sleep dude sleep

8/17/2019 Sleep Dude Sleep

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On February 13, 1972, Michel Sifre climbed into a cave in southwest Teas! "twould be si months be#ore he saw dayli$ht a$ain!

Sifre was a French scientist and a %ioneer in chronobiolo$y, which is thestudy o# biolo$ical rhythms! The most well&'nown o# these biolo$ical rhythms

is the circadian rhythm, which controls the human slee%&wa'e cycle, andSifre was on a mission to learn how it wor's!

Sifre(s li#e in the cave was s%artan&es)ue at best! *e lived in a tent that saton a small wooden %lat#orm with a bed, a table, a chair and a %hone, whichhe could use to call his research team above $round!

*is under$round home was e)ui%%ed with a sin$le li$ht bulb, which %rovideda so#t $low to the %iles o# #ro+en #ood and -- $allons o# water nearby! Therewere no cloc's or calendars, no way #or him to discover what time it was or

whether it was day or ni$ht!

This was how he lived, alone, #or si months!

.ithin a #ew days, Sifre(s biolo$ical cloc' be$an to ta'e over! *e would laterrecall his e%eriments by writin$/

“My sleep was perfect! My body chose by itself when to sleep and when toeat. That’s very important. We showed that my sleep-wake cycle was not24 hors like people have on the srface of the earth bt sli"htly lon"er #

abot 24 hors and $% mintes.&

On several occasions, Sifre(s body transitioned to a 0&hour slee%&wa'ecycle, where he would stay awa'e naturally #or 3 hours and then slee% #or12 hours!

Sifre(s wor', alon$ with the e%eriments o# a hand#ul o# other researchers,hel%ed 'ic' start a scientic interest in slee% that has resulted in slee%%er#ormance centers at maor universities, li'e *arvard and the 4niversity o#5ennsylvania!

6iven that we s%end almost a third o# our lives slee%in$, it(s hard to believethe to%ic has only $ained a lar$e scientic #ollowin$ in recent years!

"n this article, "(ll share the science o# slee% and how it wor's, discuss whymany %eo%le sufer #rom slee% de%rivation without 'nowin$ it and ofer%ractical ti%s #or $ettin$ better slee% and havin$ more ener$y!

http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/30/foer.phphttp://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/30/foer.php


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et(s $et started!

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

*ow much slee% do you really need8 To answer that )uestion, let(s consideran e%eriment 4niversity o# 5ennsylvania and .ashin$ton State 4niversityresearchers conducted!

The researchers be$an the e%eriment by $atherin$ 0 healthy men andwomen who avera$ed seven to ei$ht hours o# slee% %er ni$ht! Then, theys%lit these subects into #our $rou%s!

The rst $rou% drew the short straw! They had to stay u% #or three daysstrai$ht without slee%in$! The second $rou% sle%t #or #our hours %er ni$ht,the third $rou% sle%t #or si hours %er ni$ht and the #ourth $rou% sle%t #orei$ht hours %er ni$ht!

"n these nal three $rou%s #our, si and ei$ht hours o# slee% thesubects were held to these slee% %atterns #or two wee's strai$ht! Throu$houtthe e%eriment, the subects underwent %hysical and mental %er#ormancetests!

Here’s what happened:

The subects who were allowed a #ull ei$ht hours o# slee% dis%layed noco$nitive decreases, attention la%ses or motor s'ill declines durin$ the 10&day study!

Meanwhile, the $rou%s who received #our hours and si hours o# slee%steadily declined with each %assin$ day! The #our&hour $rou% %er#ormedworst, but the si&hour $rou% didn(t #are much better! "n %articular, therewere two notable ndin$s!

First, sleep debt is a cumulative issue.

"n the words o# the researchers, slee% debt :has a neurobiolo$ical cost whichaccumulates over time!;


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straight, !our mental and ph!sical performance declines to thesame level as if !ou had sta!ed awake for $% hours straight.

&econd, participants didn’t notice their own performance declines.

.hen %artici%ants $raded themselves, they believed that their %er#ormancedeclined #or a #ew days and then ta%ered of! "n reality, they were continuin$to $et worse with each day!

"n other words, we are %oor ud$es o# our own %er#ormance decreases evenas we $o throu$h them! "n the real world, well&lit o>ce s%aces, socialconversations, cafeine and a variety o# other #actors can ma'e you #eel #ullyawa'e even thou$h your actual %er#ormance is sub&o%timal!

'ou might think !our performance is sta!ing the same even on low

amounts of sleep, but it’s not. And even if !ou are happ! with !oursleep-deprived performance levels, !ou’re not performing optimally .

