What time is it?
00:00:06.90\00:00:08.30
I just want to get to sleep.
00:00:10.81\00:00:12.47
And we learned in our last
episode how important sleep is,
00:00:12.51\00:00:14.91
and I'm just feeling
more and more anxious because,
00:00:14.94\00:00:16.64
I mean, I want to get to sleep.
00:00:16.68\00:00:18.11
And I drink these Sleepy time
teas, and they just wake me up;
00:00:18.15\00:00:21.25
I have to go to the
bathroom so many times a night.
00:00:21.28\00:00:23.02
When my head hits the
pillow all I can think about is,
00:00:23.05\00:00:25.82
what's going to
happen if I don't sleep?
00:00:25.85\00:00:27.49
And it just give me anxiety, and
I'm up when I want to be dozing.
00:00:27.52\00:00:31.36
I hope your sleep is not
filled with tossing and turning.
00:00:51.31\00:00:54.35
If the last episode left
you feeling a little confused
00:00:54.38\00:00:57.15
and concerned, today's
episode is going to provide some
00:00:57.19\00:01:00.59
practical advice.
00:01:00.62\00:01:01.96
A lot of people say,
"You know, I want to sleep.
00:01:02.42\00:01:04.99
I know sleep is good
for me. I try, but I can't."
00:01:05.03\00:01:07.73
Some people just have
difficulty falling asleep.
00:01:08.03\00:01:10.67
Others wake up in
the middle of the night
00:01:10.70\00:01:12.37
and can't go back to sleep.
00:01:12.40\00:01:13.94
What can we do to
improve our sleep?
00:01:13.97\00:01:16.10
Well, first of all, I
acknowledge to them that
00:01:16.60\00:01:19.04
it's easier said than done.
00:01:19.07\00:01:21.28
Many people really are
desperate in trying hard
00:01:22.04\00:01:26.65
to optimize their sleep, and
they simply can't figure it out.
00:01:26.68\00:01:31.05
And so what I suggest
is, we've got to sit down
00:01:31.09\00:01:33.39
and figure this out.
00:01:33.42\00:01:34.76
But the good news is that
there are things we can do
00:01:34.79\00:01:36.73
to actually affect
our sleep profoundly.
00:01:36.76\00:01:39.09
There is sleep
hygiene and then there's
00:01:39.29\00:01:41.00
cognitive behavioral therapy.
00:01:41.03\00:01:42.36
I'll touch on
these a little bit.
00:01:42.40\00:01:44.13
Sleep hygiene involves
environment, food, and behavior.
00:01:44.43\00:01:48.57
Let's start with behavior.
00:01:48.77\00:01:50.17
Your brain is used to pattern.
00:01:50.87\00:01:53.27
In fact, your
brain loves pattern,
00:01:53.31\00:01:55.31
because it
doesn't have to think.
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In fact, when you give it
pattern, it falls into that
00:01:56.91\00:02:00.22
pattern so much
better than everybody else.
00:02:00.25\00:02:02.58
Our patterns are disturbed.
00:02:02.62\00:02:04.32
We're staying up late for shows,
we're staying up late because
00:02:04.35\00:02:07.32
we're reading something,
we're staying up late because
00:02:07.36\00:02:09.39
we're talking with
somebody on the phone.
00:02:09.42\00:02:11.86
Technology has helped us,
but also it has stopped us
00:02:11.89\00:02:14.90
from our regular patterns.
00:02:14.93\00:02:17.37
But one of the first
things we tell people is,
00:02:18.03\00:02:19.83
go to bed at the same time
00:02:20.14\00:02:21.60
and wake up eight
hours later the next day.
00:02:21.64\00:02:24.41
And that pattern should sustain.
00:02:24.84\00:02:26.91
Are they staying up until
two in the morning one night
00:02:27.34\00:02:29.34
and then they're trying to go
to bed at nine the next night?
00:02:29.38\00:02:31.51
You know, just the irregularity.
00:02:31.55\00:02:32.88
Your body likes
to work in rhythms.
00:02:32.91\00:02:35.08
And our hormones,
and all of those things,
00:02:35.38\00:02:37.25
are set up in rhythms.
00:02:37.29\00:02:38.62
And so, if we aren't
regular with our rhythms,
00:02:38.65\00:02:40.86
our sleep is one
of the big rhythms,
00:02:40.89\00:02:42.82
then it just becomes
more complicated as well.
00:02:43.12\00:02:45.39
And then another factor is,
it's actually important to have
00:02:45.73\00:02:50.13
a bedtime routine.
00:02:50.17\00:02:51.63
So our body and our
mind, it actually gets used to
00:02:51.90\00:02:57.41
shutting down
based on certain cues.
00:02:57.44\00:03:00.04
And so, if we have
rituals and do things that
00:03:00.08\00:03:03.88
cue our minds and our bodies,
"Okay, we're about to start
00:03:03.91\00:03:07.35
shutting down," then
our minds and bodies will
00:03:07.38\00:03:10.59
actually go into
more of a resting state
00:03:10.62\00:03:13.56
and prepare us to go to sleep.
00:03:13.59\00:03:16.19
And having like a warm
bath before going to bed
00:03:16.66\00:03:22.16
to relax the body, adding some
Epsom salts to the bath water
00:03:22.20\00:03:26.60
to help relax the system.
