Newborn babies sleep so much. 00:00:01.36\00:00:03.57 You ever wondered why? 00:00:03.60\00:00:04.93 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. 00:00:07.27\00:00:09.60 Most of their brain development happens while they're sleeping. 00:00:09.64\00:00:13.07 Memories are being stored, synapsis are being forms, 00:00:13.11\00:00:15.51 brain tissue is developing, and literally the left and right 00:00:15.54\00:00:18.58 hemispheres of their brain are being connected. 00:00:18.61\00:00:20.95 In the first three years of life more than a million million 00:00:21.18\00:00:24.65 neuro connections are formed every second. 00:00:24.69\00:00:27.66 It seems that it's when we're sleeping 00:00:27.86\00:00:29.62 that we're becoming ourselves. 00:00:29.82\00:00:31.39 Babies aren't the only ones who need to get enough sleep, 00:00:50.25\00:00:52.61 as we're about to see. 00:00:52.65\00:00:54.05 If we want to maintain a healthy brain, 00:00:54.35\00:00:56.38 one that keeps learning and growing, 00:00:56.42\00:00:58.59 we need to sleep. 00:00:58.62\00:01:00.09 I know sleep often seems unproductive, 00:01:00.12\00:01:02.82 but it's probably the most important thing you do. 00:01:02.86\00:01:05.76 Sleep is such a fundamental, biological foundation 00:01:07.43\00:01:11.33 for brain health. 00:01:11.37\00:01:12.70 So much so that we basically put ourselves at risk 00:01:12.73\00:01:17.67 for 7 to 8 hours because we're completely unconscious. 00:01:17.71\00:01:20.81 We're unconscious; that's how important it is for the brain. 00:01:20.94\00:01:24.05 I think it's over 1/3 of Americans don't 00:01:24.25\00:01:27.28 get enough sleep, you know. 00:01:27.32\00:01:29.08 Enough sleep is defined as at least 7 to 8 hours 00:01:29.12\00:01:34.79 of sleep at night. 00:01:34.82\00:01:36.16 So a large percentage of Americans are not getting that. 00:01:36.19\00:01:40.33 And when it comes to chronic pain, some very important things 00:01:40.53\00:01:45.43 happen in our bodies when we sleep. 00:01:45.47\00:01:48.80 You know, there are different stages of sleep, 00:01:48.84\00:01:51.64 different types of sleep. 00:01:51.67\00:01:53.01 We have REM sleep, and non-REM sleep. 00:01:53.04\00:01:55.78 REM sleep is sleep that we get when we're dreaming. 00:01:56.64\00:02:00.22 And non-REM sleep is that we get into stages 3 and 4, 00:02:00.88\00:02:05.42 really deep sleep. 00:02:05.45\00:02:07.16 Sleep is actually a very active time for our bodies. 00:02:07.69\00:02:11.16 A lot is happening when we're sleeping. 00:02:11.19\00:02:13.09 And for a person with chronic pain, this is very important. 00:02:13.13\00:02:16.56 So when we're in those deep stages of sleep, 00:02:16.83\00:02:19.57 the delta wave sleep, our bodies are actually healing. 00:02:19.60\00:02:23.81 Growth hormone is being secreted, 00:02:24.21\00:02:26.31 our joints, our wounds, are all healing. 00:02:27.04\00:02:30.48 That's when we actually grow. 00:02:30.51\00:02:32.08 Muscles grow during deep-stage sleep. 00:02:32.11\00:02:35.45 Now during REM sleep, that's when our neurotransmitters 00:02:36.05\00:02:39.05 are being replenished, 00:02:39.09\00:02:40.42 that's when our memories are being consolidated, 00:02:40.69\00:02:43.49 and everything in the brain is happening. 00:02:44.09\00:02:46.93 So where is pain processed? 00:02:47.43\00:02:50.33 It's processed in the brain. 00:02:50.37\00:02:52.30 So people with chronic pain need to have both 00:02:52.33\00:02:56.44 types of sleep, the deep wave sleep, the non-REM sleep, 00:02:56.81\00:03:00.01 and then the REM sleep as well. 00:03:00.34\00:03:02.08 So you're saying that to get both kinds of sleep 00:03:02.11\00:03:04.21 it's about the duration of sleep hours. 00:03:04.41\00:03:06.72 We need those full 7 to 8 in order to experience 00:03:06.75\00:03:09.18 both of those. 00:03:09.22\00:03:10.55 We do. 00:03:10.59\00:03:11.92 You know, as we progress through our sleep at night, 00:03:11.95\00:03:15.56 we go through these 90 minutes, you know, small cycles. 00:03:15.59\00:03:21.63 And as the night goes on, we progress into having more and 00:03:21.83\00:03:28.10 more REM sleep and we have less and less deep-wave sleep. 