Sleep Disturbances  ⁃ blood sugar drops during sleep trigger cortisol spikes

⁃ high glycemic volatility due to obesity and insulin resistance.

⁃ Need a low glycemic load diet – keep blood sugar levels consistent.
Poor sleep:

⁃ Body doesn’t repair itself.

⁃ Cannot detox body and brain.

⁃ Affects metabolism.

⁃ Affects pain tolerance and mood issues and depression and anxiety.
⁃ 5 HTP

⁃ Melatonin

⁃ L – Theanine ( great for kids)- gets across the blood brain barrier – 100-200 mg

⁃ Pharma GABA ( activates parasympathetic tone- relaxation response)

GABA – slows down the brain!

Sleep aids – too many side effects and complications.
Sleep – wake cycle disorders
Take:

⁃ 1-3 mg melatonin at night

⁃ 1-3 mg vitamin B 12 in am ( shuts down daytime secretion of melatonin during daytime )

⁃ Want to store up melatonin so it’s higher at night !
Stage 3-4 body benefits from growth hormone and where body repairs itself

REM sleep – where brain repairs itself and where short term memory is archived.
Sleep critical to athletic performance.

So is time between hard training sessions. Both of these are inter-dependent
Recovery involves:

Sleep

Reduced stress – cortisol

Nutrition
Good sleep and high intensity exercise builds growth hormone levels as you stimulate your pituitary ( endocrine system)
⁃ Cortisol is catabolic and is increased when stressed and during poor sleep.

⁃ Testosterone and estrogen are anabolic hormones.
⁃ High intensity exercise builds growth hormone and helps with improved sleep but not good too close to bedtime. This also disrupts your circadian rhythms.
Sleep facts:
⁃ Alcohol interferes with REM sleep. Elevates blood sugar causing cortisol response.

⁃ It dehydrates you.

⁃ Stop drinking at least 2 hrs before bedtime.

⁃ Turn off electronic devices (including wifi ).

⁃ Avoid use at least 1- 2 hrs before bedtime ( it stimulates the brain to fire and lowers melatonin)

⁃ The closer the device the greater the blue light effect
⁃ Lighting Science – has great lighting that helps reduce harmful effects and reduces the impact on sleep ( blue light in am and no blue light at night )
Caffeine

⁃ Stop caffeine by 2 pm!

⁃ Has a half life of 8-10 hrs.
Studies show that having a consistent ritual before bedtime facilitates good sleep patterns over time.

1. Melatonin

⁃ A sleep regulator

⁃ Take 60-90 min before bedtime.

⁃ 1-2 mg

⁃ Usana – best brand
2. Unconscious and unresolved issues will present themselves in your sleep. This often wakes a person up.
3. Good to clear your head before bedtime.
Write down or journal these issues.
Sleep and Aging

⁃ Restorative sleep is in fact anti -aging !

⁃ Regenerative medicine

⁃ Affects telomere length and stem cells.

⁃ Your lifespan should not outlast your healthspan !
Telomeres:

⁃ biological timekeeper

⁃ Every cell has these.

⁃ It measures lifespan of each cell.

⁃ Single best indicator of healthy aging.

⁃ Telomere biology affected by 2 things:

1. Cell replication and turnover.

2. Sleep – plays critical role in our immunity ( very affected by inflammation ). Sleep is one of the first things that people sacrifice. It is affected by stress, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity. Inflammation occurs in a macro and micro way – you can see it in bio marker like c- reactive protein. Inflammation ( allergies and throat issues ) leads to sleep apnea – this leads to telomere shortening ! Sleep apnea leads to a variety of cardiac dysfunctions, a fib and metabolic disorders and more poor sleep and the cycle continues until you end up with heart failure.
Normalized sleep:

⁃ key to healthy aging.

⁃ as critical as exercise and nutrition.

⁃ Affects all of your body’s systems and functions ( neurological, metabolic, hormonal, endocrine, fertility, cardiac and digestive).
5 Steps to Better Sleep

⁃ Consistent sleep schedule.

⁃ No caffeine after 2 pm.

⁃ No alcohol 3 hrs before bedtime.

⁃ Daily exercise not close to bedtime

⁃ 15-20 min of sunlight in the morning helps to re-shift circadian rhythms.