Stanford Sleep Doctor Links Extra Rest to Peak Sports Performance

The Woman Who Helps NBA Stars To Sleep: Stop Having Showers Just Before Bed! Dr Cheri Mah — The Diary Of A CEO

The Diary Of A CEO

Extending nightly sleep yields immediate, double-digit gains in decision speed and athletic accuracy while drastically reducing injury risks across professional sports.

AI-assisted summary of The Woman Who Helps NBA Stars To Sleep: Stop Having Showers Just Before Bed! Dr Cheri Mah — original source. Check the original for full context.

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Detailed notes

## Background This episode of The Diary Of A CEO was published on YouTube by host Steven Bartlett on August 5, 2024. According to the page description, the interview features Dr. Cheri Mah, a sleep scientist and Professor at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center specializing in elite athletic performance, discussing how to sleep like an Olympian to achieve quicker decision-making and faster reaction times.

## TL;DR Dr. Cheri Mah explains how strategic sleep optimization acts as an immediate force multiplier for both athletic and corporate performance. She breaks down the scientific realities of sleep debt, circadian rhythms, and environmental optimization while dispelling common myths around early wakeups, late-night workouts, and the alarm snooze button. Through detailed case studies involving NBA and NFL athletes, she demonstrates how incremental sleep extension yields massive gains in accuracy, reaction time, emotional regulation, and injury prevention.

## Atmosphere & style The conversation carries an engaging, analytical, yet warmly conversational tone, balancing high-level performance science with practical everyday advice. Steven Bartlett acts as an inquisitive stand-in for high-performing professionals, frequently sharing his own habits and wearable data while Dr. Mah offers encouraging, evidence-based reframing. The overall mood is empowering and perspective-shifting, turning what is often viewed as a passive chore into an exciting competitive advantage.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=0s) Sleep optimization serves as a powerful force multiplier for cognitive and physical performance, with sleep duration directly predicting athletic and executive success. - [04:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=261s) High-level corporate executives face stress and decision-making demands identical to elite athletes, making sleep hygiene equally critical for C-suite performance. - [07:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=426s) The minimum baseline sleep recommendation for adults is 7 hours per night, though individual optimums often range from 8 to 9 hours. - [10:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=646s) Extending sleep duration by 1.5 hours per night significantly boosts athletic metrics, including a 12% faster reaction time and a 9% increase in shooting accuracy. - [14:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=851s) Circadian alignment and travel schedules heavily influence competitive performance, allowing algorithmically modeled sleep data to predict team losses with 76% to 86% accuracy. - [18:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1129s) Overhauling individual sleep hygiene, wind-down routines, and nap timing can double athletic efficiency and extend professional career longevity. - [22:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1325s) An ideal sleep environment relies on a cold, dark, and quiet 'cave-like' atmosphere, ideally maintained between 60°F and 67°F (15.5°C to 19.5°C). - [25:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1528s) Hot showers or baths should be taken 1.5 to 2 hours before bed rather than immediately prior to sleep to enable the necessary drop in core body temperature. - [26:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1609s) Consuming heavy, fatty, or acidic meals with caffeine and alcohol before bed severely impairs sleep quality and elevates nighttime resting heart rate. - [33:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1989s) A deliberate 10-minute wind-down routine outside of bed shifts the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic fight-or-flight into parasympathetic rest-and-digest mode. - [36:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2188s) Sleep apnea affects roughly 26% of adults aged 30 to 70, and proper CPAP treatment can dramatically restore energy, health, and peak performance. - [39:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2380s) Sleep deprivation causes an overactive amygdala and degrades prefrontal cortex control, impairing emotional regulation and critical decision-making. - [44:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2641s) Cumulative sleep debt severely impairs objective reaction times and cognitive function, even if subjective perception tricks an individual into feeling 'adapted'. - [52:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3142s) Deep sleep triggers growth hormone release for physical muscle repair, while REM sleep consolidates mental learning, memory, and physical skill execution. - [54:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3275s) A 'nappuccino'—combining a quick caffeine intake with a 20- to 30-minute power nap—provides a powerful, double-boost in daytime alertness without sleep inertia. - [57:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3459s) Repeatedly using the alarm snooze button fragments late-cycle REM sleep, harming memory consolidation and overall cognitive clarity. - [01:23:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5031s) Sleeping under 8 hours per night correlates with a 1.7-fold (170%) increase in physical injury risk due to altered joint coordination and movement variability. - [01:25:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5135s) Circadian disruptions and sleep loss alter ghrelin and leptin levels, driving heightened cravings for late-night carbohydrates and contributing to weight management struggles.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=0s) Introduction and the Power of Sleep Optimization

Dr. Cheri Mah, a renowned sleep physician and performance expert based at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, opens the discussion with a staggering stat: she was **86% accurate** in predicting when NBA teams would lose based strictly on their schedule and sleep constraints. She emphasizes that sleep is a fundamental process that occupies roughly a third of human lives, yet it is routinely overlooked, sacrificed, or treated as an afterthought at the end of a chaotic day. Her core philosophy is simple: *"If you don't sleep your best, you will not be your best."* Conversely, prioritizing sleep yields profound upgrades in focus, emotional regulation, and physical execution.

To illustrate the stakes, Dr. Mah poses a rhetorical challenge: if offered a completely free, safe, and healthy tool that improves decision-making, mood, and productivity, virtually anyone would accept it. Sleep is precisely that tool. In elite athletics, where victory is decided by millimeter margins, adopting proactive sleep routines yields massive payoffs—such as a **12% faster reaction time**, a **9% increase in free-throw accuracy**, and a **4% boost in sprint speed**.

* **Core Premise:** Proactive sleep management acts as an immediate force multiplier for cognitive and physical performance. * **Key Stats:** * Sleep accounts for approximately 33% of a human lifetime. * Minor tweaks, even adding 15 to 30 minutes of sleep, can yield significant operational improvements.

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[04:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=261s) Elite Partnerships and Translating Sports Science to the C-Suite

Dr. Mah’s career spans advising top-tier athletic franchises, global corporate giants, and corporate leadership. She has partnered with Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles—with whom she won a Super Bowl ring in 2017. Her work also extends to corporate entities like Nike, Under Armour, Google, and ESPN.

When host Steven Bartlett asks whether her findings apply to corporate executives, Dr. Mah explains that C-suite leaders and working professionals operate under high-stress, high-consequence conditions nearly identical to elite athletes. While an executive isn't evaluated on swim times or jump shots, they must render critical judgment calls, maintain emotional control under pressure, and react quickly to dynamic market conditions. The exact same sleep interventions applied to professional sports apply directly to corporate performance and injury prevention during everyday workouts.

* **Notable Clients:** San Francisco Giants (MLB), Golden State Warriors (NBA), Philadelphia Eagles (NFL - 2017 Super Bowl Champions), Google, Under Armour, Nike, ESPN. * **Executive Parallels:** Sleep deficiency degrades high-level decision-making, risk assessment, and stress resilience in corporate settings just as severely as on the athletic field.

---

[07:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=426s) Dismantling Sleep Misconceptions and the "Badge of Honor" Culture

Addressing the societal cultural norms around rest, Dr. Mah attacks the long-held "badge of honor" mentality—the toxic narrative that high achievers only need four or five hours of sleep. She notes a positive shift in modern culture, championed by vocal elite athletes such as Tom Brady (who prioritizing early bedtimes for career longevity) and Simone Biles (who publicly advocates for eight full hours of rest). Skimping on sleep is increasingly recognized not as grit, but as an unnecessary physical and mental handicap.

Another common misconception is that a single static sleep number fits everyone. Major organizations like the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend a minimum threshold of **7 hours per night** for adults, but individual genetic variance dictates actual needs. Dr. Mah shares that she personally feels terrible on 7 hours and requires 8 to 9 hours to function at her peak.

For individuals struggling to reach their target, Dr. Mah advises against attempting radical schedule overhauls overnight. Instead, incremental additions of **15 to 30 minutes** per week make a huge compound difference. She points to research in high school students demonstrating that micro-differences in sleep duration directly correlate with academic tiers: a **15-minute difference** separated 'A' students from 'B' students, and an **11-minute difference** separated 'B' students from 'C' students. Across a single week, adding 15 minutes a night accumulates to nearly two extra hours of total recovery time.

> "When you experience what it feels like to be well rested, you never want to go back."

* **Baseline Recommendation:** 7 hours minimum (per the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society), though individual optimums frequently sit at 8–9+ hours. * **Academic Performance Study Data:** * **15 additional minutes** of sleep correlated with the difference between an 'A' grade student and a 'B' grade student. * **11 additional minutes** of sleep correlated with the difference between a 'B' grade student and a 'C' grade student.