00:03:26.63\00:03:28.17
A lot of people have
restless leg syndrome,
00:03:28.20\00:03:32.21
or restless body
syndrome, they just can't relax.
00:03:32.24\00:03:35.51
And that's a strong
sign of a lack of magnesium,
00:03:35.54\00:03:39.05
or other minerals, but
in particular magnesium.
00:03:39.08\00:03:42.02
So I always take
magnesium before going to bed.
00:03:42.05\00:03:46.02
I always take it in
the morning as well.
00:03:46.05\00:03:48.19
I've always been low on
magnesium my whole life.
00:03:48.39\00:03:51.96
So up to 80% of the public are
frankly deficient in magnesium.
00:03:51.99\00:03:58.53
So don't hesitate
to optimize magnesium.
00:03:58.73\00:04:02.17
It's been said for
cardiovascular purposes that
00:04:02.20\00:04:04.71
everybody, every adult, should
be taking a healthy magnesium
00:04:04.74\00:04:08.91
supplement, maybe 100 to
200 milligrams a day as a start.
00:04:08.94\00:04:13.78
Because that dramatically
lessens the risk of having a
00:04:13.82\00:04:17.69
heart attack,
dramatically, and a stroke.
00:04:17.72\00:04:20.02
So routine, regularity, training
the brain by going to bed
00:04:20.69\00:04:24.63
at about the same time
every night can be very helpful
00:04:24.66\00:04:27.66
for people who are
struggling with sleep.
00:04:27.70\00:04:29.63
Dr. Shearer is going to
give us some practical advice
00:04:30.03\00:04:32.23
of how we can help this along.
00:04:32.27\00:04:33.74
You can change that by
using certain supplements.
00:04:34.84\00:04:38.57
So if you're having a problem
where you normally would get
00:04:39.04\00:04:41.88
to bed at eleven, you want
to start getting to bed at nine.
00:04:41.91\00:04:44.68
Okay, because we know
that sleep before midnight,
00:04:45.35\00:04:51.15
one hour before
midnight is worth two hours
00:04:51.62\00:04:53.82
of sleep after midnight.
00:04:53.86\00:04:55.32
Okay, so it's better to
get the sleep before midnight.
00:04:55.36\00:04:57.76
So if you want to change
that, you can actually change
00:04:58.43\00:05:00.60
your circadian rhythm
by using phosphatidylserine
00:05:00.63\00:05:03.53
And phosphatidylserine
will help that circadian rhythm
00:05:04.13\00:05:07.20
change so you'll start
sleeping the way you should.
00:05:07.24\00:05:09.84
And then, of course, we want to
have a dark, quiet environment
00:05:10.24\00:05:16.04
so that we're not
going to be interrupted
00:05:16.24\00:05:19.48
with noise, or
lights, or anything like that.
00:05:19.51\00:05:22.15
That actually is very
important to set the stage for
00:05:22.18\00:05:25.55
a good night's sleep.
00:05:25.59\00:05:27.09
And lightproof your room.
00:05:27.66\00:05:29.62
We invest in all these
gadgets around your finger,
00:05:29.92\00:05:33.33
eye patches, and
all that, which is fine,
00:05:33.36\00:05:35.00
put some blinds in your room
that really make your room dark.
00:05:35.30\00:05:38.47
Sleep is an important
rejuvenating mechanism
00:05:39.53\00:05:45.47
of our body.
00:05:45.51\00:05:46.84
We know that
nowadays sleep is disrupted by
00:05:46.98\00:05:51.08
so many factors.
00:05:51.11\00:05:52.45
What can we do to
improve our sleep?
00:05:52.48\00:05:54.92
First of all, we need to ensure
that we sleep in darkness.
00:05:55.48\00:05:59.85
We can use the
curtains, they need to be dark.
00:05:59.89\00:06:05.39
We need to make sure
that the room is also quiet
00:06:05.89\00:06:09.50
with no additional disruptions.
00:06:09.53\00:06:12.40
We need to turn
off all the electronics
00:06:13.10\00:06:17.21
way before we go to bed.
00:06:17.24\00:06:19.44
Reading a book is much better
than looking at your tablet
00:06:19.47\00:06:23.14
before bedtime.
00:06:23.18\00:06:24.55
It's also about
ensuring sufficient sun exposure
00:06:24.91\00:06:30.49
during the day which
will help with sufficient
00:06:30.52\00:06:33.96
melatonin secretion at night.
00:06:33.99\00:06:36.02
And it's also about getting
some exercise and getting
00:06:36.76\00:06:41.13
our muscles worked out and tired
00:06:41.16\00:06:44.73
so that we fall
asleep naturally.
00:06:44.77\00:06:47.37
And make sure that your room
is completely dark for sleep.
00:06:47.40\00:06:51.77
Use dark curtains.
00:06:52.67\00:06:54.74
Make sure there
are no distractions.
00:06:55.28\00:06:57.55
Put away your phone and all
your electronics to another room
00:06:58.11\00:07:01.98
so that your bedroom can be a
quiet place where you can sleep.
00:07:02.18\00:07:08.26
Soundproof your room.
00:07:08.29\00:07:09.62
Sometimes sound is not in your
environment, it's in your head.
00:07:09.66\00:07:13.43
Sometimes you need white noise.
00:07:13.46\00:07:15.70
And white noise means
white noise, not complex noise.
