This is an episode about sleep health. Recording without sleep is miserable. Thankfully, we have Zakim, who knows vastly more about sleeping well than I do.
/// Sleep better list:
No caffeine 10 hours before sleep (Caffeine has a long half-life and disrupts sleep)
No alcohol 6 hours before sleep (Alcohol might make you sleepy and help fall asleep, but it disrupts the quality of the sleep via interrupting the sleep cycle)
No food 3-4 hours before sleep (Digesting food reduces sleep quality, might trigger GERD)
Low liquids a few hours before sleep (A full bladder can wake people up)
Low carb breakfast, Medium carb dinner (Because higher insulin promotes sleepiness, you don't want to feel sleepy in the afternoon, as then you'll reach for (another) a cup of coffee too late in the day)
Supply of fresh air in the room during sleep (Low oxygen, high carbon dioxide in the air is shown to give brain fog and headaches. Obviously not a restful state to be in.)
18-19 degrees Celsius in the room during sleep (This one has quite some variability, but your body needs to cool down in order to achieve peak sleep quality. Sweating or shivering during sleep isn't a sign of proper rest.)
40-55% humidity in the room [Achievable with indoor thermometer with hydrometer] (Too dry, nose shuts closed, the mouth opens up = snoring and possible APNEA, devastating for health. Too humid, mold grows and you can develop respiratory issues, allergies and even more serious conditions, up to and including cancer.)
Low light exposure 2 hours before sleep [candle light, or low brightness light at ground level, no digital screens] (Melatonin production is halted when we are exposed to bright light. Some people might be more sensitive than others, experiment with varying degrees of dim lighting.)
Boring, relaxing activities to make you sleepy, no high dopamine activities. (Dopamine inhibits melatonin production. If the only time you're not creating dopamine is when you go to bed, this often triggers anxiety and restless thoughts- at the worst time possible.)
Address mental issues and anxiety which is present during the night. (Same issue as above. Do not expect medication to cure sleep issues caused by underlying mental health issues.)
Experiment with the optimal sleeping mattress, (wave) pillows (neck, lower back, between the knees) (If your body is tense during/ after sleep, it's not repairing as well as it could.)
Address any body issues causing pain during the night. (Same issue as above.)
/// Studies mentioned:
https://hms.harvard.edu/news/sleep-death-gut https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3947517/
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Feb 13 202629 min