Newborn babies sleep so much.
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You ever wondered why?
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We always hear it's
because they're growing fast.
00:00:04.97\00:00:07.24
What is really
growing fast is their brain.
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Most of their brain development
happens while they're sleeping.
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Memories are being stored,
synapsis are being forms,
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brain tissue is developing,
and literally the left and right
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hemispheres of their
brain are being connected.
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In the first three years of
life more than a million million
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neuro connections
are formed every second.
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It seems that it's
when we're sleeping
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that we're becoming ourselves.
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Babies aren't the only ones
who need to get enough sleep,
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as we're about to see.
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If we want to
maintain a healthy brain,
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one that keeps
learning and growing,
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we need to sleep.
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I know sleep often
seems unproductive,
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but it's probably the
most important thing you do.
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Sleep is such a fundamental,
biological foundation
00:01:07.43\00:01:11.33
for brain health.
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So much so that we
basically put ourselves at risk
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for 7 to 8 hours because
we're completely unconscious.
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We're unconscious; that's how
important it is for the brain.
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I think it's over
1/3 of Americans don't
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get enough sleep, you know.
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Enough sleep is defined
as at least 7 to 8 hours
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of sleep at night.
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So a large percentage of
Americans are not getting that.
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And when it comes to chronic
pain, some very important things
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happen in our
bodies when we sleep.
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You know, there are
different stages of sleep,
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different types of sleep.
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We have REM
sleep, and non-REM sleep.
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REM sleep is sleep that
we get when we're dreaming.
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And non-REM sleep is that
we get into stages 3 and 4,
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really deep sleep.
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Sleep is actually a very
active time for our bodies.
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A lot is happening
when we're sleeping.
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And for a person with chronic
pain, this is very important.
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So when we're in
those deep stages of sleep,
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the delta wave sleep, our
bodies are actually healing.
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Growth hormone
is being secreted,
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our joints, our
wounds, are all healing.
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That's when we actually grow.
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Muscles grow
during deep-stage sleep.
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Now during REM sleep, that's
when our neurotransmitters
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are being replenished,
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that's when our
memories are being consolidated,
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and everything in
the brain is happening.
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So where is pain processed?
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It's processed in the brain.
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So people with
chronic pain need to have both
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types of sleep, the deep
wave sleep, the non-REM sleep,
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and then the REM sleep as well.
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So you're saying that
to get both kinds of sleep
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it's about the
duration of sleep hours.
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We need those full 7 to
8 in order to experience
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both of those.
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We do.
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You know, as we progress
through our sleep at night,
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we go through these 90
minutes, you know, small cycles.
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And as the night goes on, we
progress into having more and
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more REM sleep and we have
less and less deep-wave sleep.
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So we need both, we
need all of those hours
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to get both types of sleep in.
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When we sleep, we think
that it's the most important
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hours during the day, because
during those 7 to 8 hours
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of deep restorative
sleep two very important
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functions take place.
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One, our
memories are consolidated.
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So all of the information
that we retrieve during the day,
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they are organized, they're
put in the right file folder
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and cabinet so that it's
easier for us to retrieve it
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the next day.
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A second thing that happens
is, our brain cleanses itself.
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And we have this beautiful,
sophisticated janitorial system
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called the glymphatic
system that is in place
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that is consistent with
cells, the microglia, and also
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fluid channels that only get
activated, listen to this part,
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only get activated when we go
to the deeper stages of sleep.
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And anything that
messes up our sleep cycle,
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that prevents us from getting
that deep restorative sleep,
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whether it's not going
to bed at the same time,
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waking up at the same
time, the inconsistencies,
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any sleep disorder like restless
leg syndrome or sleep apnea,
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or any behavior
that disrupts that cycle
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will render it inactive.
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And so the brain
doesn't get cleansed.
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And over a long period
of time there are a lot of
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toxic byproducts that deposit;
and amyloid beta protein
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is one of them, which
has been associated with
00:05:00.13\00:05:01.90
Alzheimer's disease.
00:05:01.93\00:05:03.30
And so, it's very
common for people who have
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sleep disruption to have
problems with their focus,
00:05:06.37\00:05:09.97
with their
attention, with their memory.
