May 28, 2020

The Real Reason We Have Trouble Sleeping | Dr. Todd LePine on The Doctor’s Farmacy with Mark Hyman, MD

70% of Americans have sleep issues and if you don’t feel refreshed upon waking up you probably do too
Artificial light is the most prevalent reason why people have sleep issues in modern society
- LED bulbs have a very high blue spectrum which is what ‘wakes your body’ and suppresses melatonin
You can synchronize your circadian rhythm by exposing yourself to sunlight shortly after waking and avoiding artificial light at night
Don’t take caffeine after noon and don’t eat late at night if you want to improve your sleep patterns
Your body evolved to sense when it’s time to sleep not only by sunlight but also when the temperature drops
- Lowering your thermostat is essential for most people’s sleep ritual
- Get a ChiliPad or OOLER. It’s a mattress pad that cools your bed to your desired temp. (Use code PODCASTNOTES25 for 25% Off a ChiliPad or PODCASTNOTES15 for 15% off an OOLER the newer version)
Some of the consequences of sleep deprivation:
- Moodiness, inflammation, decreased intelligence, loss of motor control, higher risk of dementia
- “You’re actually more mentally impaired with sleep deprivation than you are being drunk” – Todd LePine
Avoiding EMF’s while you sleep and/or grounding your body’s electronegativity will give you better sleep
- You can ground yourself by walking barefoot in dirt or better yet by ‘detoxing’ yourself by camping in nature

The chiliPAD is a hydro-powered mattress pad allowing you to regulate the temperature of your bed to encourage deeper sleep
TrueDark’s light blocking glasses reduce artificial light exposure to manage your circadian rhythm and give you better sleep

Dr. Todd LePine (@digitaldoc69) is a Dartmouth Medical School graduate and is Board Certified in Internal & Functional Medicine. He specializes in a multi-dimensional approach to holistically treating patients.
Host: Mark Hyman, M.D. (@drmarkhyman)

70% of Americans have sleep issues and if you don’t feel refreshed upon waking up you probably do too
- Animals in nature don’t have these issues because they follow the day/night cycle
Artificial light is the most prevalent reason why people have sleep issues in modern society
- LED bulbs have a very high blue spectrum which is what ‘wakes your body’ and suppresses melatonin
- A simple solution for this is wearing blue light blocking glasses at night
You can synchronize your circadian rhythm by exposing yourself to sunlight shortly after waking and avoiding artificial light at night
- Candles are good light sources at night because they don’t suppress your melatonin like LED bulbs
Cortisol, the stress hormone, will also prevent you from sleeping if you engage in stressful activities at night
- When you watch a scary movie it’s the adrenaline & cortisol in your body that makes it hard to sleep
  - This is also why you shouldn’t watch the news at night because the news seeks to create fearful & angry responses to keep you hooked

People with sleep issues often tire during the day which prompts them to buy stimulants that further inhibits their ability to get proper sleep
- Sometimes you can fix your problems by taking away medications rather than taking more
The half-life of caffeine is about 6 hours so it’ll take 12 hours for 75% of the caffeine in your body to be processed
- A general rule is to not to take any caffeine in the afternoon
Don’t eat late at night because proper sleep requires a fasting state
- Digesting while sleeping stores calories rather than metabolizing them which is why sumo wrestlers eat before they sleep in order to gain weight
Alcohol causes “rebound insomnia” wherein it initially relaxes you but wakes you up once it wears off
- Rebound insomnia becomes stronger as you reach your 40’s and beyond
Many foods are sprayed with all types of chemicals which we don’t know the full effects of on sleep and overall health
- Todd recommends erring on the side of caution and eating organic whenever possible

Having a sleep ritual 1-2 hours before bed is incredibly useful in priming your brain for sleep
Your body evolved to sense when it’s time to sleep not only by sunlight but also when the temperature drops
- Lowering your thermostat is essential for most people’s sleep ritual
- Baths also work in this manner by cooling your body after you step out of the bath
Good sleep hygiene not only give you deeper, more restorative sleep but also lets you go to sleep faster

Some of the consequences of sleep deprivation:
- Moodiness, inflammation, decreased intelligence, loss of motor control, higher risk of dementia
- “You’re actually more mentally impaired with sleep deprivation than you are being drunk” – Todd LePine
Your brain is 2% of your body weight yet consumes 25% of your body’s energy
- The metabolic waste produced by all this activity is cleaned while you sleep
Adenosine is one of your brain’s waste products and high levels will signal a need to sleep in your brain
- Caffeine works by binding to adenosine receptors and inhibiting the signal for you to sleep

The human body is a bioelectrical being that interfaces with energy signals
- Many medical devices like ECG’s use your body’s electrical signals to gauge one’s health
Avoiding EMF’s while you sleep and/or grounding your body’s electronegativity will give you better sleep
- You can ground yourself by walking barefoot in dirt or better yet by ‘detoxing’ yourself by camping in nature
The effects of all the electromagnetic frequencies around a person in modern society haven’t been comprehensively studied yet
- Each individual’s sensitivity to EMF’s will vary but some studies have already shown that increased exposure to EMF’s increases your risk of autoimmune disorders
- Mark’s wife used an EMF detector in their NYC apartment that said there was “Severe Danger” levels of electromagnetic radiation all around them and especially from their phones
Mark built a Faraday cage around his bed because of all the EMF’s present in NYC