00:07:16.16\00:07:18.90
You can't put AC/DC. You
shouldn't put AC/DC anyway.
00:07:18.93\00:07:21.60
You can't put heavy metal
00:07:21.64\00:07:23.27
and think that your
brain is going to...
00:07:23.57\00:07:25.14
"Oh no, but I'm
okay with..." No.
00:07:25.17\00:07:26.94
But even Bach and Mozart, or
anything that has variations.
00:07:26.98\00:07:30.25
- Don't pick on
Bach. - But for sleep.
00:07:30.28\00:07:32.25
It has to be something that
is, you know, almost monotonous.
00:07:32.28\00:07:36.05
- It doesn't
really stimulate. - A fan.
00:07:36.08\00:07:37.62
Mozart can be stimulating.
00:07:37.65\00:07:39.15
And all of it
because it's patterned.
00:07:39.19\00:07:40.89
Brain is a pattern
recognizing machine.
00:07:40.92\00:07:43.22
So anything that's patterned
is keeping it a little awake,
00:07:43.32\00:07:46.09
saying that, "Oh,
there's something going on."
00:07:46.13\00:07:47.63
It's not benign,
it's not background.
00:07:47.66\00:07:52.07
It's complexity. It's not...
00:07:52.10\00:07:53.80
You might be asleep, but you
are not getting into deep sleep.
00:07:53.84\00:07:56.20
So noise like fans, the sound
of rain, the sound of the ocean,
00:07:56.50\00:07:59.81
you know, things of that nature.
00:07:59.84\00:08:01.18
Bach, Mozart,
AC/DC... They're so funny.
00:08:01.21\00:08:05.21
I'll choose the fan.
00:08:05.25\00:08:06.58
I remember learning
about how if you can see
00:08:06.75\00:08:08.65
the outline of
items in your room,
00:08:08.68\00:08:10.45
your room is too light and will
affect melatonin production.
00:08:10.49\00:08:13.62
Blackout blinds were
a game changer for me.
00:08:13.86\00:08:16.59
When I travel, I bring
like a black top to through over
00:08:16.79\00:08:19.59
my eyes just in case.
00:08:19.63\00:08:21.10
Light is the ultimate
inducer of wakefulness.
00:08:21.83\00:08:26.90
It affects the region
in the back of the eye
00:08:26.94\00:08:30.81
which actually
increases your cortisol
00:08:30.84\00:08:34.84
and reduces your melatonin.
00:08:34.88\00:08:36.75
That's supposed to
happen during day time.
00:08:36.78\00:08:38.75
But now we have lights
that actually induce that.
00:08:38.78\00:08:40.58
So lower the light about
half an hour before sleep,
00:08:40.62\00:08:44.29
or an hour before
sleep, or at least dim it.
00:08:44.32\00:08:46.72
Or get
different kinds of lights.
00:08:46.76\00:08:48.09
Which we love talking
about the red light, you know.
00:08:48.12\00:08:50.13
Especially if you wake up
during the middle of the night.
00:08:50.23\00:08:53.19
To reduce light.
00:08:53.23\00:08:55.00
Don't get on your phone
half an hour before sleep.
00:08:55.03\00:08:57.53
Put it way out
there to be charged.
00:08:57.57\00:08:59.57
Make sure that you don't have,
you know, a TV in the bedroom.
00:08:59.93\00:09:02.54
Or as we learned
in our last episode,
00:09:03.10\00:09:05.04
cell phones and other devices.
00:09:05.07\00:09:07.54
Another factor that is really
helpful in preparing us for
00:09:07.94\00:09:12.95
a good night's sleep
is to eliminate screens.
00:09:12.98\00:09:16.55
And this is very important
and often very difficult to do.
00:09:16.58\00:09:20.02
But ideally, at least two hours
before we try to go to sleep
00:09:20.36\00:09:24.39
we should shut off
our electronic devices.
00:09:24.43\00:09:27.90
And so, of course, some people
use the blue light filters
00:09:28.13\00:09:31.97
which will get
rid of the blue light.
00:09:32.00\00:09:33.34
And that's somewhat
helpful, but even there
00:09:33.37\00:09:35.70
there is usually some
blue light that comes through.
00:09:35.74\00:09:38.81
And again, it's not just the
blue light that's stimulating
00:09:38.84\00:09:43.28
and making it more
difficult to sleep.
00:09:43.31\00:09:44.71
It's also just the stimulation
from the device itself.
00:09:44.75\00:09:47.52
So at minimum one hour, but
ideally two hours before bed
00:09:47.85\00:09:52.02
we should eliminate screen time.
00:09:52.05\00:09:54.62
But that's how a lot
of people fall asleep.
00:09:54.82\00:09:56.99
With the TV on.
00:09:57.03\00:09:58.36
It supposedly
helps them fall asleep.
00:09:58.39\00:10:00.16
What about that?
00:10:00.20\00:10:01.53
You know, it actually does.
00:10:01.73\00:10:03.06
It distracts us, you know,
so that we kind of zone out.
00:10:03.10\00:10:06.74
And that can sometimes
actually help people fall asleep
00:10:06.77\00:10:10.04
when they're like
worried or anxious,
00:10:10.07\00:10:12.84
because it's a distraction.