00:05:10.01\00:05:12.37
Over a long period of
time it puts them at a very
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high risk of developing
dementia and specifically
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Alzheimer's disease.
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So during sleep we
actually consolidate memories.
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So if we're not sleeping
well, that's going to affect
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our memory in a big way.
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And if we sleep
well and we sleep deeply,
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this is actually where
we're going to be able to
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remember things better.
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And on top of that, good sleep
actually improves our attention.
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And so, if we're not sleeping
well, then we're really going to
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tend to struggle with
attention, with concentration.
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Memory,
attention, concentration,
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brain cleansing,
growing muscles, healing;
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they all sound important to me.
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These are some powerful reasons
to work on getting better sleep.
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But sometimes it's
easier said than done.
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The number one risk
factor for a person having a
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pain exacerbation the
next day is not getting enough
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sleep the night before.
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The more hours of sleep
the person gets when they have
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chronic pain, the
less their pain is
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going to be the next day.
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There is a very close link
between sleep and our hormones.
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As a pain specialist, I'm
interested in this because
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I'm trying to help my
patients recoup and recover
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from their pain conditions.
00:06:29.42\00:06:30.82
For example, if we don't get at
least three hours of continuous
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sleep, then we
don't make growth hormone,
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we don't make testosterone.
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And we need both of those
hormones for healing and health.
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You know, like I
mentioned before, growth hormone
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is necessary for healing.
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Testosterone is one of the
most powerful anti-inflammatory
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hormones in the body.
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And you know, people's
chronic pain has a lot of things
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stacked against them
when it comes to testosterone.
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So for example, opioids
really tone down very rapidly
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how much
testosterone a person will make.
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The opioids, even from
a single dose of opioids,
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for a period of one to
four hours after taking that
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dose of medication,
you can see a decline in
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testosterone production.
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The other interesting thing
about the low testosterone is
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that when the
testosterone level becomes low,
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it actually changes the
shape of the opioid receptor
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and it makes the
pain medications not bind
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effectively to
the opioid receptor.
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So it's kind of this
cycle that you have to break.
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You know, you take
the pain medication,
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testosterone becomes low.
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Testosterone becomes low,
it makes the opioid receptor
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not bind to the pain
medication very well,
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and therefore
it's not effective.
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So you have to
intervene and treat that.
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That is so interesting how
testosterone and pain medication
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can become a vicious cycle.
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Did you catch how we
need at least three hours of
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continuous sleep
to make testosterone?
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How much sleep and
when we sleep are big deals.
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Many people believe that
getting, let's say, eight hours
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of sleep is important no
matter at what time of the day.
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They think, "Well, if
I go to sleep at 2:00 am
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and just sleep until 10:00, it
will be the same length of sleep
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as getting into bed at 9:00."
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Well it turns out, the timing
of sleep is also important
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for our melatonin production.
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If you go to bed at
2:00 am versus 9:00 pm,
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the production of
melatonin will be cut in half.
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So respecting the natural
body light and darkness cycle
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really pays off.
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Getting to bed early is much
better than going to bed late.
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You know, I've heard that
getting sleep in before midnight
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is worth double
than after midnight.
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And I always wondered why.
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The type of sleep
changes through the night.
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And the later we go to bed, the
more it alters the sleep pattern
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of going in and out
of the various stages.
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When we go to bed
earlier, we cycle into the
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deep sleep more frequently.
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Going to be after midnight,
we get less of the deep sleep
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that we really need.
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A lot of healing takes place
in that first phase of sleep.
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Next, we're going to
be looking at a hormone
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that we associate with sleep.
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Melatonin.
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And I'm really looking forward
to learning more about it.
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Yeah, so melatonin is actually
formed by the mitochondria.
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And melatonin helps to, it's a
very strong potent antioxidant,
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but it also helps the
body to get into that deep
00:10:01.73\00:10:04.67
restorative type of sleep.
00:10:05.03\00:10:07.04
And some people say,
"Well, why does it really matter
00:10:07.07\00:10:10.44
what time of day I sleep?"
00:10:10.47\00:10:12.41
Well, it actually does matter
because you want to be asleep
00:10:12.44\00:10:15.04
when your melatonin levels
are peaking, because again,
00:10:15.61\00:10:19.11
that actually helps your
body to really get into that
00:10:19.15\00:10:21.98
deeper restorative sleep.
