sleep diary and how to calculate your sleep efficiency
  • The sleep restriction protocol, week by week
  • Stimulus control: retraining what your bed means to your brain
  • Cognitive restructuring for the thoughts that keep you awake
  • The 8-week, week-by-week implementation guide
"Dr. Chen told me CBT-i beats every product about 40 times. I responded to this information by buying a Chilipad."
Get The Insomnia Toolkit — $34 →

Instant download. PDF. Works on any device.

COUPLE'S GUIDE — PDF DOWNLOAD

The Partner Sleep Solution

Rick finally admits the biggest sleep problem in his house isn't his — and builds the product guide to fix both sides of the bed.

$29
WHAT YOU GET
  • The four partner sleep conflicts (find which one you have)
  • Temperature solutions for the dual-zone bed
  • Noise and snoring: for the snorer and for the partner
  • Chronotype mismatch: different clocks, one schedule
  • Shared sleep space design (light, motion, phones)
  • The 30-day partner sleep reset
"I spent 18 months optimizing my sleep environment for me. Then I moved in with someone who likes the room at 72 degrees."
Get The Partner Sleep Solution — $29 →

Instant download. PDF. Works on any device.

THE COMPLETE PRODUCT LIST

Rick's Complete Sleep Stack

Every product I actually use — what helped, what didn't, and what Dr. Chen made me stop buying. The real list.

$27
WHAT YOU GET
  • Tier 1: the non-negotiables Rick would buy again immediately
  • Tier 2: solid purchases with caveats
  • Tier 3: the closet products (bought anyway)
  • The products Dr. Chen actually recommended
  • The full annotated inventory with current status
  • How to build your stack: a decision tree
"I have spent $6,847 on sleep products in three years. Of course I have a spreadsheet. Of course it has a Dr. Chen column."
Get Rick's Complete Sleep Stack — $27 →

Instant download. PDF. Works on any device.

STRUCTURED PROTOCOL — TRACKING SHEET

The 30-Night Sleep Experiment Protocol

Rick's structured framework for testing one sleep intervention at a time — so you know what's actually working, instead of guessing.

$24
WHAT YOU GET
  • Why one variable at a time is non-negotiable
  • The baseline week: setting your control condition
  • The daily tracking sheet (90 seconds a morning)
  • The intervention priority list — what to test, in order
  • The decision rule: how to know if it actually worked
  • Building your personal sleep system
"I changed eight things in two weeks, slept better, and had absolutely no idea which one did it. Dr. Chen had a word for this."
Get The 30-Night Sleep Experiment Protocol — $24 →

Instant download. PDF. Works on any device.

CIRCADIAN SYSTEM — NON-9-5 SCHEDULES

Shift Worker Sleep Guide

Rick spent 14 months testing circadian hacks for non-9-5 schedules. Dr. Chen stopped arguing with the results.

$22
WHAT YOU GET
  • Why your body clock is fighting you (and it's not your fault)
  • The 3-anchor system: light, meals, and temperature
  • Dr. Chen's light therapy protocol
  • The daytime-sleep environment checklist
  • Managing rotating shifts: the survival plan
  • The social jet lag problem, actually managed
"My friend Marco started night shifts and asked what to do. I handed him a 47-page document. He told me to make it shorter."
Get Shift Worker Sleep Guide — $22 →

Instant download. PDF. Works on any device.

ROOM-BY-ROOM SETUP

The Sleep Environment Optimization Guide

Room-by-room setup for sleep that actually works — with Dr. Chen's annotations on what the research actually supports (and what I wasted money on).

$19
WHAT YOU GET
  • The temperature protocol Dr. Chen actually agreed with
  • The light environment, room by room
  • The sound environment (the nuanced version)
  • The 60-minute pre-sleep bathroom ritual
  • The 10-minute bedroom audit checklist
  • Dr. Chen's evidence ratings for the full product list
"I have a $3,400 sleep setup. I'm writing this at 2:47 AM. That's the joke, except it's not a joke."
Get The Sleep Environment Optimization Guide — $19 →

Instant download. PDF. Works on any device.

90-DAY COMPARISON — FOUR DEVICES

Sleep Tracker Comparison Guide

Oura vs Whoop vs Apple Watch vs Garmin — 90 days of data, what the numbers actually mean, and why Rick still isn't sleeping.

$19
WHAT YOU GET
  • What sleep trackers actually measure (and what they don't)
  • Oura Ring Gen 4, tested for 90 days
  • Whoop 4.0 — the recovery specialist
  • Apple Watch Series 9 and Garmin Fenix 7, head to head
  • The decision framework: which numbers to trust
  • The 90-day verdict: what Rick kept and why
"Dr. Chen reviewed my scores and said: your Whoop thinks you're undertrained, your Oura thinks you're sick. You are neither. You have tracker anxiety."
Get Sleep Tracker Comparison Guide — $19 →

Instant download. PDF. Works on any device.

EVIDENCE-GRADED — 22 SUPPLEMENTS

Sleep Supplement Research Guide

Rick evaluated 22 sleep supplements with Dr. Chen's methodology. Eleven have real evidence. The other eleven have great branding.

$17
WHAT YOU GET
  • How to read supplement evidence (and spot bad claims)
  • Melatonin: the most misused sleep supplement
  • Magnesium: which form actually matters
  • L-theanine, glycine, ashwagandha, and apigenin
  • The supplements with no real evidence (but great marketing)
  • Building your personal supplement protocol
"There was a product called SleepGenie Ultra, in a bottle the size of a thermos, that contained — as far as I can tell — everything."
Get Sleep Supplement Research Guide — $17 →

Instant download. PDF. Works on any device.

HOTEL & JET LAG — PACKABLE KIT

The Travel Sleep Kit

Rick's hotel sleep optimization system — what to pack, what to do on arrival, and how to not ruin a week chasing your circadian rhythm across time zones.

$14
WHAT YOU GET
  • Why hotel sleep fails (the four real reasons)
  • The pack list: what earns its carry-on space
  • The 15-minute arrival protocol
  • The light protocol for time zone shifts
  • Managing the HVAC — the underrated variable
  • Quick-lookup fixes and pack list by trip length
"Dr. Chen asked, with genuine clinical concern, how many items I'd brought to a two-night work trip. The answer was eleven."
Get The Travel Sleep Kit — $14 →

Instant download. PDF. Works on any device.

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Page updated July 2026

Free: The Sleep Optimizer's Checklist — 12 Products That Actually Work

Rick's current protocol, updated monthly.

Page updated July 2026