---

[10:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=646s) The Landmark Basketball Sleep Extension Study

Dr. Mah details her landmark study conducted with the Stanford University men's basketball team. The researchers set out to measure the precise athletic impact of paying back an accumulated "sleep debt" by extending the players' nightly sleep to **9 to 10 hours** over a period of 5 to 7 weeks. Sleep was tracked objectively using actigraphy wearables alongside subjective sleep logs.

The results shattered traditional assumptions about training gains. By extending their sleep by approximately **1.5 hours per night**, the team achieved: * **9% improvement** in free-throw accuracy. * **9% improvement** in three-point field goal accuracy. * **12% faster** reaction times. * **4% faster** sprint times.

Steven highlights how massive these numbers are in professional sport, where teams spend millions attempting to capture fractional 1% gains in marginal performance. In elite leagues—such as the English Premier League or the NBA—a 12% faster reaction time for a goalkeeper or defensive player is often the exact margin between winning a championship or losing it.

* **Study Duration:** 5 to 7 weeks on Stanford Men's Basketball. * **Intervention:** Extended sleep target to 9–10 hours per night (an objective increase of roughly 90 minutes over baseline). * **Measured Outcomes:** * Free throws: +9% accuracy * Three-point shots: +9% accuracy * Reaction time: +12% speed increase * Sprints: +4% speed increase

---

[14:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=851s) The NBA Schedule Alert Project & Monday Night Football Betting Anomaly

Beyond individual performance, sleep debt and circadian misalignment systematically alter team outcomes across whole sports leagues. Dr. Mah details her collaboration with ESPN on the *NBA Schedule Alert Project*. Using algorithmically calculated travel schedules, time zone crossings, back-to-back games, and reduced sleep windows—without taking team talent or record into account—Dr. Mah was able to accurately predict game losses **76% to 86% of the time** across three full NBA seasons.

She ties this phenomenon to historical data from the *Monday Night Football Study*, which analyzed 25 seasons of NFL games. The study revealed that when West Coast NFL teams play East Coast teams during evening games, betting on the West Coast team yields a **68% win rate against the Las Vegas point spread**.

This statistical anomaly occurs because human physical performance naturally peaks during early-to-late afternoon body-clock hours (roughly **4:00 PM to 8:00 PM**). West Coast teams traveling east typically arrive only a day prior, meaning their internal circadian clocks remain anchored to Pacific Time. When a night game kicks off at 8:30 PM Eastern Time, the West Coast players' bodies perceive it as 5:30 PM Pacific Time—their absolute prime window for peak athletic performance. Conversely, for an East Coast team playing late on the West Coast, their internal clocks register the game deep into the late evening (10:00 PM or 11:00 PM), when core body temperature drops and cognitive performance degrades.

* **NBA Schedule Alert Project:** 76%–86% accuracy in predicting loss outcomes strictly using sleep/travel scheduling constraints over 3 seasons. * **25-Year NFL Study:** West Coast teams beat the Las Vegas point spread **68% of the time** against East Coast teams during night games due to circadian alignment with peak performance windows (4:00 PM–8:00 PM internal body time).

[16:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1002s) The Science of Athletic Sprint Performance and Sleep Extension

Continuing the discussion on physiological timing, Dr. Cheri Mah explains how our internal body clock naturally reaches a peak performance window between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM. During this specific daily window, human body temperature peaks, reaction times sharpen, and a vast majority of world records are broken. This circadian advantage naturally favors West Coast teams over 25 NBA seasons, given their internal clocks remain aligned with this optimal physiological state during late-evening games.

Dr. Mah then details her landmark 2011 Stanford study on sleep extension in collegiate basketball players. The team tracked players running a standardized baseline-to-half-court-to-baseline-to-full-court sprint drill after regular practices. Following a period of sleep extension, players sped up dramatically: their average sprint times dropped from **16.2 seconds down to 15.5 seconds**—a massive **4% improvement in sprint speed** across the board. While many sports organizations historically overlooked these findings, forward-thinking teams now treat sleep optimization as an untapped "performance-enhancing drug" that is safe, natural, and highly effective.

- **Stanford Sleep Extension Study (2011):** Tracked Stanford men's basketball players adding extra sleep. - **Sprint Drill Results:** Average time dropped from 16.2s to 15.5s (4% faster). - **Free Throw Accuracy:** Improved by 9% across the study group.

---

[18:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1129s) How Dr. Mah Saved Andre Iguodala’s NBA Career

Dr. Mah shares the remarkable real-world impact of sleep coaching through her work with NBA All-Star Andre Iguodala. When he joined the Golden State Warriors around 2014 at age 28, Iguodala was already an elite athlete, but his habits were terrible for longevity: he routinely stayed up playing video games until the early hours of the morning, slept a few hours, practiced, and then relied on 2- to 3-hour afternoon naps. Recognizing that his career trajectory needed an intervention to stay at the top, he collaborated with Dr. Mah over several months to completely overhaul his sleep hygiene, wind-down routines, nutrition, and nap timing.

The quantitative results of this intervention were staggering. A third-party analysis tracked his performance as his total sleep increased from under 7 hours to over 8 hours per night:

* **3-Point Field Goal Percentage:** Increased twofold (a **218% relative jump**). * **Free Throw Percentage:** Increased by **8.9%** (mirroring the exact 9% gain seen in Dr. Mah’s Stanford study). * **Points Per Minute:** Increased by **29%**. * **Fouls Committed:** Decreased by **45%**.

Following these changes, the Golden State Warriors won their first championship in decades, with Iguodala earning the NBA Finals MVP award. He went on to play until age 39, winning four NBA championships total over an extended 10-year period. Iguodala frequently credits this personalized sleep strategy as the single shift that "changed everything" for his career.

---

[22:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1325s) Creating a "Cave-Like" Environment: Darkness, White Noise, and Temperature

To help anyone implement the same principles she used with Iguodala, Dr. Mah outlines the foundation of sleep hygiene: turning the bedroom into a cold, dark, quiet "cave." For darkness, blackout curtains and high-quality eye masks are essential tools—especially while traveling, where hotel environments are unpredictable.

To combat sound disruption, Dr. Mah advocates for earplugs and travel white noise machines to mask ambient noises like traffic or hotel doors slamming. Addressing host Steven Bartlett's habit of listening to the radio or podcasts to fall asleep, she notes that as long as the content is relaxing and free from bright screens or TV light, audio can be a useful tool to quiet the mind.

- **Optimal Room Temperature:** 60°F to 67°F (15.5°C to 19.5°C) is ideal for helping the core body temperature drop to initiate and sustain deep sleep. - **Acclimation Strategy:** Lower the thermostat by 1–2 degrees every couple of days to adapt comfortably. - **Adaptive White Noise:** Modern "smart" white noise machines dynamically increase volume when a door slams or a loud noise occurs, then return to baseline.

---

[25:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1528s) The Hot Shower Timing Trick

Steven shares his habitual routine of taking a hot shower immediately before jumping into bed, asking if it aids or hurts sleep quality. Dr. Mah cautions against showering *right* before getting under the covers. A hot shower or bath raises core body temperature, whereas falling asleep requires the body's internal temperature to cool down. Creating this competing thermal signal right at bedtime delays sleep onset.

Instead, Dr. Mah advises moving hot showers or baths to **1.5 to 2 hours before bedtime**. This buffer allows the body to cool down rapidly afterward, mimicking and amplifying the natural circadian drop in body temperature. Studies show this simple shift speeds up sleep onset and increases deep slow-wave sleep early in the night, enhancing muscle repair and physical recovery.

---

[26:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1604s) Late-Night Eating and the Ultimate "Sleep Destroyer" Meal

Addressing Steven's late-night hunger when returning from work at 10:00 PM, Dr. Mah explains how to manage food timing. While massive, fatty, or fried meals close to bedtime disrupt digestion and sleep quality, going to bed starving causes middle-of-the-night awakenings.