00:10:22.02\00:10:24.09
So when it's dark outside,
the melatonin starts being
00:10:24.12\00:10:27.59
released in our bodies.
00:10:27.62\00:10:28.96
This helps our body to really
shut down and get into that
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deeper and more
restorative sleep.
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Good sleep
apparently supports mitochondria
00:10:36.03\00:10:39.07
in some really interesting ways,
00:10:39.10\00:10:40.44
that I've just
recently learned about.
00:10:40.47\00:10:42.07
We've all heard of melatonin
and how melatonin comes from
00:10:43.87\00:10:46.44
our pineal gland when the sun
goes down, and the sky darkens,
00:10:46.47\00:10:49.88
and we're
designed to go to sleep
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after the
darkening of our environment.
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The pineal gland secretes
melatonin which has this sort of
00:10:54.72\00:10:58.92
go to sleep effect on all of
our systems, all of our cells.
00:10:58.95\00:11:01.99
One thing that melatonin
also does, evidently, is
00:11:02.82\00:11:06.43
it affects the mitochondria
in such a way it helps them
00:11:07.16\00:11:09.86
to clean up the waste in
the reactive oxygen species
00:11:09.90\00:11:13.50
that they have built up
during that day's activities.
00:11:13.54\00:11:17.74
So this is one way in
which good sleep at night is
00:11:18.11\00:11:21.98
vitally important for
your daytime function.
00:11:22.01\00:11:24.28
We know that our glands,
our mitochondria in our glands
00:11:24.31\00:11:26.82
will function better if
we've slept well at night.
00:11:26.85\00:11:28.78
And what's the
value of melatonin?
00:11:28.82\00:11:30.59
Why is that so important?
00:11:30.62\00:11:32.22
Melatonin is important
for the immune function.
00:11:32.25\00:11:35.66
It's also cardio-protective.
00:11:35.69\00:11:37.93
It helps with increasing
the insulin sensitivity.
00:11:38.49\00:11:43.90
So it protects it against the
development of type 2 diabetes.
00:11:43.93\00:11:47.40
It helps in preventing cancer.
00:11:48.00\00:11:51.51
So it has many beneficial
effects, and we want to keep
00:11:52.04\00:11:55.41
melatonin high.
00:11:55.44\00:11:56.81
Many of us think of
melatonin as a supplement that
00:11:58.25\00:12:01.22
people can take to
help them fall asleep.
00:12:01.25\00:12:03.12
But it's so much more than that.
00:12:03.15\00:12:05.05
That was an impressive
list Dr. Kahleova mentioned.
00:12:05.25\00:12:07.79
Protecting the
heart, fighting cancer,
00:12:07.99\00:12:10.56
improving insulin sensitivity,
00:12:10.59\00:12:12.79
which would benefit a whole
host of other health problems.
00:12:12.83\00:12:15.83
It's also one of the body's
most powerful antioxidants.
00:12:15.86\00:12:19.77
I'm sure there's a
place for supplementation,
00:12:20.44\00:12:22.87
but ultimately what we
really want is for your body
00:12:22.90\00:12:25.91
to resume making
it where it needs it.
00:12:25.94\00:12:28.11
And there's two
ways we can do that.
00:12:28.14\00:12:30.05
By being exposed to
sunlight during the day
00:12:30.08\00:12:32.51
and by going to bed in the dark
a couple hours before midnight.
00:12:32.71\00:12:36.25
It's just amazing how
connected our physiology is
00:12:36.28\00:12:39.85
with the sun, and the moon.
00:12:39.95\00:12:42.16
Nature's rhythms affect our own.
00:12:42.36\00:12:44.79
Many people really
are desperate to try hard
00:12:46.83\00:12:51.23
to optimize their sleep, and
they simply can't figure it out.
00:12:51.27\00:12:55.70
And so what I suggest
is, we've got to sit down
00:12:55.74\00:12:58.01
and figure this out.
00:12:58.04\00:12:59.37
Unless we figure it
out, there's going to be
00:13:00.61\00:13:03.38
negative consequences.