00:10:12.87\00:10:14.78
But then, so your frontal
lobe is kind of distracted
00:10:14.81\00:10:18.85
and helps you drift off to
sleep, but the emotional part
00:10:18.88\00:10:21.32
of your brain is still going.
00:10:21.35\00:10:22.68
And so, then when you actually
try to go into a deeper sleep
00:10:22.72\00:10:25.42
it doesn't work very well.
00:10:25.45\00:10:26.96
Stay off of your
computer, your phone.
00:10:27.26\00:10:30.09
I struggle with this myself.
00:10:30.13\00:10:31.76
But you know, stop
having all of that blue light
00:10:31.79\00:10:36.43
going into that,
what is it called,
00:10:36.46\00:10:40.64
the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
00:10:40.67\00:10:43.27
You know, which keeps you
from making that melatonin.
00:10:43.67\00:10:46.68
It keeps you from falling
asleep and staying asleep.
00:10:46.71\00:10:49.81
You should stop screen time
two hours before you go to bed.
00:10:50.48\00:10:53.15
Screen time messes up with
your brain and you can't sleep.
00:10:53.65\00:10:57.15
So that's one of
the big things I see.
00:10:57.45\00:10:59.89
And I will tell people
that they should stop that.
00:10:59.99\00:11:04.03
I also tell them
they should turn off the
00:11:05.06\00:11:06.63
Wi-Fi at night in their house.
00:11:06.66\00:11:08.23
And this is a highly
controversial subject,
00:11:09.16\00:11:11.17
and I recognize it, but there
are devices that are called,
00:11:11.20\00:11:14.50
smogging devices that
you can actually turn on that
00:11:14.54\00:11:18.44
smogging device and it will
pick up and you can go directly
00:11:18.47\00:11:21.28
to find out where
that cell phone is
00:11:21.31\00:11:22.98
or where your Wi-Fi box is.
00:11:23.38\00:11:25.18
And I've seen it at conferences
where they will turn that on
00:11:25.65\00:11:29.75
with a guy in the
front of an auditorium,
00:11:30.29\00:11:32.19
and everybody turns their cell
phone off except one person.
00:11:32.75\00:11:35.82
And that thing
is still squawking.
00:11:36.59\00:11:38.16
And it will actually
start squawking if this
00:11:38.46\00:11:40.43
cell phone receives a signal.
00:11:40.46\00:11:42.30
And you can hear
it from as far away as
00:11:42.56\00:11:45.67
the back of the auditorium.
00:11:45.70\00:11:47.07
That's very impressive
when you see that stuff, okay.
00:11:47.34\00:11:50.61
Now we've been taught that this
has nothing to do with anything.
00:11:50.64\00:11:55.24
It's very, very healthy.
00:11:55.28\00:11:56.81
There are certain countries
in Europe where you can't get a
00:11:57.11\00:11:59.08
cell phone under
the age of eighteen.
00:11:59.11\00:12:00.85
Because they know
it creates astrocytoma,
00:12:01.92\00:12:04.05
which is a brain tumor.
00:12:04.09\00:12:05.42
With our work demand,
and also with social media
00:12:06.05\00:12:10.53
bombarding us with, you
know, fresh news all the time,
00:12:10.56\00:12:14.20
and we want to keep
in touch basically 24/7,
00:12:14.40\00:12:19.60
we like to be, we
like to be present.
00:12:19.63\00:12:22.04
We feel like we don't
want to miss out on all the
00:12:22.07\00:12:25.91
opportunities
that are out there.
00:12:25.94\00:12:27.64
We feel like watching the
newest video is more important
00:12:27.68\00:12:32.18
than getting sleep.
00:12:32.21\00:12:33.98
So it's about the distractions,
but it's also about the other
00:12:34.62\00:12:40.76
unhealthy lifestyle
factors that contribute.
00:12:40.79\00:12:43.93
Lack of exercise and an
unhealthy diet that make us
00:12:44.66\00:12:49.00
more sluggish, and yet the
quality of sleep is compromised.
00:12:49.60\00:12:54.94
Dr. Shearer brought up EMF's,
or Electromagnetic Frequencies,
00:12:55.50\00:12:59.27
that come from our
phone, laptop, or TV
00:12:59.31\00:13:01.74
as a potential
contributor to sleep problems.
00:13:01.78\00:13:04.71
Just because EMF's are
invisible does not mean
00:13:05.01\00:13:07.45
that they're benign.
00:13:07.48\00:13:08.82
These waves of energy are
constantly interacting with
00:13:09.02\00:13:11.95
our biology day and night.
00:13:11.99\00:13:13.66
And we're just
starting to understand
00:13:13.69\00:13:15.39
how they dysregulate us.
00:13:15.42\00:13:17.09
We are most vulnerable
to EMF's at night time.
00:13:17.13\00:13:20.13
They disrupt
melatonin production,
00:13:20.16\00:13:22.03
which is a disaster
for your sleep quality.
00:13:22.06\00:13:24.63
What can we do?
00:13:24.97\00:13:26.30
Well, we can turn off
the Wi-Fi router at night,
00:13:26.33\00:13:28.90
unplug nearby
electronics, places our devices
00:13:28.94\00:13:32.14
as far away from
our bed as we can.
00:13:32.17\00:13:34.31
Then there's food.
00:13:35.04\00:13:36.38
Food is not about eating this
food that puts you to sleep.
00:13:36.41\00:13:39.05
Don't eat before sleep.
