Sleep Smarter
This book threw out a lot of a-ha moments to explain how our sleep can trigger so many good vibes in our body.
To ignore the importance of sleep really comes down to you being ignorant if you do not take up these points once you’ve read the book.
Shawn really breaks down what can happen to your health and how chronic illness can arise due to lack of sleep.
Not only does this book highlight the sleep issue, he also highlights the other factors when it comes to your health, such as screen time, stress, gut issues and much more…
I have highlighted some of the important facts, but there is loads more in the book…
I hope you enjoy these snippets.
Know the value of sleep:
It’s the natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body.
Generally, being awake is catabolic (breaks you down) and being asleep is anabolic (builds you up).
Sleep is known to be an elevated anabolic state, heightening the growth and rejuvenation of the immune, skeletal, and muscular systems.
Basically, sleep rebuilds you and keeps you youthful.
High-quality sleep fortifies your immune system, balances your hormones, boosts your metabolism, increases your physical energy, and improves the function of your brain.
Working hard is unarguably a big part of successful, but so is working smart. So many people in our world today go on plugging away with work , burning the candle at both ends, not realizing that the quality of work they’re doing is being radically compromised.
Research shows that after just 24 hours of sleep deprivation, there is an overall reduction of 6% in glucose reaching the brain.
Simple translation: You get dumber.
General circadian rhythms
Your circadian timing system is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus, a small group of nerve cells found in the hypothalamus in your brain.
The hypothalamus is considered to be the master gland of your body’s hormonal system.
It controls your body’s hunger, thirst, fatigue, body temperature, and sleep cycles by acting as a master clock.
The morning light improves sleep by the light actually signals your hypothalamus and all corresponding organs and glands to be alert and “wake up”.
That light exposure, specifically sunlight exposure, triggers your body to produce optimal levels of daytime hormones and neurotransmitters that regulate your biological clock.
Too little light exposure during the day and too much artificial light exposure during the day and too much artificial light exposure in the evening will negatively impact your ability to sleep well at night.
Fix your gut fix your sleep
The obvious sleep connection is that serotonin is the building block for the “get-good-sleep” hormone, melatonin.
The not-so-obvious connection is that serotonin, and the health of your digestion, can impact your brain and sleep more powerfully than almost anything you can think of.
Because of the massive amount of brainlike tissue found in the gut, it has rightfully earned the title of being “the second brain”.
Technically known as the enteric nervous system.
Certain foods such as excessive sugars and chemicals can disrupt the microbiome by feeding pathogenic bacteria, plus antibiotics are a hazard to your microbiome as well.
Try not to get mixed up with the marketing catchwords (such as 5 star tick of approval, low fat, high protein, superfoods etc) – this is a huge mission within itself.
Quality over quantity
To get the best hormonal response, you need to lift heavy weights. This will trigger your body to secrete more anabolic hormones that will enable you to feel better, look better, and sleep better.
If you lose weight through the traditional ways of dieting and cardio, you’ll simply be able to go from an apple shape to a smaller apple shape.
By lifting weights, you can actually change your body’s composition and potentially go from an apple shape to an hourglass shape.
Lifting weights enables you to express your true genetic potential.
Your genes expects you to lift heavy things, and when you do that, your body changes accordingly.
Bottom line: Lifting weights doesn’t make you big; eating a large amount of food makes you big.
Screens and phones
A study sponsored by mobile companies themselves found that talking on a mobile phone before bed caused people to take longer to reach critical deep stages of sleep and they spent less time in deep sleep.
This translates to a diminished ability for the body to heal, depressed immune function, depressed hormone function, and poorer performance the following day.
Numerous studies have confirmed that watching TV before bed disrupts your sleep cycle. It might seem like a mundane activity to sit back and watch TV in your bed, but parts of your brain are being set off like fireworks. You’re actually putting a stressor on your brain and body, especially if it’s time to be winding down for bed.
On the other side, people with TVs in the bedroom are generally having 50% less sex, and according to the research, after the age of 50, the decline is even more noticeable when a TV is present.
The micronutrient secret
There is so much talk today about the macronutrient we need to be in great shape that the amazing micronutrients are often overlooked.
Micronutrients are things like the vitamins, minerals,, trace minerals, phytonutrients, and enzymes that enable our bodies to function at the highest level.
Simple macronutrients deficiencies like low magnesium can lead to overeating regardless of your macronutrient focus.
To get the body you want to have, you have to get reconnected to nature.
Your genes literally expect you to eat certain things. Once you get yourself reprogrammed through real food and smart exercise, there’s literally no limit to how good things can get.
Lose weight while sleeping
Nutrient deficiency will lead to persistent overeating (which will lead to poor sleep and poor overall health).
The person is constantly hungry, eating more and more food, and can’t seem to find the off button.
This is where the power of sleeping smarter and real food comes to change the game.
Back sleeping
Many experts will tell you that sleeping on your own back is the ideal position to be in.
There are several reasons that this could be accurate.
First of all, your spine can be in the best position here.
You will also have less likelihood of digestive distress, like acid reflux, in this position.
And, for all those who are constantly conscious, sleeping on your back allows your facial skin to breathe, so you’ll be less prone to having breakouts and early onset wrinkling.
The downside of sleeping on your back is snoring and sleep apnea.
Best sleep conditions
- Dark room
- Cool room
- No phones recharging or standby lights on TV’s
- Sleep in cotton clothing or minimal clothing
- Have a warm shower before bed
- Have magnesium before bed for a restful sleep
- Use a sleep mask
- Work out your sleep cycle of 90 minutes eg go to bed at 10:30pm and wake at 6:00am (5 sleep cycles)
Inflammation nation
Every tissue in the body carries a charge, and this is actually what allows many functions to happen.
Everyday you have cellular damage, simply by the nature of being alive.
Damaged heart cells liver cells, muscle cells, etc, all set off an oxidative burst of free radicals to address them. This basic chemistry featuring a positive charged event that needs to be neutralized.
All the rage in health and nutrition today has been centred on antioxidants.
Antioxidants carry free electrons that neutralize free radicals and stop overly aggressive oxidation right in its tracks.
Inflammation is reduced, and health is improved.
They need to be in the right form, and conventional food processing techniques tend to strip the antioxidant potency from our food.
The dietary antioxidants have to withstand the digestive process, make their way through the gut lining, and hopefully find their way into your blood.
Dietary antioxidants have been found to pale in comparison to your body’s own endogenous antioxidant capabilities.
Your liver needs to support production – the key is to get your organs in the right state so that they can do the great job they already know how to do.
Get grounded
Grounding can protect your cells from the issues associated with EMF’s. (More in the book).
This is a great read that covers all elements of health and what can in fact damage our health.
As much as it is a book about sleep, it does cover a lot more.
If you would like to some simple steps to get your health in check then download my free ebook.