00:13:03.41\00:13:04.75
Because without
sleeping adequately,
00:13:04.78\00:13:07.52
the brain will degenerate
into forms of dementia,
00:13:07.82\00:13:12.29
cardiovascular disease
becomes a much bigger problem.
00:13:12.49\00:13:16.22
Diabetes is strongly associated
with inadequate sleep,
00:13:16.49\00:13:22.03
so much so that
somebody with pre-diabetes
00:13:22.06\00:13:25.83
can actually be diabetic after
just one night of poor sleep
00:13:26.07\00:13:30.07
the next morning.
00:13:30.11\00:13:31.44
And if they get a good
night's sleep the next night,
00:13:31.77\00:13:34.01
then they're no longer diabetic,
by official standards, right.
00:13:34.04\00:13:37.71
And so the lack of optimal
sleep dramatically drives
00:13:37.95\00:13:43.92
Insulin resistance.
00:13:43.95\00:13:45.62
I just want to pause
here. to emphasize this point.
00:13:46.25\00:13:49.16
That sleep
affects our blood sugar by
00:13:49.26\00:13:51.86
promoting insulin resistance.
00:13:51.89\00:13:53.50
We learned a lot
about insulin resistance
00:13:53.76\00:13:55.73
in a previous episode.
00:13:55.76\00:13:57.23
We learned that
insulin resistance can underlie
00:13:57.27\00:13:59.50
conditions like elevated
cholesterol, hormone imbalances
00:13:59.53\00:14:03.64
seen in PCOS,
diabetes, heart disease.
00:14:03.67\00:14:06.27
But sleep also affects the level
of inflammation in our bodies.
00:14:06.88\00:14:10.41
And there's more.
00:14:10.45\00:14:12.21
On top of that, sleep is very
important when we think about
00:14:12.25\00:14:18.22
repairing and restoring,
and removing toxins too.
00:14:18.25\00:14:22.49
One of my colleagues uses this
analogy, and I really like it.
00:14:23.32\00:14:26.73
He calls it the
Disneyland analogy.
00:14:26.76\00:14:29.80
And so basically, he talks about
how Disneyland is a very active
00:14:29.83\00:14:34.80
place during the day, right.
00:14:34.84\00:14:36.17
Well, at night Disneyland
is actually just as active
00:14:36.44\00:14:41.18
as it is during the day.
00:14:41.21\00:14:42.74
But there's just
different things going on.
00:14:43.24\00:14:45.28
And it's similar
too with our bodies.
00:14:45.31\00:14:47.42
So you know, during the day
we're active or doing things,
00:14:47.45\00:14:50.52
but at night there's also
a lot of activity going on.
00:14:50.95\00:14:55.62
So at Disneyland, of
course, they're cleaning things,
00:14:55.66\00:14:58.86
they're
repairing rides, et cetera.
00:14:58.89\00:15:01.23
Well, in our bodies, also
that repair, that restoration,
00:15:01.26\00:15:06.23
that cleaning is taking place.
00:15:06.27\00:15:08.24
And so if we're sleeping
properly, this will actually
00:15:08.27\00:15:11.67
help to reduce inflammation.
00:15:11.71\00:15:13.88
And it will also help
us to remove the toxins.
00:15:13.91\00:15:20.25
There's something that's
called, it's very interesting
00:15:20.28\00:15:22.58
that scientists have
found in recent years,
00:15:22.62\00:15:24.99
called the glymphatic system.
00:15:25.02\00:15:27.49
And they used to think, oh yeah,
there's probably not really
00:15:27.79\00:15:30.53
any lymphatic drainage or
lymphatic system in the brain.
00:15:30.56\00:15:35.66
But what they've actually found
is that there's brain-cleaning
00:15:35.70\00:15:39.33
that occurs
while we're sleeping.
00:15:39.37\00:15:41.90
And so, normally there is what
we call the blood/brain barrier
00:15:41.94\00:15:46.57
that remains intact so
that the bad substances
00:15:46.61\00:15:50.35
can't get into the brain.
