June 17, 2019
AMA With Sleep Expert Dr. Matthew Walker: Strategies For Sleeping More, Sleeping Better, and Avoiding Things That Are Disrupting Sleep – The Peter Attia Drive
Check out The Peter Attia Drive Episode Page & Show Notes
Support The Peter Attia Drive here for access to the full AMA (these notes were taken on the publically available portion of this AMA).
Key Takeaways
- Sleep trackers (like the Oura Ring) are accurate when it comes to determining total time awake vs. time in non-REM sleep vs. time in REM sleep
- They’re not so accurate when it comes to disguising between light non-REM sleep vs. deep non-REM sleep
- Avoid eating simple carbs too close to bedtime as they tend to raise your core body temperature
- (In order to fall asleep, you need to drop your core body temperature by 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit)
- For optimal sleep, avoid exercising within two hours of going to bed
- Adequate sleep increases your motivation to exercise, your peak muscle strength, your ability to respire and expel carbon dioxide, your time to physical exhaustion, and your ability to sweat
- Sleep deprivation causes an increase in the hunger hormone (ghrelin) and a suppression of the satiety hormone (leptin)
Intro
- Dr. Matthew Walker (@sleepdiplomat) is the author of Why We Sleep and professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley
- Check out Dr. Walker’s website
- Check out the Podcast Notes from Matthew’s three-part interview with Peter:
- Matthew Walker, Ph.D., on Sleep: Dangers of Poor Sleep, Alzheimer’s Risk, Mental Health, Memory Consolidation, and More – The Peter Attia Drive (Part I)
- Dr. Matthew Walker on Sleep: Heart Disease, Cancer, Sexual Function, and the Causes of Sleep Disruption – The Peter Attia Drive (Part II)
- Dr. Matthew Walker on Sleep: The Penetrating Effects of Poor Sleep From Metabolism to Performance to Genetics, and the Impact of Caffeine, Alcohol, THC, and CBD on Sleep – The Peter Attia Drive (Part III)
How accurate are sleep trackers (like the Oura Ring)?
- Purchase an Oura Ring using our link for a $50 discount applied at checkout
- Think of sleep tracking on three levels:
- Level 1 – Determining total sleep time vs. total time awake
- Level 2 – Determining total time awake vs. time in non-REM sleep vs. time in REM sleep
- Level 3 – Determining total time awake vs. time in light non-REM sleep vs. time in deep non-REM sleep vs. time in REM sleep
- Sleep trackers tend to fail around level 3
- HOWEVER – they’re good at allowing you to observe deviations from your baseline numbers
- For example – you might observe that drinking alcohol prior to bed reduces the amount of time you normally spend in deep sleep
- Therefore – don’t judge yourself against your specific deep sleep/REM sleep/light sleep numbers
- Instead – assess your sleep based on deviations your norms
- HOWEVER – they’re good at allowing you to observe deviations from your baseline numbers
Eating Before Bed
- Aim to stop eating ~3 hours before bed
- Avoid eating simple carbs too close to bedtime as they raise your core body temperature
- (In order to fall asleep, you need to drop your core body temperature by 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit)
- But in general – “Don’t go to bed to full and don’t go to bed too hungry”
- If you need to eat before bed, lean more towards higher protein meals and away from simple sugars
Avoid Exercise Within 2 Hours of Bedtime
- Be careful with exercising too close to bedtime as it raises your core body temperature and can hinder sleep
- For optimal sleep, avoid exercising within two hours of your bedtime
- In addition – exercise changes your hormone profile (specifically your epinephrine, adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol levels) in an unfavorable way when it comes to sleep
How Sleep Aids Exercise and Physical Performance
- “It’s not just that exercise helps sleep, sleep profoundly helps exercise”
- Adequate sleep increases your motivation for exercise, your peak muscle strength, your ability to respire and expel carbon dioxide, your time to physical exhaustion, and your ability to sweat
- It also reduces injury risk
Sleep and Appetite Regulation
- It also reduces injury risk
Sleep and Appetite Regulation
- “When you are sleep deprived, essentially what the brain receives is a signal that is not dissimilar to starvation. It releases a cascade of hormones that changes your appetite profile – you’ll want to eat more and you’ll be less satisfied with your food”
- “Human beings seem to be the only species that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent reason”
- The only other time sleep deprivation is observed in nature is when animals are under conditions of starvation
- Why? – It’s essentially a signal for the animal to start foraging in a larger area for food, and in order to do this – they’ll need to stay awake for longer hours
- The only other time sleep deprivation is observed in nature is when animals are under conditions of starvation
- Therefore – When you’re sleep deprived, the brain essentially thinks it’s under conditions of starvation
- The hunger hormone (ghrelin) is increased and the satiety hormone (leptin) is suppressed
- “Human beings seem to be the only species that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent reason”
Additional Notes
- Sleep deprivation leads to elevated levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) which only further impairs sleep
- “What you should not have if you’re looking for good sleep is a high level of cortisol”
- Blue light exposure at night prevents the pineal gland from releasing adequate levels of melatonin (which is a signal to your body that it’s time for sleep)
- To reduce blue light exposure, wear blue light blocking glasses 2-3 hours before bed
