Sleep has to be the starting point for any meaningful journey towards better living.
In the Jenga game of life, it's the bottom three blocks of the tower fused together. Try sliding that bad boy (girl) out.
(Let's expand on those awkward metaphors.)
Brilliant Sleep experts, like Dr. Matthew Walker, have found:
(Let's expand on those awkward metaphors.)
Brilliant Sleep experts, like Dr. Matthew Walker, have found:
- Most adults need 7-9 hours every night, period.
- Getting 6 hours or less on a regular basis wreaks havoc on our health.
The act of Sleeping evolved over millions of years. There are pretty good reasons why our biology demands we spend a third of our lives unconscious.
Take learning and ingenuity for example. They're impacted in two important ways:
01Memories formed during the day are stored in the bank for use later on.
02Dream (R.E.M.) Sleep produces our creative juices. Here, the brain 'packages' information gathered while we're awake, in sometimes psychedelic ways. Like a free trip, without the magic mushrooms. It's no accident that we're so fond of our wildest dreams.
When it comes to regeneration, Sleep wants all the smoke.
01Our brains cleanse themselves at night by changing their architecture. This allows a cleaning crew to flush away toxins accumulated throughout the day. Like a detox, without the special juices or teas.
Sleep is essential for thinking clearly and creatively (who hasn't left the house without pants on?). This cleansing is critical for our mental health. Without it, our odds of suffering from dementia, depression, anxiety, and suicidality increase. We can't emphasize this enough, especially in light of today's mental health awareness.
Sleep is essential for thinking clearly and creatively (who hasn't left the house without pants on?). This cleansing is critical for our mental health. Without it, our odds of suffering from dementia, depression, anxiety, and suicidality increase. We can't emphasize this enough, especially in light of today's mental health awareness.
02The cells of the immune system get a well-deserved boost. They're then able to better protect us from various types of infection, and premature aging. This otherwise costs a fortune to (impossibly) botox and moisturize away.
Deficient Sleep causes dramatic reductions in our natural killer cancer-fighting cells. This can increase our chances of acquiring cancer by a whopping 100%.
03The nervous system, heart and its blood vessels all get a royal treatment. Our brain activity, heart rate, and blood pressure mellow as we make our way from light to deep Sleep. This also relieves stress on the plumbing that circulates our blood. The transition from deep to dream Sleep sends these systems on a rollercoaster of big climbs in activity, followed by drops into relaxation. Believe it or not, these swings are healthy! More to come on heart rate variability.
04Like the brain, our muscles and bones rely on Sleep to heal, with help from the immune and hormonal systems.
All Training gains happen during Sleep. The body deals with a lot of stress on a daily basis, and in certain cases, sustains micro-damage. Those will either make you stronger (if you can recover), or turn into macro problems.
All Training gains happen during Sleep. The body deals with a lot of stress on a daily basis, and in certain cases, sustains micro-damage. Those will either make you stronger (if you can recover), or turn into macro problems.
You may be noticing that many of these negatives are common issues we medicate for. Sleep is free and only has the best possible effects. The old myth of it being the enemy to success should be ancient history. Our best lives only come with proper rest and regeneration.
Occasional Sleep deprivation is inevitable. Often times, simple interventions we'll go into later will be game changers. If you continue to struggle (you're not alone), we recommend seeing a local Sleep specialist.
Occasional Sleep deprivation is inevitable. Often times, simple interventions we'll go into later will be game changers. If you continue to struggle (you're not alone), we recommend seeing a local Sleep specialist.
Coming Soon!