00:15:50.38\00:15:52.48
But when we're sleeping,
that barrier actually relaxes
00:15:53.05\00:16:01.12
because the norepinephrine
level goes down, the adrenaline
00:16:01.16\00:16:03.63
levels go down; and so
then there's fluid that actually
00:16:03.66\00:16:07.23
goes throughout the
brain into the different
00:16:07.26\00:16:11.20
spaces around the brain cells,
and it will actually literally
00:16:13.03\00:16:16.04
wash our brain so that
the toxins actually get
00:16:16.07\00:16:21.44
removed out of the brain.
00:16:21.48\00:16:23.21
And this is one of the really
important aspects of sleep.
00:16:23.24\00:16:26.75
If we don't have the regular,
especially that deeper sleep
00:16:26.78\00:16:30.25
where our brain
can really relax,
00:16:30.29\00:16:31.99
then we're not going
to get that brain-cleaning
00:16:32.02\00:16:33.89
which will actually remove
toxins and prevent, you know,
00:16:34.09\00:16:37.06
even chronic inflammatory
conditions like Alzheimer's,
00:16:37.09\00:16:40.60
and that sort of thing.
00:16:40.63\00:16:41.96
And just get us ready for
a new day with a clean slate.
00:16:42.00\00:16:46.47
Sleep detoxifies.
00:16:47.24\00:16:48.90
Your glial cells and glymphatic
system detoxifies you.
00:16:49.20\00:16:52.54
We say the two most powerful
detoxicants that we know of
00:16:53.11\00:16:57.71
are, not very
interesting, sleep and water.
00:16:57.75\00:17:02.38
This is so important.
00:17:03.28\00:17:04.69
Dr. Sherzai referred to glial
cells, which are brain cells
00:17:05.02\00:17:08.52
that have a lot to do
with the brain's waste removal
00:17:08.56\00:17:11.09
which occurs primarily
while we're in deep sleep.
00:17:11.39\00:17:13.56
The brain has a
sort of plumbing system
00:17:13.76\00:17:15.90
called the glymphatic system.
00:17:15.93\00:17:17.67
And I picture the glymphatic
system like an ocean tide
00:17:17.70\00:17:20.40
that during the day retreats
when the brain is active,
00:17:20.44\00:17:23.00
but then at night
when we're are unconscious,
00:17:23.04\00:17:24.91
the tide comes in.
00:17:24.94\00:17:26.44
And this rising tide provides
a deep cleaning of the brain
00:17:26.64\00:17:29.91
during sleep.
00:17:29.94\00:17:31.28
As the tide retreats, it takes
with it proteins and molecules
00:17:31.31\00:17:34.78
that would become
toxic if allowed to
00:17:34.82\00:17:36.45
accumulate in the brain.
00:17:36.48\00:17:37.95
And these
molecules are associated with
00:17:38.15\00:17:40.22
neurodegenerative disorders.
00:17:40.26\00:17:41.99
So picture sleep
detoxing the brain;
00:17:42.36\00:17:45.16
washing away the waste
products that build up all day,
00:17:45.19\00:17:48.60
but washing them out at night.
00:17:48.80\00:17:50.43
Yeah, our mental
health is definitely affected
00:17:50.63\00:17:52.93
by our sleep.
00:17:52.97\00:17:54.84
In fact, when we're not sleeping
properly, that clearly shows,
00:17:55.14\00:18:00.44
studies show that it disturbs
our frontal lobe function.
00:18:01.08\00:18:04.08
And that can lead to all
sorts of mental health problems
00:18:04.11\00:18:07.08
including depression,
anxiety disorders, etc.
00:18:07.12\00:18:10.69
So Americans are
notoriously sleep deprived.
00:18:10.72\00:18:13.42
And what's interesting is,
there is a very strong link
00:18:13.46\00:18:16.36
between sleep problems
and mental health problems.
00:18:16.39\00:18:19.16
Statistics actually show that
in a psychiatric mental health
00:18:20.23\00:18:25.10
population, that 50%
to 80% of those people
00:18:25.13\00:18:29.10
struggle with sleep problems.
00:18:29.14\00:18:30.81
And you can compare
that with 10% to 18%
00:18:30.84\00:18:33.48
of the overall
American population.
00:18:33.68\00:18:36.61
And so, that
correlation is very strong.
00:18:36.64\00:18:39.41
And I think there is
important reasons for that.