00:13:39.08\00:13:41.52
When you eat right before
sleep, your body is active now.
00:13:41.55\00:13:44.35
You might not feel it.
00:13:44.49\00:13:45.82
You might not make these
borborygmi sounds in your
00:13:45.85\00:13:47.69
stomach, but
your body is active.
00:13:47.72\00:13:49.79
And that keeps you agitated or
stimulated, and affects sleep.
00:13:50.09\00:13:54.20
Make sure you start
your day with breakfast,
00:13:54.96\00:13:58.07
a big healthy breakfast,
00:13:58.10\00:13:59.87
and you stop eating
in the early afternoon.
00:14:00.10\00:14:02.90
And you just skip dinner.
00:14:02.94\00:14:04.74
When we stop eating
in the early afternoon
00:14:04.77\00:14:08.94
and skip dinner, this helps
improve the quality of sleep.
00:14:08.98\00:14:13.45
And also the
diet composition helps
00:14:13.65\00:14:15.85
improve the quality of sleep.
00:14:15.88\00:14:17.32
When people start
eating a plant-based diet,
00:14:17.35\00:14:19.85
often times even though
it's not the primary outcome,
00:14:20.06\00:14:24.53
people start
reporting, "My sleep is much
00:14:24.73\00:14:27.10
better than it used to."
00:14:27.13\00:14:28.63
So it's about the
quality of the meal that we eat,
00:14:28.66\00:14:31.70
and it's also about the timing.
00:14:31.73\00:14:33.47
So there's several things that
are really important when it
00:14:34.04\00:14:37.37
comes to trying to set the
stage for a good night's sleep.
00:14:37.41\00:14:40.68
And one of those is
not eating too late.
00:14:40.98\00:14:45.35
So ideally four to fives
hours before we go to bed.
00:14:45.38\00:14:49.85
But at the very least I
tell people three hours.
00:14:49.88\00:14:52.75
But it really is ideal if
we can do four to five hours
00:14:52.79\00:14:55.69
so that your body really
has the opportunity to rest
00:14:55.72\00:14:58.29
so that we're
setting the stage for that.
00:14:58.33\00:15:00.20
We also want to avoid
stimulants like caffeine,
00:15:00.23\00:15:03.63
especially in the afternoon.
00:15:03.67\00:15:05.50
But what's interesting
about caffeine is, as we age,
00:15:05.97\00:15:10.07
it actually takes the
body longer to metabolize it.
00:15:10.11\00:15:13.11
And so the half-life of caffeine
becomes longer and longer
00:15:13.31\00:15:18.28
the older we are.
00:15:18.31\00:15:19.65
And so, sometimes even if we
drink caffeine in the morning,
00:15:19.68\00:15:23.18
if we're getting older than that
caffeine can still be with us
00:15:23.22\00:15:27.46
even in the evening
00:15:27.49\00:15:28.89
and make it more
difficult for us to fall asleep.
00:15:28.92\00:15:31.39
Because caffeine is,
obviously, a stimulate.
00:15:31.43\00:15:34.03
Another drink that
affects our sleep is alcohol.
00:15:34.43\00:15:37.27
Alcohol sets the
stage for very poor sleep.
00:15:37.30\00:15:40.40
And so, if we're not sleeping
solidly, that also is going to
00:15:40.94\00:15:45.37
impair our mental
health and our attention,
00:15:45.41\00:15:48.24
and everything else.
00:15:48.28\00:15:49.61
There are so many
negative effects of poor sleep,
00:15:49.64\00:15:52.15
and so alcohol can be
a big contributor there.
00:15:52.18\00:15:55.22
Something else that
can negatively affect sleep
00:15:56.08\00:15:58.69
is insulin resistance
and blood sugar imbalances.
00:15:58.72\00:16:01.66
And that's an interesting
clue, by the way, as to
00:16:02.22\00:16:04.93
why some people
don't sleep well.
00:16:04.96\00:16:07.16
One of the first assessments
that I do with patients
00:16:07.46\00:16:10.47
beyond going
through the fundamentals,
00:16:10.50\00:16:12.70
which are numerous
that we'll refer to,
00:16:12.73\00:16:15.94
but one of the first lab
tests that I do is the four-hour
00:16:16.24\00:16:20.04
glucose tolerance
test that I mentioned
00:16:20.08\00:16:22.54
to see if they have, they
may have a perfect fasting
00:16:22.58\00:16:27.95
blood sugar, even a
perfect fasting insulin level,
00:16:27.98\00:16:31.42
but then one hour
after their sugar drink
00:16:31.45\00:16:34.86
their blood sugars
might be up excessively.
00:16:34.89\00:16:37.46
Maybe not in a diabetic
or even a pre-diabetic level,
00:16:37.49\00:16:41.06
but excess.
00:16:41.10\00:16:42.43
Insulin levels rise, and
then eventually, because of
00:16:42.46\00:16:46.90
high insulin production,
to compensate for the
00:16:46.94\00:16:49.60
insulin resistance,
the blood sugars drop.
00:16:49.64\00:16:53.17
And when blood sugars
drop, interesting changes occur
00:16:53.38\00:16:57.31
in the brain.
00:16:57.35\00:16:58.68
I mentioned in
other sections about
00:16:58.71\00:17:00.92
how the amygdala notices that
the blood sugars are crashing,
00:17:00.95\00:17:04.39
and the amygdala knows
that if that happens too long
00:17:04.42\00:17:08.49
or too rapidly, that
will damage the brain.