For late-night hunger, Dr. Mah recommends a balanced **pre-sleep snack** consisting of roughly 50% complex carbohydrates and 50% lean protein. This blend digests slowly, providing a steady stream of nutrients throughout the 7 to 9 hours of rest without causing metabolic stress.

``` Recommended Pre-Sleep Snacks: • Whole-grain cereal with milk • Cottage cheese paired with fresh fruit (e.g., raspberries) • 100% whole-wheat crackers with peanut butter • A nut mix paired with plain yogurt ```

When asked how to hypothetically **destroy** one's sleep quality completely, Dr. Mah jokingly prescribes a late nightcap of alcohol combined with caffeine, followed by a heavy, fried, fatty meal with acidic tomato-based sauces (which trigger acid reflux and heartburn).

Steven shares a personal anecdote confirming this: after eating a mini-bar cookie late at night in a Los Angeles hotel room, he woke up feeling exhausted. Data from his wearable Whoop strap revealed that his resting heart rate spiked from its normal baseline of 50–55 bpm up to an elevated **75 bpm for 3–4 hours**, proving the severe metabolic strain placed on the body overnight. Dr. Mah warns of the vicious cycle this creates: sleep deprivation impairs judgment, leading to craving high-sugar, low-fiber foods late at night, which then ruins the next night's sleep.

[33:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1989s) Tackling a Racing Mind and Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System

A racing mind at bedtime is one of the most common obstacles to quality sleep for elite athletes and everyday people alike. Many people find that their brain sparks with its best ideas or gets trapped in a cycle of overthinking right as their head hits the pillow. To prevent the bed from becoming a place of mental friction, Dr. Cheri Mah advocates a two-part wind-down strategy that separates cognitive processing from physical rest.

The foundation of this approach is spending 10 minutes every night in dim lighting—completely outside of bed—processing thoughts and lowering physiological arousal. This practice serves to dampen the sympathetic nervous system (the "fight or flight" response characterized by elevated heart rate and rapid breathing) while systematically activating the parasympathetic nervous system (the body's internal "brake" that promotes relaxation). By slowly pumping the brakes rather than slamming them at 60 mph on the freeway, the body transitions smoothly into sleep.

``` Sympathetic System (Fight or Flight) --> High heart rate / Racing thoughts │ 10-Min Wind-Down (Outside of bed) ▼ Parasympathetic System (Rest & Digest) --> Calm physiology / Ready for sleep ```

To achieve this state, Dr. Mah recommends practical techniques such as light stretching, deep breathing, journaling, or writing a clear to-do list for the next day. Even starting with five minutes a night builds the necessary psychological boundary between daytime stress and bedtime recovery.

- **Whoop Data Insight:** An annual activity log analysis by Whoop revealed that users who logged reading before bed experienced an average **5% improvement in sleep quality**, likely due to reduced screen light and lowered arousal. - **The Freeway Analogy:** Shifting straight from a high-stress day into bed is like slamming the brakes at top speed; a deliberate wind-down routine allows the brain and body to coast safely to a stop.

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[36:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2188s) Andre Iguodala’s Sleep Overhaul & Ryan Jensen’s Career-Saving Sleep Apnea Diagnosis

When Dr. Mah worked with NBA star Andre Iguodala, she implemented a holistic sleep optimization plan tailored to his grueling schedule. In addition to creating a structured wind-down routine with pre-bed reading and stretching, she made targeted adjustments to his environment and schedule: - **Environment:** Kept his bedroom strictly pitch-black, silent, and cool (around **67°F / 19.4°C**). - **Technology:** Eliminated all electronic devices and screens from the bedroom. - **Napping Strategy:** Reduced his multi-hour power naps down to concise **20-to-30-minute naps** timed closer to game times for an energy boost. - **Sleep Duration:** Expanded his baseline sleep from under 7 hours to **7.5–8 hours per night**, successfully paying down a massive accumulated sleep debt.

Dr. Mah highlights another dramatic career transformation: NFL offensive lineman **Ryan Jensen**. After being cut from the Baltimore Ravens and placed on the practice squad, Jensen was exhibiting severe mood shifts and fatigue. Prompted by a intervention from his father, Jensen underwent testing for **sleep apnea**—a prevalent disorder where the upper airway partially or fully collapses during sleep, causing continuous micro-awakenings.

``` Upper Airway Collapse --> Fragmented Sleep & Chronic Fatigue --> Demotion / On-Field Decline │ CPAP Therapy ▼ Consolidated Sleep --> Sustained Energy & Fast Recovery --> $42M Contract & Super Bowl Win ```

Once diagnosed, Jensen was treated with a **CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)** machine, which delivers continuous airflow to keep the breathing passage clear. The physical and performance transformation was immediate and profound. Four years after nearly losing his spot in the league, Jensen signed a **$42 million contract** as one of the highest-paid centers in the NFL, ultimately winning the **2021 Super Bowl** with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

> "He was eventually tested, diagnosed, and then put on treatment through what's called a CPAP... 4 years later, Ryan Jensen comes back, signs a $42 million contract... and then 3 years later in 2021 wins the Super Bowl."

---

[39:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2380s) How Sleep Loss Sabotages Emotional Regulation & High-Stakes Decision Making

When sleep is compromised, emotional control drops significantly. Sleep deprivation diminishes the brain's ability to regulate mood, causing individuals to become short-tempered, grouchy, and prone to knee-jerk emotional responses. In the brain, the **amygdala**—the primary center for processing fear, threat detection, and raw emotional reactions—becomes hyperactive when deprived of higher-level cognitive oversight.

``` Sleep-Deprived Brain: Overactive Amygdala --> Short Temper, Impulsive Decisions Well-Rested Brain: Prefrontal Control --> Balanced Emotions, Strategic Focus ```

This emotional and cognitive degradation carries severe consequences for high-level leaders and decision-makers. Host Steven Bartlett notes that on days he is underslept, he explicitly warns himself: *"I'm going to be in my amygdala today,"* choosing to delay major choices or high-stakes conversations to avoid reactionary missteps. High-profile executives prioritize sleep specifically to protect their decision-making quality:

* **Jeff Bezos's Sleep Philosophy:** Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has publicly stated that his primary duty as CEO is making a few high-quality decisions each day. Because decision quality depends on mental clarity, prioritizing **8 hours of sleep** is directly part of his job description. * **Catastrophic Decision Failures:** Historical investigations show that extreme fatigue among key decision-makers was a primary contributing factor in major national disasters, including the **1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion**.

> "If his job is to make decisions, then his job is also to sleep because the variance I see in even my own decision-making when I'm slept and underslept is just unbelievably staggering."

---

[44:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2641s) Cognitive Impact, Reaction Times, and the Myth of "Getting Used To" Sleep Loss

Cognitive performance—specifically **reaction time and processing speed**—is acutely sensitive to sleep manipulation. Dr. Mah cites controlled sleep studies tracking participants across different sleep durations to demonstrate the cumulative toll of sleep restriction:

``` Weekly Reaction Time Trends by Sleep Duration: 9 Hours/Night ───────────────────────────────── Stable, Optimal Baseline 7 Hours/Night ─────────┐ └────────────────────── Moderate Decline -> Levels Off 5 Hours/Night ────────────┐ └─────────────────── Sharp Decline -> Levels Off 3 Hours/Night ───────────────\ \────────────── Severe Drop / Heavy Lapses ```

* **9 Hours/Night:** Reaction time remains sharp and highly consistent across the entire week with zero cognitive lapses. * **7 Hours/Night:** Causes a measurable slowing in reaction time before hitting a plateau. * **5 Hours/Night:** Triggers a steep decline in reaction speed and an increase in cognitive errors before leveling off. * **3 Hours/Night:** Causes performance to plunge rapidly, resulting in extreme reaction delays and frequent lapses in judgment.

A critical finding from these studies is the psychological trap of the **"leveling off" effect**. When individuals drop to 5 or 7 hours of sleep, their performance metrics degrade, but their *perceived* state of impairment plateaus after a few days. This creates a false sense that they have "adapted" or "gotten used to" chronic sleep loss, when in reality their cognitive capacity remains significantly suppressed compared to their true baseline.

Furthermore, short-term recovery sleep is insufficient to fix chronic deprivation. When study participants in sleep-restricted groups were given **3 consecutive nights of recovery sleep (8 hours in bed)**, their subjective feeling of alertness improved, but their objective reaction times **failed to return to baseline**.

---

[47:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2869s) Understanding Sleep Debt and the Science of Sleep Extension

Sleep debt operates like a financial line of credit. If an individual requires 8 hours of sleep per night to function optimally but only receives 6 hours, they accumulate **2 hours of sleep debt** every 24 hours. Over a 5-day work week, this totals **10 hours of accumulated sleep debt**.

Sleeping in for 10 hours on a Saturday morning only pays back 2 hours of that balance, leaving an **8-hour unpaid debt** that continues to impair recovery and cognitive sharpness.