00:18:39.71\00:18:42.58
Again, it definitely
affects our frontal lobe.
00:18:42.62\00:18:45.12
And one thing that
I've learned over the years
00:18:45.15\00:18:48.06
with mental health is, when
things affect the frontal lobe
00:18:48.36\00:18:51.46
of our brain, it's going
to affect our mental health.
00:18:51.49\00:18:54.73
And in fact, all mental
health problems have one thing
00:18:55.00\00:18:58.23
in common; and that is
there's frontal lobe problems.
00:18:58.27\00:19:00.94
So you can see how if
you're not sleeping well,
00:19:00.97\00:19:03.30
it affects your frontal lobe,
it's going to set the stage for
00:19:03.34\00:19:06.47
mental health problems.
00:19:07.24\00:19:08.61
So I'm wondering, why?
00:19:09.81\00:19:12.08
Why are Americans
notoriously sleep-deprived?
00:19:12.11\00:19:14.98
A lot of factors.
00:19:15.28\00:19:17.05
I think one is that we live in
a society that never turns off.
00:19:17.15\00:19:21.02
And I think that translates
into our brain just not ever
00:19:22.09\00:19:25.39
learning how to
relax and to deregulate.
00:19:25.43\00:19:29.06
So I think
that's a big part of it.
00:19:30.67\00:19:32.27
Yeah, so sleep problems
are definitely on the rise.
00:19:32.37\00:19:36.00
And there's several
factors that play a role there.
00:19:36.04\00:19:38.27
Stress levels...
00:19:38.47\00:19:40.11
Any of us can certainly
sympathize with the idea
00:19:40.14\00:19:43.88
that when we have more stress
it's harder to go to sleep,
00:19:43.91\00:19:47.62
and often times
harder to stay asleep.
00:19:47.65\00:19:49.25
And so, because people's
stress levels have been so high,
00:19:49.28\00:19:52.32
that's one of the
causes for insomnia.
00:19:52.52\00:19:54.92
But that's not the only cause.
00:19:54.96\00:19:56.86
Another major reason is
because of all the stimulation
00:19:57.06\00:20:00.93
we're getting, especially from
our gadgets like our phones,
00:20:00.96\00:20:04.03
television, video games, etc.
00:20:04.07\00:20:08.40
We have so many
distractions nowadays.
00:20:08.44\00:20:11.74
First of all, we can
use lights any time we want.
00:20:12.97\00:20:16.48
We don't have to
respect the day and night cycle.
00:20:16.51\00:20:21.65
That's the first factor.
00:20:22.45\00:20:23.95
The second one is
the demands of society
00:20:24.15\00:20:27.46
in keeping us on the
toes with our work demand
00:20:27.49\00:20:31.56
and also with social
media bombarding us with
00:20:31.59\00:20:36.03
fresh news all the time.
00:20:36.06\00:20:38.23
And we want to keep
in touch basically 24/7.
00:20:38.27\00:20:43.41
We like to be, we
like to be present.
00:20:43.44\00:20:45.87
We feel like we don't
want to miss out on all the
00:20:45.91\00:20:49.68
opportunities
that are out there.
00:20:49.71\00:20:51.51
We feel like watching the
newest video is more important
00:20:51.55\00:20:55.98
than getting sleep.
00:20:56.02\00:20:57.92
So it's about the distractions,
but it's also about the other
00:20:58.65\00:21:04.59
unhealthy lifestyle
factors that contribute.
00:21:04.63\00:21:07.76
Lack of exercise and an
unhealthy diet that makes us
00:21:08.60\00:21:12.83
more sluggish, and yet the
quality of sleep is compromised.
00:21:13.44\00:21:18.77
So that bright
light from the screen,
00:21:19.87\00:21:23.18
it contains blue
light as well as other
00:21:23.51\00:21:27.12
areas of the light spectrum.
00:21:27.15\00:21:28.95
But especially the blue
light will actually shut down
00:21:28.98\00:21:32.05
the melatonin
production and release.
00:21:32.25\00:21:35.36
And so, that will
actually make it very difficult
00:21:35.39\00:21:39.13
to fall asleep.
