Issue #11: Why sleep...and How to Get More of It
Good morning. It’s Monday, August 29th. Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, joined the ranks of us 41-yr olds and we're celebrating a big win from my alma mater as the Northwestern Wildcats start their season with a W at a game played in Dublin, Ireland. Go Cats! 🏈
Did you miss any of our issues on MOVEMENT last week? Catch up on Issues #6-#10.
The focus this week is back on SLEEP...actually we're talking about sleep so you can thrive while you're awake!
“Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I’m reborn.”
A huge thank you (seriously!) to everyone who participated in our Referral Launch Campaign for the $150 Patagonia Gift Card.
Thanks to all of you, in just 2 weeks we now have nearly 1K readers and continue to grow everyday!
We put the virtual tickets into the virtual machine (we used Excel) and the winner is...
Chris G.!
Congratulations to Chris and we have a special gift for everyone who made a referral. Please continue to share Thrive25 with your network.
The amount of time per year the average person spends sleeping.
Why We Sleep
Despite the latest science and the recent backlash against “hustle culture” - Americans sleep 13% less than we did 80 years ago, averaging 6.9 hours per night (down from 7.9 hours in 1942).
Is that why we're so tired?
While there are plenty of theories on “why” we sleep, the fact remains that we don't know why sleep has withstood evolution for every single animal on earth.*
Think about it - evolution is all about adapting to the current environment to best survive and reproduce. Well when we sleep - we're much more vulnerable to attack, we aren’t able to have sex, and we can’t find/eat food (fuel for life).
Sleep must be absolutely critical if it has endured through time despite how it puts our survival at a higher risk. And it is!
*Only 2-ish animals don’t require sleep - the bullfrog and the dolphin. But, bullfrogs hibernate for months at a time and dolphins shut down half their brain at a time in “uni-hemispheric” sleep. Umm - what?
Sleep regenerates our brain and body like no other physiological process.
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:
*With that said, there are a special few that can get away with 4-6 hours of sleep. These superhumans have one of a number of mutations to the gene, BHLHE41. We can debate whether they are lucky or not, but sleep is still essential for them, only for a shorter time. For the rest of us, 7-9 hours of sleep is typically the optimal time for us to function at our best.
Don't worry - it's not going to take up your entire night. It should actually give you back some time. So without further ado - the Thrive25 Evening Routine:
3 hrs before bedtime
Close the Food Cabinet - your body can't focus on clean up and restoration if it's focused on digesting that late night ice cream
Stay Off the Peloton - exercise stimulates the brain and raises your body temp, so finish up those miles earlier in the evening
Say Goodnight to Johnnie Walker - even if you feel like you “pass out” when you drink, alcohol isn’t a friend of high quality sleep
2 hrs before bedtime
Hydrate, but not Late at Night - try to cut off drinking any liquids to minimize trips to the bathroom
Set the Mood - turn off overhead lights, use warm light desk/floor lamps, or even go so far as to use candles (who knows where this takes the night)
End Screen Time - time to shut down work (computer) and turn off that Friends rerun. If you have to keep crushing it use blue light glasses 👓
Nothing R-Rated - don’t get sucked into any horror or intense movies/shows that could spike your cortisol (aka stress hormone)
1 hr before bedtime
Warm Water = Cool Body - take a warm shower/bath to lower your body temp 🚿
Breathe - do a light stretch with deep breathing or a meditation to calm the mind 🧘🏽
Write It Down - anything got you stressed for tomorrow? Transfer it from your brain to paper so you aren’t thinking about it all night long 📓
Hit the Sheets!
*Programming Note: As a dad with a 1-yr old who didn't like to sleep for the first year of his life, I get that sometimes there's not much you can do about sleep - whether due to job, family, social life, etc. But...by trying to optimize your night routine, getting to bed earlier, and falling back asleep faster - it gives you the best shot at thriving tomorrow!
Monday Q
Just a quick poll to see how much we all sleep...
On average, how much do you sleep a night?
Clink the link to submit your answer...
*Don't worry all responses are anonymous.
Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
It was too Hot Last Night: A recent study from the journal One Earth shows that warmer temperatures will reduce sleep globally. Temperatures above 77°F (25°C) increase the chances of a person sleeping less than 7 hours. 🌎
Puff Puff Pass?: The results are in…wait, what were we researching again? A review published in Nature and Science of Sleep finds some “encouraging outcomes” from studies focused on the impact of medicinal marijuana on sleep disorders. However, the outlook is hazy and more research is required. Want to get on the canna-bus?
Corrupt Scientists: An influential paper linking amyloid beta plaques (some of the waste flushed from the brain) to Alzheimer's Disease is under scrutiny. The 2006 paper has been cited 2,275 times and influenced $1.6B in NIH research grants (just this fiscal year). One problem - the images were doctored to prove the theory. Not cool.
Monday Metabolic
Got a great Core + Conditioning one for you today.
We're introducing the concept of EMOM (every minute on the minute). Means it's a new workout at the start of every minute. So we're going to run minutes 1, 3, 5 and hit our abs for minutes 2 & 4.
Feeling ambitious - run it back again!
Click HERE to view the workout on our YouTube channel.
Workout and video courtesy of Connor J. Obrochta. Check out all of Connor's workouts on Playbook!
Product Recs
The products/brands we fully support to help us Thrive:
Phat Fudge (affiliate) - lots of positive feedback from readers on this performance food from The Paleo Chef. I personally love the cacao, but I still haven't seen my jump shot resemble Steph Curry!
Blue Light Glasses - while any brand won't stop all the blue light, here's a list of options from experts, or just take a look at best sellers on Amazon.
We're happy you spend a few minutes a day with us and like what you read. If you have any feedback, please reach out to us at team@thrive25.com.
Oh and we had a great question come in from one of our readers over the weekend about the Max Heart Rate test from Issue #10:
"What if you don't have access to a hill (like in Florida)?"
Great Q! Turns out a treadmill between 12-15 degrees will substitute for a hill. Oh and if you're in my neck of the woods in Tampa with a lot of energy - the Courtney Campbell Bridge does have a run/bike path, just saying. 😀
See you all tomorrow!
Check out the latest workout videos on our YouTube channel
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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 team@thrive25.com.
To health!
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25, Inc. does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.