``` Daily Requirement: 8 Hours Mon-Fri Actual: 6 Hours/Night --> Accumulated Debt: 10 Hours Saturday Sleep: 10 Hours --> Repays: 2 Hours Remaining Balance: 8 Hours Debt Remaining ```

Key principles of sleep debt and recovery: - **No Sleep Surplus:** You cannot "bank" or surplus extra sleep in advance to pull from later before a period of deprivation. - **Payback Takes Weeks:** While immediate sleepiness can be reduced in a night or two, fully clearing accumulated sleep debt and restoring baseline reaction speeds requires **multiple consecutive weeks** of sleep extension. - **Impact of 5-Day Extension:** Dr. Mah's research on professional baseball players revealed that adding just **1 additional hour of sleep per night for 5 consecutive days** produced statistically significant improvements in cognitive reaction time and visual processing speed.

> "Conceptualize it like this: if you need 8 hours and you get 6 hours, you have 2 hours of debt... If you sleep in on Saturday and get 10 hours, you've paid back 2 hours, but you still have 8 hours left to go."

[49:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2984s) Sleep Banking and How Sleep Debt Works

Dr. Cheri Mah details the strategy of "sleep banking" (or sleep extension), which involves stocking up on sleep in the days leading up to a period of expected sleep deprivation. If someone knows a major project or late night is on the horizon, getting extra rest beforehand dampens the severe cognitive and physical performance drops typically caused by sleep loss. Dedicated to researching sleep extension, Dr. Mah explains how she tests this with collegiate athletes who enter her studies exhibiting high fatigue, slow reaction times, and frequent lapses in judgment—traits they mistakenly believe are their "baseline." When forced to pay back their sleep debt over several weeks, their reaction times sharpen, fatigue plummets, and field performance measurably improves.

Steven Bartlett challenges whether these athletic gains stem directly from sleep or simply from improved training quality enabled by better rest. Dr. Mah points out that researchers strictly control training volume to keep it consistent during these trials. Furthermore, because athletic fatigue normally compounds across a grueling season, seeing mid-to-late-season performance *gains* strongly links sleep extension directly to these positive outcomes.

- Sleep extension acts as a buffer against upcoming sleep loss, mitigating performance drops. - Controlled athletic studies isolate sleep as the variable by keeping training routines identical across trial periods. - Overcoming chronic sleep debt reverses impairments in reaction time and judgment that athletes had falsely assumed were normal.

[52:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3142s) Sleep Stages, Growth Hormone, and Skill Consolidation

Dr. Mah clarifies the specific functions of deep sleep versus Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. While host Steven initially misattributes muscle recovery to REM sleep, Dr. Mah corrects this misconception: deep sleep is when the body releases its largest pulse of human growth hormone, driving muscle repair and cellular regeneration. Sleep cycles through light, deep, and REM phases roughly every 90 to 120 minutes, with deep sleep dominating the first half of the night and REM taking over during the early morning hours.

``` Night Sleep Cycle Architecture: [Early Night] --> Heavy Deep Sleep (Growth Hormone Pulse & Muscle Repair) [Late Night] --> Dominant REM Sleep (Memory Consolidation & Vivid Dreaming) ```

REM sleep primarily facilitates cognitive skill consolidation, learning, and memory. Dr. Mah likens sleep to "hitting the save button" after absorbing new material or practicing a physical movement, allowing memories and physical skills to transition into long-term storage for efficient retrieval. Steven shares a personal anecdote from the previous night, noting he woke up around 5:00 AM or 6:00 AM drifting in and out of unusually vivid dreams—a direct result of waking out of late-cycle REM sleep.

- **Deep Sleep:** Triggers the biggest release of growth hormone; responsible for physical recovery, muscle repair, and body restoration. - **REM Sleep:** Focuses on mental skill consolidation, brain plasticity, and solidifying muscle memory. - **Memory Analogy:** Sleep functions as the "save button" required after learning new plays, studying, or practicing motor skills.

[54:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3275s) The "Nappuccino" and Effective Napping Strategies

Dr. Mah introduces the concept of a "nappuccino"—a targeted protocol designed to maximize alertness and cognitive performance for several hours. To execute it, an individual consumes a fast-acting caffeinated beverage (like an espresso) and immediately takes a 20- to 30-minute power nap. Because caffeine takes approximately 15 minutes to enter the bloodstream, a person can fall asleep before its onset. Upon waking after 20 minutes, they experience a double boost from both the power nap and the freshly activated caffeine.

``` Timeline of a Nappuccino: 00:00 - Drink espresso / caffeinated beverage 00:05 - Fall asleep for a short power nap 00:25 - Wake up as caffeine kicks in (Double alertness boost!) ```

Dispelling Steven’s long-held myth that short naps are useless because they don't reach deep or REM sleep, Dr. Mah explains that short naps *should* remain in light sleep stages. Entering deep sleep during a nap leads to "sleep inertia"—a severe, groggy state that impairs mental and physical performance for hours afterward.

- **Maximum Nap Duration:** Cap naps at 30 minutes (or set a 30-minute alarm accounting for 5-10 minutes to fall asleep). - **Avoid Sleep Inertia:** Longer naps (e.g., 1 to 2 hours) drag the brain into deep sleep, leaving individuals sluggish and disrupting nighttime sleep continuity. - **Nappuccino Timing:** Best utilized in the late morning or early afternoon for a sustained multi-hour alertness boost.

[57:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3459s) The Hidden Cost of the Alarm Snooze Button

Dr. Mah strongly advises against using the alarm clock snooze button. While she acknowledges the psychological comfort of drifting back to sleep, repeatedly hitting snooze fragments critical REM sleep in the final hour of the night. Hitting snooze five times across 30 minutes trades high-value, consolidated REM sleep for highly disrupted, low-quality light sleep.

Steven asks about the exact cost of this fragmentation, and Dr. Mah notes that slicing up morning REM sleep degrades memory consolidation and cognitive clarity. She advises setting the alarm for the absolute last moment required to get out of bed, securing an extra 20 to 25 minutes of uninterrupted REM sleep.

- Repeatedly snoozing forces the brain to jump between brief wakefulness and light sleep stages, stripping away vital late-cycle REM sleep. - Dr. Mah encourages limiting snooze use to a single 5-minute extension at most before getting out of bed immediately.

[01:00:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3610s) Chronotypes and Aligning Life with Your Biological Clock

Steven describes his self-identified "night owl" tendencies—writing, brainstorming, and working late into the night—and explains how he structured his business life so no meetings or engagements begin before 11:00 AM. Dr. Mah confirms this strategy is brilliant rather than suboptimal, validating that natural chronotypes ("morning larks," "evening owls," and middle-of-the-road types) are real biological traits.

Dr. Mah notes that modern societal structures frequently discriminate against evening chronotypes by forcing them onto early schedules, creating chronic sleep deprivation. Steven reflects on his childhood diagnosis of ADHD at age 30, questioning whether his late-night habits and severe school struggles stemmed from neurodivergence, an evening chronotype, or both.

- **Chronotypes:** Genetically driven tendencies that dictate whether an individual's peak alertness and sleep readiness occur early or late in the day. - **Societal Conflict:** Conventional work and school schedules force night owls onto unnatural sleep-wake cycles, accumulating permanent sleep debt.

[01:02:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3766s) School Start Times and Adolescent Sleep Needs

Addressing Steven’s experience of failing to wake up for school at 7:30 AM, Dr. Mah highlights a major policy shift: California enacted legislation delaying middle and high school start times. She explains that adolescent body clocks naturally undergo a circadian delay during puberty, causing teenagers to naturally stay up later and require later wake times.

Decades of research demonstrate that shifting school start times later yields dramatic benefits across multiple categories: - **Academic Performance:** Measurable increases in GPAs, standardized test scores, and overall class attendance. - **Mental & Physical Health:** Substantial reductions in adolescent depression, anxiety, and behavioral issues. - **Public Safety:** A significant decline in teenage motor vehicle accidents.

[01:04:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3872s) Parent Guidance on Early Sleep Hygiene

Dr. Mah emphasizes that parents should prioritize establishing consistent sleep routines and sleep hygiene early in childhood. As a new parent who recently had her first son, she empathizes directly with the sleepless struggles of raising young children. However, instilling positive sleep habits early equips children with long-term tools to protect their health, cognitive growth, and well-being through adolescence and into adulthood.

[01:05:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3919s) Cultural Shifts in Sleep and Parenting Reality

Dr. Cheri Mah highlights the need for a broad cultural shift in how society views sleep, noting that most people never learn healthy sleep habits until well into adulthood. Instilling these values earlier in life creates rested, healthier children and families who recognize that sacrificing sleep ultimately hinders personal potential. Switching gears to her personal life, Steven asks Dr. Mah about her 11-month-old son. She candidly admits to being "transparently quite tired." As a new mother, she acknowledges that her current sleep schedule is far from ideal due to middle-of-the-night wakeups and unpredictable early mornings.