The Cost Of Sleep Deprivation

(he iron! of it all is that man! of us are su)ering from sleepdeprivation so we can work more, but the drop in performance ruinsan! potential benets of working additional hours.

"n the 4nited States alone, studies have estimated that slee% de%rivation iscostin$ businesses more than ?1-- billion each year in lost e>ciency and%er#ormance!


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(o put things di)erentl!, + percent of adults who get less thanseven hours of sleep on a routine basis will experience decreasedmental and ph!sical performance.

cult to wa'e u%!

This %hase is critical #or renewal and re%air o# the body! Aurin$ slow waveslee%, the %ituitary $land releases $rowth hormone, which stimulates tissue$rowth and muscle re%air!

Besearchers also believe the body(s immune system is re%aired durin$ thissta$e! Slow&wave slee% is %articularly critical i# you(re an athlete! Gou(ll o#tenhear about %ro#essional athletes, li'e Bo$er Federer or e@ron Hames slee%in$11 or 12 hours %er ni$ht!


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Aurin$ this study, the %layers sle%t #or at least 1- hours %er ni$ht Ecom%aredto their ty%ical ei$ht hours! Aurin$ ve wee's o# etended slee%, theresearchers measured the bas'etball %layers accuracy and s%eed com%aredto their %revious levels!

Free&throw shootin$ %ercenta$e increased by 9 %ercent, three&%oint shootin$%ercenta$e increased by 9!2 %ercent and the %layers were -! seconds #asterwhen s%rintin$ - meters! "# you %lace heavy %hysical demands on yourbody, slow wave slee% is what hel%s you recover!

BDM slee% is to the mind what slow wave slee% is to the body! The brain isrelatively )uiet durin$ most slee% %hases, but durin$ BDM, your brain comesto li#e!

BDM slee% is when your brain dreams and reor$ani+es in#ormation! Aurin$

this %hase, your brain clears out irrelevant in#ormation, boosts your memoryby connectin$ the e%eriences o# the last 20 hours to your %reviouse%eriences and #acilitates learnin$ and neural $rowth! Gour bodytem%erature rises, your blood %ressure increases and your heart rate s%eedsu%!

Aes%ite all o# this activity, your body hardly moves! Ty%ically, the BDM %haseoccurs in short bursts, about three to ve times %er ni$ht!

.ithout the slow&wave and BDM slee% %hases, the body literally starts to die!

#f !ou starve !ourself of sleep, !ou can’t recover ph!sicall!, !ourimmune s!stem weakens and !our brain becomes fogg!. r, as theresearchers put it, sleep-deprived individuals experience increasedrisk of viral infections, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure,heart disease, mental illness and mortalit!.

To summari+e/ Slow wave slee% hel%s you recover %hysically while BDM slee%hel%s you recover mentally! The amount o# time you s%end in these %hasestends to decrease with a$e, which means the )uality o# your slee% and yourbody(s ability to recover also decrease with a$e!

Age-Related Sleep Changes


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e>ciency the %ercenta$e o# time s%ent aslee% while in bed decreasesas well!;

@ased on my calculations o# the above data, the avera$e -&year&old $ets awho%%in$ 2 %ercent less slow&wave slee% than the avera$e 2-&year&old E2-%ercent o# the avera$e slee% cycle versus 7!= %ercent!

There are many #actors that im%act the a$in$ o# body tissues and cells, but itstands to reason that i# your body $ets less slow&wave slee% to restore itsel#each ni$ht, the a$in$ %rocess will accelerate as a result!

"n other words, it seems reasonable to say that $ettin$ $ood slee% is one o#your best de#enses a$ainst a$in$ )uic'ly!

How To Recover When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep


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“'t any a"e most adlts need seven and a half to ei"ht hors of sleep tofnction at their best. (ince older people often have troble attainin" thismch sleep at ni"ht they fre)ently spplement ni"httime sleep withdaytime naps.

“This can be a sccessfl strate"y for accmlatin" s*cient total sleep

over a 24-hor period. +owever if yo ,nd that yo need a nap it’s best totake one midday nap rather than several brief ones scattered thro"hotthe day and evenin".&

# +arvard Medical (chool


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.hat dictates your slee%&wa'e cycle8

ciency and muscle stren$th


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- / pm *i$hest blood %ressure and body tem%erature

- + pm Melatonin %roduction be$ins to %re%are the body #or slee%

- 01 pm @owel movements su%%ressed as the body )uiets down

- 2 pm Aee%est slee%

- $ pm owest body tem%erature

Obviously, these times are not eact and merely dis%lay the $eneral %atterno# the circadian rhythm! The eact times o# your circadian rhythm will varybased on dayli$ht, your habits and other #actors!

i$ht, time and melatonin are the three main #actors that dictate melatonin!

