Issue #209: Walk Yourself to Sleep
Good morning. It’s Thursday, July 6th.
Today’s Quick Win
From the Lab: Increase Your Sleep Pressure
Speed Read: Frenemies
Thursday Night In: Chicken Souvlaki
“Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds.”
Number of Americans with ongoing sleep disorders. (Source)
From the Lab
Back on Tuesday (Issue #208), we said, “Go To Bed - don’t let your schedule keep you from spending 7-9 hrs in bed.”
One last quote that’s really helped me get to bed earlier:
If you’re not willing to set your alarm to wake up to do it - then don’t stay up doing it late at night.
Ok, now that we’ve made it into bed - how do you actually fall and stay asleep?
There are some best practice rituals for evening (Issue #11) and morning (Issue #12).
But there’s one secret that really matters to getting great sleep…
Sleep Pressure
All day long we’re expending energy - whether that’s using our brain to solve a problem, going for a 3-mile run, or just fidgeting while we sit in front of our computer (known as NEAT).
We get this energy from the ATP manufactured by the mitochondria in our cells. When we use ATP - adenosine builds up in the brain and creates a need, or pressure, to sleep.
This is known as Process S (compared to Process C - our circadian rhythm).
Well, if we aren’t actually exerting much energy throughout the day, then we aren’t going to expend ATP —> we aren’t going to build-up adenosine —> we aren’t going to sleep well.
But it’s not enough to just get in a 45-min workout and then sit at your desk the rest of the day.
Best practice is to consistently build up sleep pressure throughout the day.
Easiest way to make this happen? Walk.
Humans are built for walking - it’s one of the reasons we were able to traverse, and live in just about every corner of, the globe (see Issue #6).*
Kelly and Juliet Starrett (Built to Move) say that 6,000-8,000 steps a day starts to improve sleep quality. But interestingly, they worked with a team of Army’s Delta Force that suffered from insomnia - after recommending the team walk 12,000-15,000 steps per day the insomnia went away.
A Day of Walking
How far is 12,000 steps? It depends on your height/stride. For someone 6’0” that’s about 5.5 miles. If you don’t have a tracker, here’s a Calculator to figure out the distance for your steps.
Seems like a challenge to make this happen - but there are ways to build walking into your day.
First thing in the AM - try to get in a walk early in the day to get the body moving. This is also good if you’re doing an intermittent fast (e.g., 16:8) - see Issue #76. I typically get hungry after I workout, but after a morning walk just need water and don’t eat until after 11am
Walking Calls - put on those headphones and get outside for a walk during virtual work calls/meetings
Lunch - whether this is walking to/from lunch or just getting a mid-day break, get in a walk when you eat
Post-Dinner - we’ve been doing family walks after dinner to take advantage of these long summer nights - plus, it helps digest dinner before bed (win-win)
Want a good night sleep - start walking!
*Yeah yeah yeah, the globe doesn’t have corners, but Shakespeare said “the four corners of the earth” in The Merchant of Venice (1596) so the phrase lives on
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Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Frenemies - Hazardous to Your Health: What’s worse than someone you despise? The person who sometimes throws you a bone and sometimes throws you under the bus. Ambivalent relationships can be more damaging to your health than 100% negative ones. Why? Fight or flight - when we interact with these people, we’re not sure how to react so our body prepares for every scenario. (NYTimes)
Peptides to the Rescue: Reminder - as we age, cells become senescent (they can no longer grow or divide) - not good. A recent study assessed 764 different peptides and showed Peptide (Pep) 14 to be a suitable senotherapeutic treatment in a human skin cell model - reducing aging-related pathways and senescence of treated cells - outperforming Rapamycin. (Study)
This Month in Science: Check out these amazing photographs of the Milky Way, nanobots, sodium atoms and a 3,000 year old sword. (Nature)
Thursday Night In | Chicken Souvlaki
Max and his wife honeymooned in Greece, falling in love with Mediterranean cuisine at Raki - a restaurant in a tiny, yet vibrant square at the heart of the village of Megalochori (Santorini). Souvlaki was the staple - whether chicken, lamb or beef - with tzatziki, saganaki and plenty of Greek wine. This souvlaki recipe has been a favorite at his house this summer, especially with a healthy Greek salad (+30 min) on the side.
Note: If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 min prior to using to prevent them from burning on the grill
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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.