To manage this period, Dr. Mah actively applies the core strategies she preaches. When total sleep duration is compromised, she optimizes what she can control—maximizing sleep quality by maintaining a disciplined wind-down routine, fine-tuning her sleep environment, and leveraging strategic power naps to handle nighttime disruptions.

---

[01:07:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4067s) Pre-Flight Travel Strategies: Preventing Jet Lag

Reflecting on high-impact case studies, Dr. Mah shares her 2017 work with the Philadelphia Eagles, where she designed strategic routines covering wind-down habits, training integrations, and travel protocols to minimize jet lag when crossing time zones. She outlines a comprehensive game plan divided into pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight phases, noting that most people make the mistake of having no strategy at all.

For the pre-flight phase, Dr. Mah strongly advises against "panic packing" late at night, which cuts sleep short right before a travel day. Steven confesses that he packs just an hour before leaving for the airport—even for two-week trips—by carrying a single carry-on and wearing the exact same outfit every day, though he acknowledges that early morning packing still eats into his sleep duration. Dr. Mah emphasizes that securing sufficient sleep for one or two nights prior to a flight is critical; arriving sleep-deprived amplifies travel fatigue and jet lag. Additionally, for shifts like crossing three time zones across the US, travelers can gradually adjust their body clock days in advance by shifting their bedtime and wake-up times 30 minutes earlier each day and getting morning sunlight.

* **Rule of Thumb:** It typically takes about one day per time zone crossed to fully re-acclimate. * **The First Day:** Jet lag usually feels worst on the first day after arrival, and full physiological adaptation takes several days.

---

[01:11:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4289s) In-Flight Tactics and Melatonin

While onboard, maintaining hydration is vital because dehydration intensifies jet lag. Travelers should immediately align their eating and sleeping schedules with the local time of their destination. Dr. Mah recommends assembling a dedicated travel sleep kit consisting of an eye mask, earplugs, noise-canceling headphones, and a personal travel pillow to facilitate sleep in noisy, uncomfortable environments.

When asked about sleep aids, Dr. Mah notes that melatonin can help advance the body clock when traveling, though users should be cautious of potential side effects like morning grogginess and sluggishness. Moreover, over-the-counter melatonin is not regulated by the FDA in the US. Studies demonstrate that actual melatonin content in commercially available supplements varies wildly, ranging from under 100% to over 400% of the dosage stated on the label. For this reason, elite athletes use NSF Certified for Sport products to ensure label accuracy and purity. Steven mentions that his podcast team relies on a travel app that dictates exact times to eat or avoid food to sync with a destination's circadian rhythm.

---

[01:14:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4460s) Post-Flight Recovery and the Role of Bed in Sleep Hygiene

During flight and upon arrival, travelers should minimize or completely eliminate caffeine intake on board to prevent sleep disruptions later. Sunlight exposure remains the primary signal for resetting the circadian clock, but timing is crucial; travelers should carry sunglasses to deliberately block light at specific hours recommended by travel apps to avoid shifting the body clock in the wrong direction. Post-flight, Dr. Mah advises against scheduling high-stakes meetings or maximal athletic workouts on the first day, as acute jet lag elevates injury risks for athletes. Travelers should instead use strategic caffeine and power naps to navigate the natural 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM afternoon alertness dip.

Turning to bedroom habits, Dr. Mah establishes a clear rule: the bed should strictly be reserved for sleep and sex. Working on laptops, scrolling on phones, or stressing over to-do lists in bed conditions the brain to associate the mattress with wakefulness.

Regarding sex, Steven shares his personal observation that sex before bed improves his sleep, prompting Dr. Mah to clarify that while formal research on sleep and sex is sparse, many individuals anecdotally report better sleep consolidation afterward. However, sharing a mattress with a bed partner can disrupt sleep due to movement or snoring.

---

[01:17:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4654s) Misconceptions Around Oversleeping and Snoring

The most frequent question Dr. Mah receives revolves around napping and whether it is possible to "oversleep." She clarifies that sleeping 9 to 10 hours on a single night does not inherently cause harm; the grogginess people experience after a long sleep usually stems from shifting their schedule (such as waking up at 11:00 AM instead of 8:00 AM) or unmasking accumulated sleep debt. Addressing studies linking long sleep durations (10 to 11+ hours) to health risks and depression, Steven points out that correlation does not mean causation—individuals spending excessive hours in bed often suffer from underlying mental health issues or cardiovascular conditions that keep them inactive.

Dr. Mah also warns against ignoring habitual snoring. Rather than treating it as a harmless nuisance, individuals who snore should consult a primary care physician and request a sleep study to evaluate for obstructive sleep apnea.

Here is a detailed, faithful walkthrough covering the provided portion of the transcript.

[01:19:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4794s) Understanding Sleep Apnea and Snoring

Snoring is often dismissed in society as a harmless byproduct of aging, but Dr. Cheri Mah cautions that it is not always a benign symptom. It can frequently indicate obstructive sleep apnea, a condition where partial or complete upper airway collapses cause fragmented, poor-quality sleep, leaving individuals waking up unrefreshed regardless of time spent in bed.

When asked if sleep apnea is the most common disorder she encounters, Dr. Mah confirms that it is remarkably widespread. It affects roughly 26% of adults aged 30 to 70—about one in four individuals—yet many remain undiagnosed and untreated until much later in life, sometimes into their 60s or 70s. Key symptoms include waking up unrefreshed, daytime fatigue, heavy reliance on caffeine or power naps, waking up mysteriously between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., and frequent snoring. Bed partners or roommates might observe periods of paused breathing, gasping, or choking. While overweight or obese individuals carry higher risk due to excess tissue around the neck compressing the airway, Dr. Mah highlights that fit elite athletes can also suffer from sleep apnea purely due to their anatomical structure. She strongly advises anyone experiencing these symptoms to consult a primary care doctor and request a sleep study.

- **Prevalence:** Affects approximately 26% of people between the ages of 30 and 70 (1 in 4 adults). - **Key Indicators:** Frequent snoring, gasping/choking during sleep, unrefreshing sleep, early morning awakenings (3:00–5:00 a.m.), heavy caffeine dependence, and daytime drowsiness. - **Demographics:** Higher risk in overweight/obese individuals, but young, highly fit elite male athletes can also be affected due to neck and airway anatomy.

[01:22:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4938s) Overcoming Excuses and the Fallacy of "Offseason Catch-Up"

When Steven Bartlett asks about the biggest excuses or rebuttals Dr. Mah hears, she pinpoints the classic refrain: "I don't have enough time to sleep." She firmly rejects this premise, stating that sleep is a matter of prioritizing and managing time strategically. Everyone can find five minutes for a basic wind-down routine, optimize their sleep environment, invest in basic sleep tools, or make smarter choices throughout the day to prepare for nightfall.

Dr. Mah also tackles a common mindset among professional athletes: the belief that they can sacrifice sleep during the competitive season and make up for it in the offseason. She labels this logic backward. Accumulating a severe sleep debt during the season forces an athlete to play constant catch-up. Athletes who eliminate their sleep debt during the offseason enter the competitive year with zero debt, allowing them to perform at their peak and simply maintain that standard throughout important games.

[01:23:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5031s) Sleep Loss and Increased Injury Risk

Addressing the link between sleep deprivation and physical injuries, Dr. Mah cites studies demonstrating that getting insufficient sleep directly increases an athlete's susceptibility to fatigue-related injuries. Research on adolescent athletes shows higher injury rates with fewer than six hours of sleep, while studies examining athletes sleeping under eight hours reveal a 1.7-fold (170%) increase in injury risk compared to those getting more than eight hours.

Dr. Mah explains the physiological mechanisms using findings from one of her early biomechanical studies. When athletes experience multiple consecutive days of sleep loss, their biomechanical coordination loses consistency. Instead of utilizing their preferred movement patterns during dynamic tasks like a vertical jump, their movements become highly variable. This altered joint coordination—affecting how knees and hips absorb impact—likely exposes them to significantly higher injury risks upon landing or pivoting.

- **Injury Multiplier:** Sleeping less than 8 hours per night correlates with a 1.7-fold (170%) higher risk of injury compared to getting 8+ hours. - **Biomechanical Impact:** Consecutive sleep-deprived days lead to greater movement variability and inconsistent landing mechanics across hips and knees.