"ight

i$ht is %robably the most si$nicant %ace setter o# the circadian rhythm!Starin$ into a bri$ht li$ht #or 3- minutes or so can o#ten reset your circadianrhythm, re$ardless o# what time o# day it is! More commonly, the risin$ o# thesun and li$ht stri'in$ your eyes tri$$ers the transition to a new cycle!

(ime

The time o# day, your daily schedule and the order in which you %er#ormtas's can all im%act your slee%&wa'e cycle!

4elatonin

This is the hormone that causes drowsiness and controls body tem%erature!Melatonin is %roduced in a %redictable daily rhythm, increasin$ a#ter dar'and decreasin$ be#ore dawn! Besearchers believe that the melatonin%roduction cycle hel% 'ee% the slee%&wa'e cycle on trac'!

How To Sleep Better

Jow that we understand how slee% wor's, let(s tal' about some %racticalstrate$ies #or $ettin$ better slee%!


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Avoid ca)eine

"# you(re havin$ trouble #allin$ aslee%, eliminatin$ cafeine #rom your diet is a)uic' win! "# you can(t $o without your mornin$ cu% o# cofee, then a $oodrule o# thumb to 'ee% in mind is :Jo cofee a#ter noon!; This $ives cafeine

enou$h time to wear of be#ore bedtime!

&top smoking or chewing tobacco

Tobacco use has been lin'ed to a lon$ line o# health issues and %oor slee% isanother one on the list! " don(t have any %ersonal e%erience with tobaccouse, but " have heard #rom #riends who have )uit success#ully that


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Most %eo%le slee% best in a cool room! The ideal ran$e is usually between =to 7- de$rees Fahrenheit E1 to 21 de$rees Celsius!

&ound

< )uiet s%ace is 'ey #or $ood slee%! "# %eace and )uiet is hard to come by, trycontrollin$ the bedroom noise by creatin$ :white noise; with a #an! Or, useear%lu$s Ehere are a $ood %air!

Alcohol

This one is a sli%%ery slo%e! "t is true that havin$ a drin' be#ore bed a:ni$ht ca%; o#ten does hel% %eo%le #all aslee%! *owever, while it ma'es iteasier to #all aslee%, it actually reduces the )uality o# your slee% and delaysthe BDM cycle!

So, you #all aslee% #aster, but it(s %ossible that you(ll wa'e u% without #eelin$rested! "t(s %robably best to im%rove your slee% throu$h other methodsbe#ore resortin$ to alcohol to do the ob!

How To Go To Sleep

&tick to a regular schedule

The body loves ritual! The entire circadian rhythm we laid out earlier is onebi$, daily routine! 6o to bed and wa'e u% around the same time each day!

7evelop a 8power down9 ritual before bed

The li$ht #rom com%uter screens, televisions and %hones can hinder the%roduction o# melatonin, which means your body isn(t %re%arin$ thehormones it needs to enter the slee% %hase!

S%ecically, it is the blue wavelen$th o# li$ht that seems to decreasemelatonin %roduction! Aevelo%in$ a :%ower down; routine, where you shutof all electronics an hour or two be#ore slee%, can be a bi$ hel%!


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Turn of the screens and read a boo' instead! "t(s the %er#ect way to learnsomethin$ use#ul and %ower down be#ore bed! E


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This is why, in the words o# my #riend @en 6reeneld, :Gou may nd youneed none or very little cofee in the summer or in times o# hi$h sune%osure, but you(re a com%lete monster i# you don(t $et your mornin$ cu%o# cofee in the $rey winter months!;

Final Thoughts On Sleep

Cumulative slee% debt is robbin$ com%anies o# billions o# dollars in revenue!"t(s robbin$ individuals o# mental %er#ormance, %reventin$ athletes #rom%er#ormin$ at their best and it(s a barrier between you and o%timal%er#ormance!

The answer is sim%le, but remar'ably underrated in our %roductivity&

obsessed culture/ 6et more slee%!

"# you(re loo'in$ #or more %ractical strate$ies on how to create better slee%habits Eor better habits in $eneral, read my #ree 0&%a$e $uidecalled Trans#orm Gour *abits or browse my other articles on behavior chan$eand habit #ormation here!

Gou owe it to yoursel# to develo% better slee% habits! Gour body and mind willthan' you #or doin$ so!

;ames

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