#Sleep scientist in this podcast drops some research findings and advice:
- No screens an hour before sleep, BUT its NOT because of blue light.
- its light in general at night - light levels should be kept at 30lux or lower, 90 minutes before bed.
- screentime: the stimulating nature of online engagement, triggering anxiety, or watching exciting content, makes it harder to get to sleep and reduces sleep quality
- melatonin merely tells your body when it’s TIME to fall asleep, it doesn’t play a role in the generation of sleep itself
- melatonin will only improve the speed with which one falls asleep by about 3.4 minutes, and the efficiency of your sleep by about 2.2%
- more than 3mg melatonin supplement risks morning grogginess
- don’t take melatonin supplements unless you need it for jetlag or chronic insomnia. Long-term use can shrink your balls and kill your testosterone levels!
- phone in the bedroom hack: if you take your phone into your bedroom, you can only use it if you’re standing up
- sleep regularity is king: the most important thing is going to sleep and waking up at the same times every day
- the 4 “macros” of good sleep: QQRT:
- Quantity: 7 - 9 hours of sleep. The shorter your sleep below 7 hours, the shorter your life.
- Quality: sleep efficiency (the % of time in bed actually asleep) should be at least 85%, and the amount of deep sleep has the largest impact on mental health
- Regularity: the +/- minutes around sleep & wake times. Those with most sleep regularity (same times every day) have a 49% decrease in all cause mortality, 39% less cancer, 57% less cardio/metabolic risk than those with the least regularity.
- Timing: Related to regularity; make it dark before bed. Stick to a ritual, change clothes, get ready for bed, turn off almost all light sources, signal to your nervous system that you will sleep soon.
And much more! Check it out at:
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett • No.1 Sleep Expert: Magnesium Isn’t Helping You Sleep! This Sleep Habit Increases Heart Disease 57% • Listen on Fountain