00:21:39.16\00:21:40.50
And on top of that, those
things are not only reducing
00:21:40.53\00:21:43.77
the release of melatonin, but
they are also very stimulating
00:21:43.80\00:21:46.80
to the emotional
part of your brain.
00:21:46.84\00:21:48.50
And so, if you're trying to
go from being really stimulated
00:21:48.84\00:21:53.64
by the TV, or something like
that, into a deep restful sleep,
00:21:53.68\00:21:57.95
it's not going
to work very well.
00:21:58.35\00:21:59.68
And some people actually do fall
asleep with the television on,
00:21:59.71\00:22:03.62
and they say, "Hey,
it helps me fall asleep,"
00:22:03.65\00:22:05.62
but what we typically
find is that their sleep
00:22:05.72\00:22:07.96
is not very restorative.
00:22:07.99\00:22:09.46
They're not actually
getting into that really
00:22:09.49\00:22:11.53
deep quality sleep that
they need to feel rejuvenated
00:22:11.56\00:22:14.96
the next day.
00:22:15.00\00:22:16.53
And beyond that, a lot of
us tend to eat pretty late.
00:22:16.63\00:22:21.47
And so, that also can affect
the ability to fall asleep,
00:22:21.77\00:22:25.67
and also getting
quality sleep as well.
00:22:25.71\00:22:28.91
If we eat too late, that
actually makes it so our body
00:22:29.51\00:22:34.58
is still working when it's
supposed to be shutting down
00:22:34.62\00:22:37.29
resting for the night.
00:22:37.32\00:22:38.65
And so, the quality of our sleep
is going to be really poor.
00:22:38.69\00:22:42.19
On top of that, melatonin
which is released when it gets
00:22:42.22\00:22:45.89
darker outside, that
actually increases the body's
00:22:45.93\00:22:50.97
insulin resistance.
00:22:51.00\00:22:52.63
So what that means is, if
melatonin is being released
00:22:52.67\00:22:57.27
because it's now dark
outside, and you just ate,
00:22:57.31\00:22:59.84
our body is going to have
a harder time dealing with
00:22:59.87\00:23:02.44
the blood sugar, and we're
going to tend to actually have
00:23:02.48\00:23:05.31
blood sugar spikes much higher
and have more difficult time
00:23:05.51\00:23:10.02
managing our blood sugar
control, which can predispose us
00:23:10.05\00:23:13.15
to diabetes,
increased inflammation, etc.
00:23:13.19\00:23:16.36
I just want to add, one of
the reasons that eating late
00:23:17.16\00:23:19.86
at night impairs sleep is
because eating naturally causes
00:23:19.89\00:23:23.50
insulin levels to rise.
00:23:23.53\00:23:25.13
And insulin and melatonin have
a very respectful relationship.
00:23:25.33\00:23:29.24
When one is
talking, the other is quiet.
00:23:29.27\00:23:32.24
So if we eat too close to
bedtime and insulin rises,
00:23:32.44\00:23:35.34
we're not going to get
healthy levels of melatonin.
00:23:35.38\00:23:38.21
And we just learned,
that's not going to be good.
00:23:38.48\00:23:41.28
When we eat and what we
eat can affect our sleep.
00:23:42.15\00:23:45.49
And one of the ways is
through the gut microbiome.
00:23:45.52\00:23:48.19
Do you remember
the gut microbiome
00:23:48.39\00:23:49.76
from a previous program?
00:23:49.79\00:23:51.23
This community of
microbes that lives in our gut
00:23:51.53\00:23:54.00
actually contributes to
the quality of our sleep.
00:23:54.03\00:23:56.77
Researchers are
proposing that our gut bugs
00:23:57.20\00:23:59.33
may play a critical
role in sleep disorders.
00:23:59.37\00:24:01.97
It seems like one thing
leads to another with these two.
00:24:02.40\00:24:05.57
Sleep deprivation leads to a
dysfunction of gut microbiota,
00:24:05.81\00:24:09.54
and the gut community
influences sleep quality.
00:24:09.58\00:24:12.58
It kind of sounds crazy that
you can improve quality of sleep
00:24:12.88\00:24:16.22
by supporting healthier
gut microbiome or support a
00:24:16.52\00:24:19.92
healthier gut by
getting better sleep.