00:17:08.52\00:17:12.56
And so basically
emergency hormones are released
00:17:13.03\00:17:17.57
to activate the adrenal glands.
00:17:17.60\00:17:19.67
And once the adrenal
starts producing cortisol,
00:17:19.70\00:17:22.67
which by the way triggers
the liver to release sugar,
00:17:22.70\00:17:26.17
hopefully back
up to a normal level
00:17:26.47\00:17:28.68
and not at an
excessively high level,
00:17:28.71\00:17:30.75
that process wakes us up.
00:17:32.01\00:17:35.32
So we want to prevent
that reactive hypoglycemia
00:17:35.42\00:17:39.75
that so many people have.
00:17:39.79\00:17:42.19
The blood sugars drop, causing
cortisol to be overproduced,
00:17:42.22\00:17:47.43
and that will wake you up.
00:17:47.46\00:17:49.56
Just like being frightened,
you know, a nightmare can
00:17:49.60\00:17:53.87
wake you up because
you're producing cortisol.
00:17:53.90\00:17:56.50
So if we can stabilize
blood sugars throughout the day
00:17:56.54\00:18:01.34
and night, through
the right balanced diet,
00:18:01.38\00:18:04.61
that is using lots of
non-starchy vegetables,
00:18:04.65\00:18:11.19
lots of healthy starches
or appropriate amounts of the
00:18:11.22\00:18:15.86
starches for your metabolism,
and then appropriate levels
00:18:15.89\00:18:21.73
of plant-based proteins
like legumes, which are also
00:18:22.70\00:18:26.10
starches but they're
really rich in protein,
00:18:26.13\00:18:29.04
and then healthy fat foods.
00:18:29.07\00:18:30.71
That stability of balanced food
prevents those rollercoasters
00:18:30.74\00:18:36.61
swings in our
hormones that prevents us from
00:18:36.64\00:18:40.42
being woken up inadvertently
at 3:00 in the morning.
00:18:40.45\00:18:44.39
So if my patients tell
me that they are waking up
00:18:45.02\00:18:49.99
in a start and their heart
is racing or they're feeling
00:18:50.19\00:18:53.60
stressed for some
reason, that's a clue that
00:18:53.63\00:18:56.63
this may be going on.
00:18:56.67\00:18:58.00
And we test for
it, and if it's there
00:18:58.03\00:18:59.70
we work strong at reversing the
underlying insulin resistance
00:19:00.00\00:19:04.31
that is really
the cause of this.
00:19:04.34\00:19:06.17
We also work hard at optimizing
adrenal health through
00:19:06.21\00:19:11.21
making sure that
you're getting the right foods
00:19:11.25\00:19:13.62
and the right nutrients
that build the adrenals
00:19:13.65\00:19:17.12
health properly.
00:19:17.15\00:19:19.15
So that combination
stabilizes the blood sugars
00:19:19.19\00:19:25.79
throughout the day
and throughout the night.
00:19:25.83\00:19:28.00
In addition to that, of
course, the core things to do is
00:19:28.23\00:19:33.54
make sure you're not stressing
over stuff late at night.
00:19:33.57\00:19:36.67
That you have a
system or plan in place that
00:19:37.74\00:19:43.41
after a certain
time, maybe 8:00 o'clock or
00:19:43.45\00:19:45.78
maybe 9:00 o'clock, that
you don't have the TV on,
00:19:45.81\00:19:49.22
you're not
listening to the news.
00:19:49.25\00:19:51.65
You're thinking
on meditative things.
00:19:51.69\00:19:57.03
You're thinking on
things that bring joy and peace
00:19:57.06\00:20:00.80
and calmness into your life.
00:20:00.83\00:20:02.46
You're not thinking about
the interpersonal challenges
00:20:02.50\00:20:05.83
that you might have.
00:20:05.87\00:20:07.20
You can address
that at other times.
00:20:07.24\00:20:08.77
If you are thinking about
that, you just tell yourself,
00:20:08.80\00:20:11.41
"I will deal with this tomorrow
morning or at lunchtime,
00:20:11.44\00:20:15.51
or whenever, but this is not
the time to think about that."
00:20:15.54\00:20:19.85
We know that hormonal
balance is affected by our diet,
00:20:20.82\00:20:26.49
but also other habits
such as exercise and sleep.
00:20:26.86\00:20:30.36
So it's about
regulating the melatonin levels.
00:20:30.99\00:20:36.60
Exercise helps us with the
healthy levels of melatonin
00:20:36.80\00:20:41.50
even produced at night.
00:20:41.54\00:20:43.07
Especially when we
exercise in the sun,
00:20:43.27\00:20:45.77
which is combining a
few of the beneficial
00:20:45.81\00:20:49.91
effects of
vitamin D and exercise
00:20:49.94\00:20:53.45
instead of having just one.
00:20:53.85\00:20:55.82
It appears that lower
temperature is better for sleep.
00:20:55.85\00:20:58.82
So lower the
temperature of the room,
00:20:59.12\00:21:00.86
and that's going to
help with sleep as well.
00:21:00.89\00:21:03.12
Then there's the heat from all
the stuff going on in the brain.
00:21:03.46\00:21:06.49
We've got to address that too.