[01:25:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5135s) Early Awakenings, Social Jet Lag, and Appetite Hormones

Steven shares a personal observation: when he has to wake up unusually early for flights (e.g., going to bed at 11:00 p.m. and waking up at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m.), he wakes up feeling intensely hungry, whereas waking up naturally at 8:00 a.m. leaves him without an appetite. He asks if this response is driven by hormones. Dr. Mah confirms that shifting one's wake-up time drastically induces "social jet lag." Even without stepping onto an airplane, shifting the body clock abruptly disrupts internal circadian rhythms, leading to symptoms like gastrointestinal upset, fatigue, and hormonal imbalances.

Dr. Mah breaks down the specific hormonal drivers behind appetite regulation: - **Ghrelin:** The "hunger hormone" that stimulates appetite. - **Leptin:** The satiety hormone that signals fullness.

Insufficient sleep and circadian disruption alter the ratio of these hormones, elevating ghrelin and suppressing leptin. This hormonal shift drives cravings for high-carbohydrate, unhealthy foods late at night and makes weight management difficult. Dr. Mah notes that when clients or athletes struggle to achieve weight management goals, addressing their underlying sleep quality often serves as the missing key.

[01:27:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5252s) Nighttime Awakenings and Alcohol's Impact on Sleep

Producer Jack joins the discussion to ask whether waking up during the night is normal. Dr. Mah clarifies a widespread misconception: sleeping soundly does not mean remaining completely unconscious from head-on-pillow to morning. Waking up once to use the bathroom and falling back asleep within 5 to 10 minutes is completely normal. Conscious or unconscious awakenings frequently occur during natural transitions between sleep stages, which fitness wearables often track.

However, frequent awakenings that persist for weeks and impair daytime function require medical investigation. Primary causes include environmental disturbances, late caffeine, high stress, a racing mind, bed partner disruptions, sleep apnea, or alcohol consumption. While Dr. Mah notes that specific percentage reductions depend on individual dosage, research confirms that moderate-to-high alcohol intake severely fragments sleep architecture. In sleep medicine circles, clinicians half-jokingly recommend "drink when you wake up"—preferring morning or early afternoon consumption over late-night drinking to protect nocturnal sleep quality.

[01:30:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5410s) The Podcast's Final Question and Reflecting on Sleep Mindsets

Steven asks Dr. Mah the podcast's traditional closing question left by the previous guest: "If you could go back and fix your worst mistake, but it would change everything afterwards with no guarantees, would you do it?" Dr. Mah answers with a decisive no. She reflects that personal and professional mistakes provide essential learning experiences that shape individual growth and life paths, and she wouldn't risk altering her current life trajectory.

Steven shares how his own perspective has evolved, moving away from his early career "badge of honor" burnout mentality—where he bragged about sleeping 4 hours a night while building his first business—to recognizing sleep as the single greatest enabler of his productivity. Dr. Mah encourages listeners to reframe how they view rest: "Sleep is not the end of today; it's the beginning of tomorrow." Making sleep a foundational daily priority produces compounding, life-changing benefits for health, daily interactions, and career performance.

Dr. Mah invites listeners to connect with her online: - **Social Media (Instagram, X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn):** @DrCheriMah - **Official Website:** DrCheriMah.com

Steven concludes by thanking Dr. Mah, noting that elite sports organizations like Manchester United and Chelsea FC listen to the podcast to improve athlete well-being. He wraps up the episode by highlighting sponsor PerfectTed, a green tea energy drink brand experiencing rapid growth as a clean, crash-free alternative to traditional energy drinks.

<FollowUp label="Want me to summarize the next or previous section of this episode?" query="Summarize the next or previous transcript segment from this episode with the same level of detail."/>

[01:35:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5731s) PerfectTed Sponsor Announcement

Steven Bartlett wraps up the episode by highlighting his personal connection and enthusiasm for the podcast's sponsor, PerfectTed. He shares that the product tastes amazing and delivers "exactly what I've been looking for in terms of energy," which is the precise reason he chose to become both an investor in the brand and a long-term partner for the show.

To mark the partnership, Bartlett announces an exclusive offer provided by PerfectTed specifically for *The Diary Of A CEO* listeners. He playfully advises the audience to keep it quiet, noting that they can receive a massive 40% discount for a limited time when ordering online.

- **Sponsor:** PerfectTed - **Promo Code:** `diary 40` (or `DIARY40`) - **Discount:** 40% off online purchases for a limited time

## Notable quotes > [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=0s) If you don't sleep your best, you will not be your best. — Dr. Cheri Mah

> [07:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=426s) When you experience what it feels like to be well rested, you never want to go back. — Dr. Cheri Mah

> [36:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2188s) He was eventually tested, diagnosed, and then put on treatment through what's called a CPAP... 4 years later, Ryan Jensen comes back, signs a $42 million contract... and then 3 years later in 2021 wins the Super Bowl. — Dr. Cheri Mah

> [39:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2380s) If his job is to make decisions, then his job is also to sleep because the variance I see in even my own decision-making when I'm slept and underslept is just unbelievably staggering. — Steven Bartlett

> [47:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2869s) Conceptualize it like this: if you need 8 hours and you get 6 hours, you have 2 hours of debt... If you sleep in on Saturday and get 10 hours, you've paid back 2 hours, but you still have 8 hours left to go. — Dr. Cheri Mah

> [01:30:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5410s) Sleep is not the end of today; it's the beginning of tomorrow. — Dr. Cheri Mah

## Mentioned Dr. Cheri Mah, Steven Bartlett, Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, Stanford University, San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia Eagles, Nike, Under Armour, Google, ESPN, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research Society, Tom Brady, Simone Biles, English Premier League, NBA, Las Vegas, Andre Iguodala, Whoop, Ryan Jensen, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jeff Bezos, Amazon, Space Shuttle Challenger, California, Jack, Manchester United, Chelsea FC, PerfectTed

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk)

中文简报

斯坦福睡眠专家:充足睡眠助力巅峰运动表现 延长夜间睡眠可立即使决策速度与运动精准度实现两位数提升,同时大幅降低职业体育中的受伤风险。 Cheri Mah 博士阐释了策略性睡眠优化如何直接成为提升运动与企业职场表现的倍增器。她剖析了睡眠债、昼夜节律以及环境优化的科学原理,同时破除了关于早起、深夜锻炼和闹钟赖床按钮的常见误区。通过针对 NBA 与 NFL 运动员的详尽案例研究,她展示了适度延长睡眠时间如何在精准度、反应速度、情绪调节以及伤病预防方面带来巨大提升。 斯坦福睡眠专家 Cheri Mah 博士指出,充足的睡眠是认知与体能表现的核心倍增器;在其实验中,每晚将睡眠延长约 1.5 小时可使运动员反应速度提高 12%,投篮命中率提升 9%。 (10:46) 赛程安排与昼夜节律对比赛结果具有显著影响:仅依据行程与睡眠限制构建的算法模型对 NBA 球队输球的预测准确率达 76% 至 86%,而内源生物钟契合傍晚生理巅峰的西海岸 NFL 球队在夜场让分盘胜率高达 68%。 (14:11) 累积的“睡眠债”无法靠周末单次补觉清偿,通常需要数周的持续睡眠延长期;NBA 球星安德烈·伊戈达拉(Andre Iguodala)在系统改善睡眠习惯并将睡眠增至 8 小时以上后,三分命中率翻倍并显著延长了职业生涯寿命。 (18:49) 优质睡眠环境需维持在 15.5°C 至 19.5°C 的凉爽“洞穴”状态;热水澡或泡澡应提前至睡前 1.5 到 2 小时进行,以辅助核心体温迅速下降并顺利启动深度慢波睡眠。 (25:28)