00:24:19.95\00:24:22.62
But it's true.
00:24:22.82\00:24:24.16
Lack of good sleep
can affect our gut,
00:24:24.66\00:24:26.46
our emotions being out of
control can affect our gut.
00:24:26.49\00:24:29.06
And so all these things
can give us a hit to our gut,
00:24:29.10\00:24:31.30
which then gives us a
hit to our immune system.
00:24:31.33\00:24:33.67
So those are the
main things I think about
00:24:34.54\00:24:36.60
when I think
about our immune system.
00:24:36.64\00:24:37.97
- Even sleep. -
Yeah, even sleep.
00:24:38.01\00:24:40.34
Even sleep plays
a role too, yeah.
00:24:40.38\00:24:42.74
When you sleep...
00:24:43.35\00:24:44.78
You know, we get
invited to talks, these resorts,
00:24:45.71\00:24:49.32
and retreats, and
spas; so we give talks.
00:24:49.35\00:24:53.42
We don't get invited often
the second time because we say,
00:24:53.46\00:24:56.06
"The most
important spa is not the spa.
00:24:56.26\00:24:59.03
The most
important is your bedroom."
00:24:59.06\00:25:01.16
Those seven to eight hours,
if you're getting restorative
00:25:01.66\00:25:05.23
deep sleep, it's
literally the most important
00:25:05.27\00:25:08.97
time of day for you.
00:25:09.00\00:25:10.34
It's more important
than your wakefulness.
00:25:10.81\00:25:12.24
What do you do in
wakefulness? Go to Instagram?
00:25:12.27\00:25:14.34
Well, sleep, you're
cleansing the brain.
00:25:14.38\00:25:16.28
You're cleansing the
inflammatory byproducts.
00:25:16.48\00:25:18.68
You're cleansing all the waste,
and you're fortifying memory.
00:25:18.71\00:25:23.99
Study after study shows
that even a couple hours of
00:25:24.75\00:25:26.96
bad sleep, a couple
of days of bad sleep,
00:25:26.99\00:25:29.36
significantly
reduces your attention,
00:25:29.46\00:25:31.86
your focus, and your memory.
00:25:31.89\00:25:33.53
So the sleep period, that
sleep period is cleansing.
00:25:33.73\00:25:36.73
So what kind of sleep?
00:25:36.93\00:25:38.53
Deep restorative sleep.
00:25:38.57\00:25:40.00
The point here is if you don't
sleep, you prematurely age.
00:25:40.57\00:25:45.17
No question.
00:25:45.21\00:25:46.54
So sleep is huge.
00:25:46.91\00:25:48.44
Sleep is huge.
00:25:48.84\00:25:50.88
Yet we dismiss it,
00:25:51.08\00:25:52.41
brag about not getting enough,
00:25:52.45\00:25:54.02
make jokes about those
who get to sleep early.
00:25:54.12\00:25:56.72
But sleep expert Matthew Walker
says that sleep is the single
00:25:57.02\00:26:00.79
most effective thing you
can do to reset your brain
00:26:00.82\00:26:04.19
and body health every day.
00:26:04.23\00:26:05.89
He calls it the elixir of life,
the Swiss Army Knife of health.
00:26:06.09\00:26:10.27
The shorter your
sleep, the shorter your life.
00:26:10.57\00:26:13.60
It's true; short sleep
predicts all-cause mortality.
00:26:13.64\00:26:17.07
We need to think
about not just the quantity,
00:26:17.87\00:26:20.44
but also the quality of sleep.
00:26:20.48\00:26:22.21
We are suffering
from our lack of both.
00:26:22.48\00:26:25.15
And it's time
for that to change.
00:26:25.18\00:26:27.35
Invest in your sleep.
00:26:27.68\00:26:29.28
It is an
investment in your tomorrow.
00:26:29.32\00:26:32.05
Yeah, it's going
to cost you something,
00:26:32.49\00:26:34.29
but you will reap
back exponential kickbacks.
00:26:34.32\00:26:37.79
Not a facet of our health
that sleep does not impact.
00:26:37.86\00:26:41.96
You were made to sleep.
00:26:42.30\00:26:44.43