00:21:06.53\00:21:08.13
Again it goes back to the brain.
00:21:08.16\00:21:10.00
What are you thinking about?
00:21:10.03\00:21:11.37
What are you angry about?
00:21:12.30\00:21:14.07
What issues in
your life are you going
00:21:14.64\00:21:16.81
over and over and over again?
00:21:16.84\00:21:18.41
Okay, because the brain is going
to keep playing those things
00:21:18.97\00:21:21.88
over again as long
as you feed into it.
00:21:21.91\00:21:23.81
Then there's the
running thoughts.
00:21:24.28\00:21:26.15
We all have running thoughts.
00:21:26.61\00:21:28.48
And at night
they become even worse
00:21:28.52\00:21:30.49
because there's nothing else.
00:21:30.52\00:21:31.85
So we have a
tendency to exaggerate.
00:21:31.89\00:21:34.06
So we say, get a notepad,
put it next to your bed.
00:21:34.79\00:21:38.29
If the thoughts come...
Because now we are conditioned.
00:21:38.59\00:21:41.16
Initially the
thoughts kept you awake.
00:21:41.20\00:21:42.90
Now going to bed
actually bring on the thoughts.
00:21:43.20\00:21:46.03
It's reversed, so
you have to deconstruct.
00:21:46.07\00:21:48.47
Whenever the thought
comes, or even if it doesn't,
00:21:48.77\00:21:50.81
get up from the bed, go sit
in a chair because you want to
00:21:50.84\00:21:53.17
separate it from the
bed, write those thoughts on a
00:21:53.21\00:21:55.91
piece of paper, not in
manifesto form but bullet form.
00:21:55.94\00:21:59.11
Nothing good
comes out of manifestos.
00:21:59.15\00:22:00.88
So bullet form, put
it next to your bed.
00:22:01.18\00:22:03.49
For a while you're not
going to feel a difference.
00:22:03.69\00:22:05.85
But what it is doing is actually
parking the thought to the side.
00:22:05.89\00:22:09.36
In the morning go over the list.
00:22:09.69\00:22:11.49
And that thing you
thought was so important,
00:22:11.79\00:22:14.16
you know, that cousin that
looked at you in a different way
00:22:14.36\00:22:16.83
or didn't call you, or they
took the last piece of bread,
00:22:16.87\00:22:20.40
it was nothing.
00:22:20.60\00:22:21.94
You don't have to
think all night about it.
00:22:21.97\00:22:23.87
It really decompresses,
separates, and deconstructs
00:22:24.17\00:22:29.44
that anxiety that's been
conditioned into your sleep.
00:22:29.48\00:22:32.38
So a lot has to do with
our mood as we go to sleep.
00:22:33.31\00:22:36.99
What are we thinking
about? What are we doing there?
00:22:37.02\00:22:39.39
And a lot of times a
person is so stressed out,
00:22:39.75\00:22:42.46
their sympathetic
nervous system is going crazy.
00:22:42.49\00:22:44.89
To sleep, the
sympathetic nervous system
00:22:45.96\00:22:48.40
isn't supposed to be working.
00:22:48.43\00:22:49.90
It's supposed to be
parasympathetic system.
00:22:50.10\00:22:52.17
And so there is something
that I tell some of my patients,
00:22:52.77\00:22:55.37
and that is
something called grounding.
00:22:55.40\00:22:57.01
Which sounds a little weird,
but basically an hour before
00:22:57.47\00:23:02.88
they go to bed I tell them to
take their shoes and socks off
00:23:02.91\00:23:04.88
and put their
feet on the ground.
00:23:04.91\00:23:06.25
There are certain times of
the year here at Mount Shasta
00:23:06.72\00:23:08.65
where we can't do
that, it's too cold.
00:23:08.68\00:23:10.15
It's just too cold.
00:23:10.19\00:23:11.89
But there's plenty of
times when you can do that.
00:23:12.09\00:23:14.52
And it's equivalent to,
if you think of the last time
00:23:15.02\00:23:17.39
you were at the beach.
00:23:17.43\00:23:18.76
Everybody loves
to go to the beach.
00:23:19.83\00:23:21.43
The sound of the surf, the
smell; all that kind of stuff.
00:23:22.50\00:23:25.20
What we don't realize
is, yes that has something to
00:23:25.23\00:23:28.14
do with it, but really what the
studies show is its grounding
00:23:28.17\00:23:31.84
that makes you feel so good.
00:23:31.87\00:23:33.24
It puts you, within
two minutes of grounding,
00:23:33.98\00:23:36.61
you go into
parasympathetic mode.
00:23:36.91\00:23:38.61
So a person who has
a hard time sleeping,
00:23:39.11\00:23:41.22
they can do that and
get sleeping a lot quicker,
00:23:41.25\00:23:45.09
okay, by getting that
stress out of their life.
00:23:45.42\00:23:48.06
And when I first heard this,
I thought it was total crackpot.
00:23:48.82\00:23:51.33
And so I got to thinking,
okay, the first people,
00:23:53.19\00:23:57.03
Adam and Eve in
the garden of Eden,
00:23:57.43\00:23:59.43
did they wear shoes?
00:23:59.83\00:24:01.37
Grounding refers to having
direct contact with the earth.
00:24:03.17\00:24:06.51
Walking barefoot,
putting your hands in the soil,
00:24:06.54\00:24:08.68
stuff like that.
