Issue #99: Best of...Sleep

Your Guide to Health & Longevity

Author

Ryan Schneider
January 05, 2023

Good morning. It’s Thursday, January 5th. 90 years ago, construction on the Golden Gate Bridge began - eventually taking over 4 years and $35M ($802M in 2023 dollars). Never got old running over the bridge into the fog back when I lived in SF.

Today its:

21.4 (100)_Best of 2022 - Sleep (Canva)

Don’t give up on your dreams so soon, sleep longer.

Anonymous

  • From the Lab: The Foundation of Health

  • Take Action: THE Sleep Routine

  • Speed Read: Mocktail Recipes for Dry January

  • Thursday Night In: New Age Stuffed Peppers

  • Moment of Fun: The Most Insane Dominoes Topple Ever

Decline in brain's ability to create new memories during sleep deprivation - the hippocampus (memory center of the brain) essentially shuts down after multiple nights of poor sleep.

From the Lab

There’s been quite a shift from leaders or executives bragging about how little sleep they need to now it being core to our health - just see what it does for our immune system (Issue #15).

But Americans still sleep less than we did 80 years ago, averaging less than 7 hours per night - so we’re pretty tired.

Giphy.com

Take it from the resident sleep diplomat (his words), Dr. Matthew Walker:

“Sleep is the foundation on which the other two pillars of diet and exercise sit when it comes to good health.”

Here's a simplified snapshot of how sufficient sleep impacts our health:

So how can we get the best night sleep possible?

It starts with getting morning sunlight!

Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. on Instagram: "HOW MORNING SUNLIGHT (VIEWING) CONTROLS NIGHT TIME SLEEP • - Every cell in our bodies has a 24 hour molecular clock. Those clocks are all aligned with one another by when we view sunlight, and early day (low solar angel) sun IG kit in particular. (Morning sunlight sets a biological timer for us to get sleepy somewhere between 14 and 16 hours later.) - The key is to view morning sunlight for 5-10 minutes on clear days, 10-20 minutes on overcast days, and 30 min on dense Ive car days. Those are minimums. More is better if you have time/access. Especially in winter! - If you miss a day, get twice as much sunlight exposure the morning of the next day. You don’t need to stare directly at the sun and blinking to remain comfortable is key. Never look at any light so bright that it’s painful to look at! Also, don’t try and view it through a window or windshield. It simply does not work because the relevant wavelengths are filtered out. - Bright artificial lights are fine in the morning and day but not a replacement for sunlight! - Dim the lights way, way down at night; it doesn’t take much light viewing to disrupt your circadian clock. - If you live someplace with minimal sunlight, consider an artificial daytime simulator source. Don’t wear sunglasses for this morning light or sun viewing practice , but contact lenses and eyeglasses are fine, even if they have UV protection. - All of this and more are covered at the level of mechanisms and specifics on the PERFECT SLEEP or MASTER YOUR SLEEP episodes of the Huberman Lab Podcast (available in all formats, with references and links to resources) by going to hubermanlab.com Everything is timestamped so you can navigate quickly to the topics most of interest to you. - Please put your questions in the comments section below this post and as always, thank you for your interest in science! - @hubermanlab @stanford.med @stanford @nihgov @nimhgov @nih_nccih @societyforneuroscience @cellpress - #neuroscience #science #ciencia #neurociencia #neuroplasticity #caffeine #sleep #sun #sunrise #light #melatonin"

173K Likes, 3,024 Comments - Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. (@hubermanlab) on Instagram: "HOW MORNING SUNLIGHT (VIEWING) CONTROLS NIGHT TIME SLEEP • - Every cell in our bodies has a 24 hour molecular clock. Those clocks are all aligned with one another by when we view sunlight, and early day (low solar angel) sun IG kit in particular. (Morning sunlight sets a biological timer for us to get sleepy somewhere between 14 and 16 hours later.) - The key is to view morning sunlight for 5-10 minutes on clear days, 10-20 minutes on overcast days, and 30 min on dense Ive car days. Those are minimums. More is better if you have time/access. Especially in winter! - If you miss a day, get twice as much sunlight exposure the morning of the next day. You don’t need to stare directly at the sun and blinking to remain comfortable is key. Never look at any light so bright that it’s painful to look at! Also, don’t try and view it through a window or windshield. It simply does not work because the relevant wavelengths are filtered out. - Bright artificial lights are fine in the morning and day but not a replacement for sunlight! - Dim the lights way, way down at night; it doesn’t take much light viewing to disrupt your circadian clock. - If you live someplace with minimal sunlight, consider an artificial daytime simulator source. Don’t wear sunglasses for this morning light or sun viewing practice , but contact lenses and eyeglasses are fine, even if they have UV protection. - All of this and more are covered at the level of mechanisms and specifics on the PERFECT SLEEP or MASTER YOUR SLEEP episodes of the Huberman Lab Podcast (available in all formats, with references and links to resources) by going to hubermanlab.com Everything is timestamped so you can navigate quickly to the topics most of interest to you. - Please put your questions in the comments section below this post and as always, thank you for your interest in science! - @hubermanlab @stanford.med @stanford @nihgov @nimhgov @nih_nccih @societyforneuroscience @cellpress - #neuroscience #science #ciencia #neurociencia #neuroplasticity #caffeine #sleep #sun #sunrise #light #melatonin"

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmawGZar5li/

Take Action

Morning Routine (Issue #12)

  • First 15 min - immediately move to warm up your body (maybe 25 push-ups) and write (can be anything - random thoughts, gratitude, plan for the day)

  • First 60 min - hydrate (warm water w/ lemon & salt), get in the cold, and sunlight (see above)

BONUS: Caffeine sticks to adenosine to keep us from getting tired. With a quarter life of 10-12 hours, stick to a late morning coffee (much more here - Issue #13).

Evening Routine (Issue #11)

  • 3 hrs before bed - no more food, exercise, or alcohol

  • 2 hrs - no overhead lights, screens, or anything scary that pumps up adrenaline

  • 1 hr - warm bath/shower to cool down body temp (save cold plunge for AM), light stretch or meditation, and write down those thoughts that might keep you up at night

Thrive25 Partner Spotlight

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Speed Read

Health & Longevity in the News

Well That Seems Easy: maybe the simplest way yet to increase your longevity - just drink more water. A peer-reviewed study of 15,000 people showed hydration may extend your life (Read More).

What Happened to Damar Hamlin: our thoughts go out to Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin and his family as he hopefully recovers from a catastrophic injury on Monday night (link to his donation page). How could a seemingly healthy 24-yr old go into cardiac arrest from a hit to the chest? Dr. Louisa Nicola might have the answer (Neuro Athletics).

Alcohol Alternatives: looking for a make-your-own mocktail when you run out of Hiyo? Here are some options from Levels.

Thursday Night In

From Issue #48 this recipe is super flexible and this rendition is really healthy. It's not for the faint of heart though - get ready for some quality time in the kitchen.

Oh and the turkey, garlic, and oregano are all good for your DNA!

For easy access, save this image to your phone or computer in a folder called Thrive25.

Moment of Fun

Snoop Dogg narrating a lizard & snake encounter out in the wild. Even famed narrator Sir David Attenborough (96 years young) said it, "was better than the original." Attenborough has been a TV naturalist for so long, he won a broadcasting award in black & white.

Thrive25 Referral Program

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Thanks for joining us today! Tomorrow we'll highlight the best of...Growth.

Why Thrive25

We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.

This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

To health!