We all know the importance of getting enough sleep, though most of us scrape by with as little as possible. It turns out that sleep can make or break your ability to lose weight, age slowly, prevent cancer, and perform at a high level. When your sleep suffers, you suffer major consequences far beyond the dark circles under your eyes. Sleep is an incredible foundation for your overall health—and it’s one that you must lay the groundwork for on a daily basis. Making small changes to your habits can pay off tremendously when it comes to getting better sleep and transforming your overall health.
On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Shawn Stevenson, author of the international bestselling book, Sleep Smarter and creator of The Model Health Show, featured as the #1 health podcast on iTunes. He is the founder of the Advanced Integrative Health Alliance, a company that provides wellness services for individuals and organizations worldwide. Shawn has been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, Fast Company, Forbes, Men’s Health magazine, The Dr. Oz Show, ESPN, CNN, and many other major media outlets.
In this episode, Dhru and Shawn talk about how sleep is the foundation of health and how it impacts your body, brain, and performance. They discuss how to create the ideal sleep sanctuary, how to regulate your circadian rhythm, the most important sleep nutrients, and stress-reduction exercises and fitness tips to keep you mentally and physically sharp. They also talk about how hitting rock bottom is a catalyst for change, the power of mindset, and the importance of finding your why.
In this episode, we dive into:
- How Shawn overcame degenerative disc disease (1:20)
- Placebos and the power of the mind (3:55)
- The importance of movement for nutrient assimilation (16:38)
- What happens in our brain when we sleep (33:15)
- Quantity vs. quality when it comes to sleep and getting efficient sleep cycles (35:08)
- How your brain size actually shrinks when you’re sleeping (37:10)
- The glymphatic system and brain detoxification (37:58)
- How caffeine impacts your sleep (39:42)
- How to counterbalance late night caffeine consumption (44:36)
- Key nutrients for sleep (47:05)
- The gut microbiome and sleep connection (51:52)
- Sleep and fat loss (56:24)
- How technology impacts our sleep (58:10)
- The impact of temperature on sleep (1:07:01)
- Mindset, hitting rock bottom, and finding your why (1:11:35)
- Learn more about Shawn and his work (1:24:18)
I know you’ll love this episode of The Broken Brain Podcast as much as I did.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD
PS – For more on Shawn Stevenson, be sure to follow him on Instagram @ShawnModel, and on Facebook @TheModelHealthShow. Check out his podcast The Model Health Show, and check his website https://themodelhealthshow.com. You also can find his book, Sleep Smarter, right here.