00:24:08.71\00:24:10.05
Studies have been done,
especially around this area,
00:24:10.25\00:24:13.15
with the fir trees,
cedar trees, out in the forest,
00:24:13.18\00:24:17.05
you get certain smells
that affect brain function.
00:24:17.55\00:24:21.72
And you can only
get it in a forest.
00:24:22.16\00:24:23.66
So there are some
things like this that you go,
00:24:24.89\00:24:26.73
"Okay, this is
weird," but it's real.
00:24:26.76\00:24:29.13
Make sure you're not stressing
over stuff late at night.
00:24:29.70\00:24:32.87
That you have a system, a plan
in place, that after a certain
00:24:33.84\00:24:40.64
time, maybe 8:00
o'clock or maybe 9:00 o'clock,
00:24:40.68\00:24:43.11
that you don't have the TV on,
00:24:43.31\00:24:45.21
you're not
listening to the news.
00:24:45.41\00:24:47.95
You're thinking
on meditative things.
00:24:47.98\00:24:53.19
You're thinking on
things that bring joy and peace
00:24:53.22\00:24:56.89
and calmness into your life.
00:24:56.93\00:24:58.69
You're not thinking about
the interpersonal challenges
00:24:58.73\00:25:01.96
that you might have.
00:25:02.00\00:25:03.33
You can address
that at other times.
00:25:03.37\00:25:04.97
If you are thinking about
that, you just tell yourself,
00:25:05.00\00:25:07.60
"I will deal with this tomorrow
morning, or at lunchtime,
00:25:07.64\00:25:11.54
or whenever, but this is not
the time to think about that."
00:25:11.57\00:25:16.04
A lot of people, if they're
not actively doing something,
00:25:16.61\00:25:21.92
or distracted by something
else, this is where a lot of the
00:25:22.22\00:25:25.79
thoughts, like negative
thoughts can start coming in.
00:25:25.82\00:25:28.92
Or the stressors, "I have
to do this tomorrow, or that."
00:25:28.96\00:25:32.06
And that can be very difficult
for people to fall asleep then.
00:25:32.26\00:25:36.36
So it's important actually to
not only have a bedtime ritual,
00:25:36.56\00:25:40.64
but also a routine, a
ritual, like, "How do I
00:25:40.67\00:25:43.41
let go of those
stressors of the day?"
00:25:43.44\00:25:45.51
And for a lot of
people, and for myself included,
00:25:45.54\00:25:49.84
what we find really helpful
is to have some devotional time
00:25:49.88\00:25:53.58
where we connect with God.
00:25:53.62\00:25:54.95
We say, "You know what,
I just want to make sure
00:25:54.98\00:25:57.09
I'm giving You all this,
and I'm trusting You with this.
00:25:57.12\00:26:00.82
And I'm really giving
You that stress so that I can
00:26:00.86\00:26:04.66
rest in Your love tonight."
00:26:04.69\00:26:06.63
And sometimes that's
easier said than done.
00:26:06.66\00:26:08.56
But if we're struggling with
that, what I find to be really
00:26:08.66\00:26:12.33
helpful is like,
okay pull out your Bible,
00:26:12.37\00:26:14.74
find some promises that speak
to maybe some of the worries
00:26:14.77\00:26:17.47
that you're experiencing.
00:26:17.51\00:26:18.84
And that can be a wonderful
way to really alleviate
00:26:19.01\00:26:21.28
some of those
worries and find the peace.
00:26:21.31\00:26:23.55
And the answer to that
is not just medication.
00:26:23.58\00:26:25.28
Although we're not
against medication short term.
00:26:25.31\00:26:27.35
But longer term it's,
you know, sleep hygiene,
00:26:27.95\00:26:31.05
cognitive behavioral therapy.
00:26:31.09\00:26:32.79
The kind of mechanisms
that allow you to sleep calmly
00:26:32.99\00:26:36.16
and restoratively.
00:26:36.19\00:26:37.53
And that actually is incredibly
powerful as an anti-inflammatory
00:26:37.56\00:26:42.06
fight back.
00:26:42.10\00:26:43.43
There's nothing
else better than that.
00:26:43.47\00:26:44.80
So there it is:
food, exercise, and sleep
00:26:44.83\00:26:47.80
will take care of more than 99%
of your inflammatory response.
00:26:47.84\00:26:52.27
I remember when I
was a student missionary
00:26:52.67\00:26:54.34
in the Marshal Islands, I
lived on an island that had
00:26:54.38\00:26:56.21
no running water and electricity
for about two months.
00:26:56.24\00:26:59.25
And the sun came up at 6:00
and the sun went down at 6:00.
00:26:59.28\00:27:02.42
And I just remember, like
that was some of the best sleep
00:27:02.65\00:27:04.69
I ever had, was
because I had no electricity,
00:27:04.72\00:27:07.16
I had no blue light.
00:27:07.19\00:27:08.52
I just was up and
down with the sun.
00:27:08.56\00:27:10.33
And you know, really, that's
how God created it to be, right?
00:27:10.36\00:27:14.23
And I had the best sleep
when I was on that island.
00:27:14.26\00:27:17.30
I could go for
some island life myself.
00:27:18.10\00:27:20.47
I think that is
what I was made for.
00:27:20.50\00:27:22.57