00:03:28.14\00:03:32.17 So we need both, we need all of those hours 00:03:32.21\00:03:35.24 to get both types of sleep in. 00:03:35.61\00:03:38.05 When we sleep, we think that it's the most important 00:03:38.51\00:03:43.28 hours during the day, because during those 7 to 8 hours 00:03:43.39\00:03:47.56 of deep restorative sleep two very important 00:03:47.59\00:03:50.73 functions take place. 00:03:50.76\00:03:52.09 One, our memories are consolidated. 00:03:52.13\00:03:54.83 So all of the information that we retrieve during the day, 00:03:54.86\00:03:57.63 they are organized, they're put in the right file folder 00:03:58.03\00:04:01.37 and cabinet so that it's easier for us to retrieve it 00:04:01.40\00:04:03.97 the next day. 00:04:04.01\00:04:05.34 A second thing that happens is, our brain cleanses itself. 00:04:05.37\00:04:08.78 And we have this beautiful, sophisticated janitorial system 00:04:08.81\00:04:13.92 called the glymphatic system that is in place 00:04:13.95\00:04:16.82 that is consistent with cells, the microglia, and also 00:04:16.85\00:04:21.22 fluid channels that only get activated, listen to this part, 00:04:21.26\00:04:26.70 only get activated when we go to the deeper stages of sleep. 00:04:26.73\00:04:30.80 And anything that messes up our sleep cycle, 00:04:31.13\00:04:33.94 that prevents us from getting that deep restorative sleep, 00:04:33.97\00:04:36.97 whether it's not going to bed at the same time, 00:04:37.17\00:04:40.08 waking up at the same time, the inconsistencies, 00:04:40.11\00:04:42.24 any sleep disorder like restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea, 00:04:42.28\00:04:46.38 or any behavior that disrupts that cycle 00:04:46.41\00:04:49.68 will render it inactive. 00:04:50.02\00:04:52.09 And so the brain doesn't get cleansed. 00:04:52.12\00:04:54.02 And over a long period of time there are a lot of 00:04:54.12\00:04:56.89 toxic byproducts that deposit; and amyloid beta protein 00:04:56.93\00:05:00.10 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 00:05:03.33\00:05:06.33 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 00:05:12.41\00:05:15.58 high risk of developing dementia and specifically 00:05:15.61\00:05:18.15 Alzheimer's disease. 00:05:18.18\00:05:19.51 So during sleep we actually consolidate memories. 00:05:19.55\00:05:22.42 So if we're not sleeping well, that's going to affect 00:05:22.45\00:05:24.49 our memory in a big way. 00:05:24.52\00:05:26.29 And if we sleep well and we sleep deeply, 00:05:26.55\00:05:29.79 this is actually where we're going to be able to 00:05:29.82\00:05:31.73 remember things better. 00:05:31.76\00:05:33.80 And on top of that, good sleep actually improves our attention. 00:05:34.33\00:05:39.00 And so, if we're not sleeping well, then we're really going to 00:05:39.03\00:05:42.20 tend to struggle with attention, with concentration. 00:05:42.24\00:05:45.27 Memory, attention, concentration, 00:05:46.14\00:05:49.18 brain cleansing, growing muscles, healing; 00:05:49.21\00:05:52.25 they all sound important to me. 00:05:52.35\00:05:54.18 These are some powerful reasons to work on getting better sleep. 00:05:54.22\00:05:57.45 But sometimes it's easier said than done. 00:05:57.72\00:06:00.06 The number one risk factor for a person having a 00:06:01.16\00:06:04.59 pain exacerbation the next day is not getting enough 00:06:04.63\00:06:07.73 sleep the night before. 00:06:07.76\00:06:09.20 The more hours of sleep the person gets when they have 00:06:10.57\00:06:13.10 chronic pain, the less their pain is 00:06:13.13\00:06:14.84 going to be the next day. 00:06:14.87\00:06:16.20 There is a very close link between sleep and our hormones. 00:06:16.24\00:06:21.04 As a pain specialist, I'm interested in this because 00:06:22.21\00:06:25.98 I'm trying to help my patients recoup and recover 00:06:26.28\00:06:29.38 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 00:06:31.32\00:06:36.86 sleep, then we don't make growth hormone, 00:06:36.89\00:06:39.89 we don't make testosterone. 00:06:39.93\00:06:42.13 And we need both of those hormones for healing and health. 00:06:42.16\00:06:45.43 You know, like I mentioned before, growth hormone 00:06:45.47\00:06:47.47 is necessary for healing. 