Issue #139: Don't Snore Yourself to Sleep
Good morning. It’s Thursday, March 2nd.
Today’s Quick Win
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*For details on how to do "Decongest Your Nose" check out exercises in From the Lab
From the Lab: Breathing and Your Sleep
Speed Read: New Study on Erythritol & Heart Disease
Thursday Night In: Chicken Zoodle Pho
Moment of Fun: Toddler Surfing
“Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.”
The percentage of adults who snore occasionally - 25% snore regularly and have severe sleep apnea. (Johns Hopkins)
From the Lab
Author James Nestor did a “forced mouth breathing” experiment for 10 days and within this short time his snoring increased 4,820 percent with 25 sleep apnea “events” per night - dropping his blood oxygen to 90 percent (i.e., danger zone).
Mouth breathing causes us to lose 40 percent more water than nasal breathing. What’s crazy though - is that since mouth breathing also prevents us from getting enough deep sleep (Issue #13) our pituitary gland doesn’t release vasopressin - which tells our cells to store water (thus preventing us from having to pee at night).
So now we wake up to go to the bathroom (more sleep disruption) and yet we’re severely dehydrated - what a mess.
We’ve already talked about mouth taping at night (Issue #103). This seemed extreme to me when I first heard about it a few years ago and still haven’t done it myself.
I’ve always thought the bigger issue was trying to unclog my nose so that it actually works when I sleep.
Congested —> Mouth Breathing —> Collapsed Airways —> Snoring/Sleep Apnea
Here are two exercises to try and unclog a stuffed up nose:
1. Alternate Nostril Breathing
Place thumb of right hand on right nostril, index and middle finger between your eyes and ring finger on left nostril
Close your right nostril with thumb and slowly inhale through left nostril only
When finished close both nostrils for a second, then lift thumb and exhale through right only
Alternate on other side and repeat 5-10 times
2. Clear the Nose
Sit up straight and exhale out breath, then plug both nostrils
Shake your head up/down, side-to-side - even walk, run or jump
When you absolutely need a breath, take a slow breaths in/out for 30-60 sec
Repeat entire process (plugging nose) 6x to help decongest your nose
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Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Erythritol Causes Heart Disease?: A study just came out that this "sugar alcohol" linking elevated levels of erythritol to blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks. We've been suggesting to go easy on these alternative sweeteners for awhile (Issue #48). But be aware that media headlines sensationalize actual findings. This study focused on people already "at risk" for heart disease and measured erythritol blood levels - not how much they consumed. We'll continue to follow this story. (CNN)
Digital Markers Predict Dementia: A new learning model predicted with 96% accuracy cognitive impairment and dementia - outperforming any previous Machine Learning (ML) model. This could be massive in identifying risk earlier to prevent full onset dementia. (Read more)
The Blue Pill: Ignorance is bliss. We have 180 cognitive biases that affect our judgments and beliefs. The biggest? That we know more on a topic than we actually do. The more intelligent the more we rationalize beliefs. Two great questions to ponder: 1) are you right about everything? and 2) if not, then what are you wrong about? (Big Think)
Thursday Night In
Love getting pho - but not always sure the oils and ingredients when you get takeout. Here's an awesome recipe to make at home to be sure you're getting the best of the best for this delicious dinner in!
Pro Tip: Feel free to use rice noodles instead of zucchini noodles
Moment of Fun
We completely underestimate what kids are capable of...check out this little guy crushing it out on the waves!
NOTE: Not suggesting you do this at home - takes a lot of work teaching kids safety in the water and building up their survival skills before surfing on their own. But if you put in the time - magic happens!
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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 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.