Reading summary

Sleep specialist Dr. Cheri Mah argues that prioritizing sleep duration and circadian alignment serves as an immediate, quantifiable performance multiplier for physical execution, cognitive judgment, and injury prevention across elite sports and executive leadership. Athletic Performance Gains and Circadian Scheduling Advantages (10:46) In controlled athletic research, Dr. Mah demonstrated that extending sleep to 9–10 hours per night over 5 to 7 weeks yielded substantial performance improvements in collegiate basketball players, including a 9% increase in free-throw and three-point shooting accuracy, a 12% faster reaction time, and a 4% improvement in sprint speed (reducing baseline sprint times from 16.2 to 15.5 seconds). Similar targeted sleep interventions with professional athletes produced comparable results; for example, increasing NBA player Andre Iguodala's sleep to over 8 hours correlated with a 218% relative increase in three-point accuracy, an 8.9% increase in free-throw accuracy, and a 45% reduction in personal fouls. At a macro level, circadian biology heavily influences competitive outcomes. Dr. Mah's work on the NBA Schedule Alert Project predicted game losses with 76% to 86% accuracy across three seasons based solely on travel, time zone crossings, and sleep constraints. Similarly, a 25-year analysis of NFL Monday Night Football games revealed that West Coast teams beat the Las Vegas point spread 68% of the time against East Coast teams during evening games. This advantage occurs because evening games coincide with the human physiological performance peak (roughly 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM internal body time), which remains aligned with West Coast players' biological clocks. Sleep Debt, Cognitive Plateaus, and High-Stakes Decision-Making (44:01) While major sleep research organizations establish a baseline minimum of 7 hours per night for adults, individual sleep requirements often sit between 8 and 9 hours. Sleep debt accumulates like financial debt: losing 2 hours per night over 5 days generates a 10-hour deficit, which a single 10-hour weekend sleep only reduces by 2 hours. Furthermore, controlled studies show that while individuals sleeping 5 to 7 hours per night experience a subjective plateau in perceived sleepiness—falsely believing they have adapted—their objective reaction times and cognitive error rates continue to degrade significantly compared to an optimal 9-hour baseline. Three consecutive recovery nights of 8 hours in bed fail to restore impaired reaction times to baseline. Cognitive and emotional degradation carries acute consequences in high-stakes environments. Fatigue induces hyperactivity in the amygdala, impairing impulse control and rational risk evaluation while elevating reactive responses. High-profile leaders like Jeff Bezos cite an 8-hour sleep requirement as essential for safeguarding the quality of executive decisions, while investigations into major disasters, including the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, identified fatigue among key decision-makers as a critical contributing factor. Sleep Architecture, Hormonal Shifts, and Injury Risks (52:22) Sleep stages serve distinct physiological functions: slow-wave deep sleep initiates the body's primary pulse of human growth hormone for muscle repair and cellular restoration, while Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep consolidates memory and motor skill acquisition. Repeatedly interrupting sleep with an alarm snooze button fragments late-cycle morning REM sleep, impairing cognitive retention. Physically, sleeping under 8 hours per night correlates with a 1.7-fold (170%) increase in athletic injury risk, as consecutive days of sleep restriction induce biomechanical movement variability and irregular joint loading across the knees and hips. Circadian misalignment and insufficient rest also disrupt metabolic signaling by increasing ghrelin (the hunger-stimulating hormone) and suppressing leptin (the satiety hormone), prompting cravings for simple carbohydrates. Dr. Mah also notes that undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea affects roughly 26% of adults aged 30 to 70, including structurally muscular elite athletes. In one case, treating NFL offensive lineman Ryan Jensen's severe sleep apnea with CPAP therapy restored his athletic conditioning, culminating in a $42 million contract and a Super Bowl title. Environmental and Behavioral Sleep Optimization Protocols (22:05) Dr. Mah recommends optimizing the bedroom as a cool, dark, and quiet environment, specifying an ideal ambient temperature between 60°F and 67°F (15.5°C to 19.5°C) to support the natural drop in core body temperature required for deep sleep. To prevent delayed sleep onset, hot showers should be taken 1.5 to 2 hours before bed rather than immediately prior, allowing the subsequent rapid cooling of the body to accelerate sleep initiation. Additionally, reserving the bed exclusively for sleep and sex prevents psychological conditioning that associates the mattress with work or stress. To manage bedtime rumination, Dr. Mah prescribes a 10-minute wind-down routine in dim light outside of bed to transition the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic arousal to parasympathetic rest. For daytime fatigue, a "nappuccino"—consuming an espresso immediately before a 20- to 30-minute nap—provides dual alertness while preventing deep-sleep inertia. For time-zone travel, she advises adjusting sleep schedules by 30 minutes per day beforehand, syncing meals immediately to destination local time, and using verified third-party tested melatonin (such as NSF Certified for Sport) due to extreme dosage variability in unregulated retail supplements. Dr. Mah reframes sleep from a passive afterthought into an active, strategic preparation for waking performance. While individual genetic chronotypes and modern work demands present persistent scheduling friction, addressing chronic sleep debt through incremental schedule shifts and disciplined hygiene provides compounding returns across physical endurance, metabolic health, and cognitive clarity.

精炼阅读摘要

斯坦福睡眠医学中心睡眠专家Cheri Mah博士指出,睡眠并非被动的休息,而是提升认知决策与身体表现的核心工具;通过纠正长期睡眠欠账与优化作息环境,顶尖运动员与企业高管能获得显著的机能收益。 睡眠延长带来的竞技与认知收益 (10:46) Cheri Mah博士通过其实证研究指出,睡眠欠账会严重削弱个体的生理协调与决策水平。在针对斯坦福大学男子篮球队的里程碑研究中,研究人员将球员夜间睡眠目标延长至9至10小时(实际平均增加约1.5小时),持续5至7周后,球员的罚球命中率提升了9%,三分命中率提升9%,反应速度加快12%,短跑冲刺用时缩短4%(平均耗时从16.2秒降至15.5秒)。类似规律同样出现在职业赛场,NBA球员Andre Iguodala在将其夜间睡眠由不足7小时提升至8小时以上后,三分命中率提高218%,罚球命中率提高8.9%,每分钟得分提高29%,犯规数减少45%。此外,针对职业棒球选手的测试也显示,连续5天每晚增加1小时睡眠即可显著改善视觉处理速度与反应敏锐度。 在日常学业与企业决策中,微小的睡眠时长差异同样具有放大效应。研究表明,仅15分钟的睡眠差距即可区分高中‘A’等生与‘B’等生,而11分钟的差距则能区分‘B’等生与‘C’等生。Mah博士强调,认知受损具有隐蔽性:睡眠受限至5至7小时的个体在几天后主观感觉会产生‘适应’平台期,但其客观反应迟钝与认知失误依然持续存在;即便随后给予连续3晚8小时的恢复性睡眠,受试者的客观反应时间仍无法恢复至基准线。 昼夜节律、赛程偏差与身体机能周期 (14:11) 人体的生理表现在一天中存在自然的峰值窗口。Mah博士指出,人体核心体温、反应速度和身体机能通常在下午至傍晚(体感时间约下午4:00至晚上8:00)达到峰值,绝大多数世界纪录亦在此区间诞生。当赛程安排迫使运动员在偏离该生物钟的时刻竞争时,机能将出现系统性下滑。Mah博士在与ESPN合作的‘NBA赛程警报项目’中,仅凭旅行路线、跨时区飞行、背靠背比赛及压缩的睡眠窗口等数据,未纳入阵容实力,在三个赛季中预测球队输球的准确率达到76%至86%。 该生物钟效应对跨区域竞技的影响在NFL‘周一橄榄球之夜’长达25个赛季的统计中同样显著:西海岸球队赴东海岸参加晚间比赛时,面对拉斯维加斯让分盘的赢盘率高达68%。这是由于东海岸晚上8:30开赛时,西海岸球员体内生物钟仅为下午5:30,正处黄金竞技窗口;反之,若东海岸球队赴西海岸夜战,其体感时间已进入深夜10点或11点,核心体温下降,身体状态大幅劣化。 营造睡眠环境与睡前行为的纠偏 (22:05) 为了促进平稳入睡并保证深度睡眠,Mah博士建议将卧室打造成凉爽、黑暗且安静的‘洞穴’,理想室温应保持在60°F至67°F(约15.5°C至19.5°C),以辅助核心体温下降。针对不少人睡前立即洗热水澡的习惯,Mah博士提出明确警告:临睡前冲热水澡会人为抬升核心体温,打乱入睡所需的体温下降节律,从而推迟入眠。正确的做法是将洗热水澡或泡澡提前到睡前1.5至2小时,借随后的散热加速核心降温,以诱发更深层次的慢波睡眠。 对于睡前思绪活跃、心率偏高的现象,Mah博士建议在床铺之外的微弱灯光下进行5至10分钟的过渡放松(如轻度拉伸、腹式呼吸或书写次日清单),促使交感神经系统降级、副交感神经系统启动,避免将床铺与焦虑联结。在饮食方面,深夜空腹易导致半夜惊醒,但高脂油炸或酸性餐食会诱发胃食管反流并显著推升静息心率;若晚间感到饥饿,适宜的补给应是低负荷的复合碳水化合物与优质蛋白质各半组合。此外,床铺应严格限于睡眠与性生活,避免在床上使用电子屏幕或办公。 睡眠债务的清偿逻辑与白天效能管理 (47:49) Mah博士澄清,睡眠债务如同财务借贷,无法通过提前储存来建立‘盈余’,且单日的补觉难以抹平累积债务。例如每晚需要8小时睡眠者若周一至周五仅睡6小时,将累计欠下10小时债务;周六睡10小时仅清偿了2小时,残留的8小时赤字仍会抑制神经认知。彻底清除深层睡眠欠账往往需要数周的规律性睡眠延长。针对早晨反复按压闹钟‘贪睡键’的习惯,Mah博士指出,半小时内多次贪睡会将宝贵、连续的快速眼动(REM)睡眠撕裂为低质量的浅睡,损害早间记忆巩固,建议直接将闹钟定在必须起床的极限时刻。 在白天精力的短效调节上,Mah博士提出了‘咖啡小憩’(Nappuccino)协议:摄入一份意式浓缩等速效咖啡因后,立即进行20至30分钟的轻度小睡。由于咖啡因需约15分钟进入血液循环,小睡者能在药物起效前处于浅睡中,在避免进入深睡眠产生‘睡眠惰性’(即醒后昏沉)的同时,于醒来瞬间叠加小睡与咖啡因的双重提神效应。对于午睡时长,她建议严格控制在30分钟以内。 睡眠呼吸障碍、伤病关联与跨时区旅行应对 日常睡眠质量异常往往潜藏着病理风险。Mah博士指出,打鼾绝非良性衰老特征,常常是阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停(OSA)的信号;该病症在30至70岁成年人中的发病率约为26%,且在体格健壮的职业运动员中也因气道结构而普遍存在。前NFL球员Ryan Jensen在被裁退边缘确诊并接受CPAP呼吸机治疗后,体能与状态迎来转折,随后签下4200万美元合同并赢得超级碗。长期的睡眠剥夺还会直接成倍放大运动损伤风险:研究显示,青少年与成年运动员每晚睡眠若不足8小时,其伤病概率较8小时以上者高出1.7倍(170%);连续缺觉会导致起跳着地等动态动作的髋膝关节生物力学协调性受损、运动变异度增加,显著提高受创几率。 在跨时区旅行与长途飞行方面,跨越一个时区通常需要大约一天进行生理适应。针对时差调整,Mah博士建议提前数日按每天30分钟调整就寝与起床时间,并在飞行当日避免‘临行突击打包’而压缩睡眠。机舱内应注意水分补充并停用咖啡因,降落后则应利用针对性光照配合太阳镜遮光来重置生物钟,避免在抵达首日安排大强度极限训练或重大商业谈判。对于非处方褪黑素,Mah博士提醒其可能带来晨起宿醉感,且市售产品实际成分存在未达标或超标400%的品控波动,建议选择第三方认证产品。 Mah博士强调,现代社会中将缺觉标榜为奋斗勋章的文化正在退潮,充足睡眠是保持高效认知与维持长期职业生涯的生理基石。不过,个体天然生物钟类型(早起型或夜猫子型)存在基因差异,针对长期严重睡眠碎片化或习惯性打鼾人群,仍需借助正规医疗机构的多导睡眠监测进行鉴别与干预。