00:06:47.50\00:06:49.04 Testosterone is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory 00:06:49.97\00:06:55.51 hormones in the body. 00:06:55.54\00:06:56.88 And you know, people's chronic pain has a lot of things 00:06:56.91\00:07:01.78 stacked against them when it comes to testosterone. 00:07:01.82\00:07:04.79 So for example, opioids really tone down very rapidly 00:07:05.19\00:07:10.39 how much testosterone a person will make. 00:07:10.43\00:07:14.06 The opioids, even from a single dose of opioids, 00:07:14.76\00:07:19.73 for a period of one to four hours after taking that 00:07:20.24\00:07:23.61 dose of medication, you can see a decline in 00:07:23.64\00:07:25.94 testosterone production. 00:07:25.97\00:07:28.18 The other interesting thing about the low testosterone is 00:07:28.74\00:07:32.18 that when the testosterone level becomes low, 00:07:32.21\00:07:34.62 it actually changes the shape of the opioid receptor 00:07:34.82\00:07:38.92 and it makes the pain medications not bind 00:07:38.95\00:07:42.09 effectively to the opioid receptor. 00:07:42.12\00:07:44.33 So it's kind of this cycle that you have to break. 00:07:44.63\00:07:48.33 You know, you take the pain medication, 00:07:49.03\00:07:50.97 testosterone becomes low. 00:07:52.20\00:07:54.17 Testosterone becomes low, it makes the opioid receptor 00:07:54.57\00:07:57.44 not bind to the pain medication very well, 00:07:57.47\00:08:00.38 and therefore it's not effective. 00:08:00.41\00:08:01.98 So you have to intervene and treat that. 00:08:02.18\00:08:04.21 That is so interesting how testosterone and pain medication 00:08:04.85\00:08:08.72 can become a vicious cycle. 00:08:08.75\00:08:10.42 Did you catch how we need at least three hours of 00:08:10.62\00:08:13.02 continuous sleep to make testosterone? 00:08:13.05\00:08:15.49 How much sleep and when we sleep are big deals. 00:08:15.52\00:08:19.09 Many people believe that getting, let's say, eight hours 00:08:19.93\00:08:24.67 of sleep is important no matter at what time of the day. 00:08:24.70\00:08:28.77 They think, "Well, if I go to sleep at 2:00 am 00:08:28.80\00:08:32.77 and just sleep until 10:00, it will be the same length of sleep 00:08:33.07\00:08:37.75 as getting into bed at 9:00." 00:08:37.78\00:08:40.78 Well it turns out, the timing of sleep is also important 00:08:41.68\00:08:47.09 for our melatonin production. 00:08:47.12\00:08:49.32 If you go to bed at 2:00 am versus 9:00 pm, 00:08:49.72\00:08:54.10 the production of melatonin will be cut in half. 00:08:54.50\00:08:57.50 So respecting the natural body light and darkness cycle 00:08:58.37\00:09:04.87 really pays off. 00:09:04.91\00:09:06.24 Getting to bed early is much better than going to bed late. 00:09:06.27\00:09:10.35 You know, I've heard that getting sleep in before midnight 00:09:11.48\00:09:14.05 is worth double than after midnight. 00:09:14.08\00:09:16.02 And I always wondered why. 00:09:16.05\00:09:17.39 The type of sleep changes through the night. 00:09:17.82\00:09:19.79 And the later we go to bed, the more it alters the sleep pattern 00:09:19.82\00:09:23.12 of going in and out of the various stages. 00:09:23.16\00:09:25.63 When we go to bed earlier, we cycle into the 00:09:25.89\00:09:28.23 deep sleep more frequently. 00:09:28.26\00:09:30.03 Going to be after midnight, we get less of the deep sleep 00:09:30.23\00:09:33.54 that we really need. 00:09:33.57\00:09:34.90 A lot of healing takes place in that first phase of sleep. 00:09:34.94\00:09:38.14 Next, we're going to be looking at a hormone 00:09:38.87\00:09:41.24 that we associate with sleep. 00:09:41.28\00:09:42.84 Melatonin. 00:09:42.88\00:09:44.21 And I'm really looking forward to learning more about it. 00:09:44.25\00:09:46.28 Yeah, so melatonin is actually formed by the mitochondria. 00:09:47.52\00:09:54.16 And melatonin helps to, it's a very strong potent antioxidant, 00:09:54.19\00:10:01.70 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 00:10:28.99\00:10:33.09 deeper and more restorative sleep. 00:10:33.13\00:10:36.00 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 00:10:49.91\00:10:51.68 after the darkening of our environment. 00:10:51.71\00:10:54.68 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