May 28, 2020
The Real Reason We Have Trouble Sleeping | Dr. Todd LePine on The Doctor’s Farmacy with Mark Hyman, MD
Check out the Episode Page & Show Notes
Key Takeaways
- 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
- 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
Products Mentioned
- 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
Intro
- 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)
Sleep/Wake Cycle
- 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
- When you watch a scary movie it’s the adrenaline & cortisol in your body that makes it hard to sleep
Food and Drugs
- 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
Sleep Hygiene
- 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
Sleep Deprivation
- 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
EMF’s
- 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
