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Episode #274
The Importance of Sleep | Michael Breus
In this episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Michael Breus, the Sleep Doctor. Michael is a certified sleep specialist who has worked with high-profile people all over the globe. Whether you’re looking to boost productivity, performance, or creativity, you’ll learn about the different phases of sleep, the effects of poor sleep, how to get 7 hours of sleep in just 4 hours, and more.
Here’s a glance at what you’ll learn from Michael in this episode:
- The two systems of sleep – and why you need both in sync
- Why many people suffer from sleeping disorders
- The three stages of sleep: light, deep, and REM – and how you can use them to accelerate your mental and physical capabilities
- How much sleep do you really need? (Debunking the myths)
- How much “sleep debt” can you hold onto before you suffer a deficit?
- What research shows about getting 5 hours or less of sleep daily (HINT: It doubles mortality rate)
- How you can speed and deepen learning with sleep
- What impact does your sleep have on Testosterone?
- What you can do to improve your sleep time and quality if you’re a frequent traveler
- Did you know that melatonin can be a contraceptive (HINT: If you take more than .5 to 1.0 mg, this may be impacting you)
- 7 things you can do if you stay in hotels to get a better sleep
- The importance of naps and how to create the perfect nap
- How you can use the “Nap-a-Latte” to be more creative and productive
- The perfect time to take naps
- Sleep Hacking: Getting 7 hours of sleep in 4 hours
- And much, much more…
- Michael’s introduction [01:05]
- This is not a canned talk! [03:50]
- This audience has unique sleep problems [04:10]
- Questions he often gets asked [04:37]
- How sleep works [04:55]
- You need your biological clock to be in sync [05:10]
- Different stages of sleep: light, sleep, and rem [05:40]
- Deep and REM sleep is the best for you [06:17]
- You want the physically restorative sleep [06:38]
- Largest production of growth hormone [07:20]
- How sleep affects your weight gain [07:38]
- Your flu shot’s effectiveness if you are sleep deprived [08:20]
- REM state is the mentally restorative sleep [08:50]
- Strengthen ideas and have a better memory. [09:10]
- Average sleep cycle is about 90 minutes. [09:33]
- Sleep’s effect on memory [09:55]
- Rem sleep is so important! [10:30]
- Sleep rhythm is based on core body temperature [10:50]
- Dips in core temperature will make you tired [11:40]
- Sleep has evolved [12:13]
- The biggest disruptor of sleep was Thomas Edison [12:25]
- Our sleep cycles before the lightbulb [13:00]
- Can I hack my sleep? [13:39]
- Morning people and night owls [13:54]
- This is actually genetic! [14:10]
- Sleeplessness across the world [14:52]
- Bizarre types of sleep disorders [15:25]
- Insomnia in the US [15:35]
- Almost nobody’s sleep is broken [16:00]
- Sleep apnea [16:40]
- Your heart rate slows down and speeds up over and over again [17:08]
- Could lead to heart attack, stroke, death [17:40]
- How much sleep do we really need? [17:58]
- We all tolerate a different amount of sleep debt [18:15]
- Sleep for kids is different [19:00]
- Studies show that changing school start times will improve that first class’s grades by a full letter grade. [19:50]
- Young kids are up at 5:30 AM. [20:30]
- Fight or flight with sleeping [20:45]
- Bad sleep equals bad performance. [21:05]
- Good sleep will reverse all of these issues. [21:36]
- “Pain hurts worse when you’re tired.” – Michael Breus [22:30]
- We are all athletes in a certain way [23:00]
- Three areas of change based on sleep [23:20]
- No sleep means no learning. [23:35]
- You need rem and deep sleep for learning. [24:14]
- Slower reaction time [24:50]
- Sleepier athletes will not perform as well [25:10]
- Low testosterone [25:58]
- Affects athletic performance, aggression, cognition [26:30]
- The amount of calories that you take in when you’re sleep deprived [27:00]
- Your hormone levels will give you a high appetite and low metabolism [28:05]
- The type of foods you eat when you’re tired [28:40]
- Those choices are neurochemically driven [29:05]
- The Boston Bruins and their sleep depravation doctor [30:00]
- Next year the Vancouver Canucks hired a sleep specialist [31:05]
- A 30% difference in performance [31:20]
- Travel and sleep [31:50]
- Sleeping on an airplane [32:15]
- Seatguru.com to pick your seat [32:38]
- A sleep kit for the plane [33:05]
- Earplugs should be Noise Level Rated at 32 or lower. [33:40]
- You hear through your ear and your jaw. [34:20]
- Jet lag [35:32]
- West is best! [35:40]
- Flight scheduling plays a factor. [36:00]
- Michael can create a jet lag schedule for people who travel a lot. [36:25]
- Caffeine and light therapy [36:50]
- The GoLITE by Philips [38:10]
- Lights from iPads and phones will affect how you sleep at night. [38:32]
- His sleep schedule for the princess [39:20]
- Building up sleep deprivation to prepare for different time zones [40:20]
- She had no jet lag [40:55]
- You should not overdose on melatonin [41:25]
- Don’t use this hormone to get your children to sleep [42:03]
- Choosing the right hotel [42:33]
- His Sleep Advantage program with Crowne Plaza Hotels [42:45]
- Double-bed mattresses last longer, so you will get better sleep [43:30]
- How to get the best room available [43:55]
- How do naps work? [44:33]
- The perfect nap [44:50]
- Rem sleep will boost creativity [45:20]
- The Ultimate Nap at 1 PM [45:40]
- A solution if you can’t take that 90-minute nap [46:00]
- The molecule of caffeine and the adenosine receptors [47:30]
- Why caffeine doesn’t work as well over time [48:03]
- Polyphasic sleep [49:05]
- You can kind of get your 7 hours in 4 [49:15]
- Sleep for 4.5 hours and take two naps [50:00]
- The three-nap method [50:15]
- The issues that occur with these methods [50:45]
- You must be consistent with your routine [51:00]
- Older age or medical issues will make these methods a bad idea [51:50]
- A chance to affect your sleep ability forever [52:20]
- Ten Things that Effective Sleepers Do [52:30]
- Michael’s bedroom [54:00]
- Exercise in the evening if you have a Type A personality [55:30]
- Journaling helps you get things off your brain. [56:10]
- Maintain hydration [56:10]
About Michael Breus:
Dr. Michael Breus is know as “The Sleep Doctor” for good reason. He has a speciality in Clinical Sleep Disorders and is one of only 160 psychologists in the world to have those credentials! Dr. Breus has served as Sleep Expert for WebMD for over 14 years and has appeared numerous times on television shows such as Dr. Oz, Oprah and The View. He holds a seat on Dr. Oz’s Clinical Advisory Board and created an audio relaxation CD for Crowne Plaza Hotels.
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