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 本期视频由著名播客频道《The Diary Of A CEO》(主持人 Steven Bartlett)于 2024 年 8 月 5 日在 YouTube 平台发布。节目邀请了斯坦福大学睡眠医学中心科学家、专为 NBA 等精英运动员制定睡眠方案的 Cheri Mah 博士,深入探讨睡眠如何显著提升人类的反应速度、决策能力与赛场竞技表现。 ## TL;DR 节目围绕睡眠对认知与身体机能的革命性影响展开,打破了社会长期鼓吹“少睡为荣”的畸形文化。Dr. Cheri Mah 结合斯坦福男篮、金州勇士球星 Andre Iguodala 以及超级碗球队的真实干预案例,展示了延长睡眠对命中率、神经反应和降低伤病率的巨大增益。对话系统拆解了“洞穴式”睡眠环境构建、睡前降温洗澡时机、咖啡盹(Nappuccino)应用以及跨时区差旅管理等硬核实操策略,强调睡眠并非一天的应付结束,而是开启卓越明天的前置投资。 ## Atmosphere & style 对谈节奏流畅且引人入胜,Steven 亲切诚恳的个人经验追问与 Dr. Mah 严谨笃定的科学论证相得益彰。现场氛围兼具硅谷精英的务实高效与深度对谈的真挚共情,从开篇亮出颠覆性数据的震撼,到剖析决策失误和育儿疲惫时的真实烟火气,情绪层层递进。聆听过程宛如置身一场顶级高管与冠军运动员的私人睡眠诊断室,既有打破常识认知的痛快醍醐灌顶感,又充满可立即付诸实践的行动指引。 ## Bulletin - [10:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=646s) 斯坦福男篮里程碑研究证实,将每晚睡眠时间延长至 9 至 10 小时可使运动员反应速度加快 12%、罚球与三分球命中率分别提升 9%,且折返冲刺速度提升 4%。 - [01:23:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5032s) 睡眠对运动损伤具有决定性影响,研究显示每晚睡眠少于 8 小时的专业运动员遭遇运动创伤的风险是睡足 8 小时者的 1.7 倍(即高出 70%)。 - [24:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1479s) 睡前立即冲热水澡会使核心体温急剧升高而违背入睡生理机制,最佳沐浴窗口应提前至睡前 1.5 至 2 小时,利用外周血管舒张加速核心体温自然下降。 - [44:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2641s) 体内“睡眠债”会真实累积且无法靠周末短期赖床完全抹平,即便后续连续 3 晚睡满 8 小时,受试者的客观神经反应基准线仍无法恢复如初。 ## Key takeaways - [07:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=426s) 重塑对睡眠的认知定位:破除“熬夜是荣誉勋章”的有害文化,将睡眠视作“明天的开始”而非“今天的结束”,主动将其纳入日常时间表的优先规划。 - [14:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=851s) 昼夜节律显著左右竞技体育胜负:仅凭赛程和时区差对 NBA 输球高危场次的预测准确率达 76% 至 86%,NFL 周一之夜比赛中西海岸球队凭借黄昏生理峰值让分盘胜率高达 68%。 - [20:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1207s) 前 NBA 球星安德烈·伊戈达拉通过系统性睡眠优化(延长睡眠、截短长午睡、建立睡前程序),三分命中率翻倍、犯规率骤降 45%,斩获 FMVP 并将职业生涯延长 10 年。 - [22:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1325s) 打造“洞穴式”睡眠环境:室内温度保持在摄氏 16 至 20 度的偏冷区间,配合遮光窗帘或眼罩营造绝对黑暗,并使用智能白噪音机遮蔽环境突发噪音。 - [26:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1604s) 睡前饥饿加餐法则:空腹挨饿同样会破坏睡眠,建议在睡前选择 50% 复合碳水化合物搭配 50% 精益蛋白质(如全谷物麦片泡牛奶或茅屋奶酪配浆果)以实现缓慢平稳供能。 - [33:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2004s) 化解大脑思绪飞转的两步准备法:先在床外昏暗环境中花 5 至 10 分钟做深呼吸、轻度拉伸或记录待办清单,再上床进行纸质阅读;严格执行“床铺只用来睡觉与性爱”的心理联结。 - [37:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2266s) 阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停(OSA)是高发隐形杀手,30 至 70 岁人群中约 26% 患病;NFL 球员莱恩·詹森通过 CPAP 治疗解决了严重情绪失控与疲劳,重返巅峰斩获超级碗并拿下巨额合同。 - [39:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2398s) 缺觉状态下情绪中枢杏仁核接管大脑主导权,导致理性克制崩解并极易做出误判,“挑战者号”航天飞机发射灾难正是关键决策人员因极度缺觉产生认知瘫痪的历史惨剧。 - [52:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3142s) 睡眠阶段各司其职:前半夜深度睡眠主导生长激素的爆发式释放以修复肌肉与机体,后半夜高密度的快速眼动(REM)期则负责认知巩固与“肌肉记忆”的长时神经储存。 - [54:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3275s) “咖啡盹”(Nappuccino)协同机制:迅速喝下一杯咖啡后立刻小睡 20 至 30 分钟,醒来时恰好迎来咖啡因起效与短时浅睡消解疲劳的双重叠加爆发,且能避开深度睡眠引发的“睡眠惰性”。 - [57:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3459s) 坚决戒除反复按下闹钟“稍后提醒(Snooze)”的习惯,清晨被多次打断会彻底撕碎最宝贵的 REM 睡眠阶段,不仅毫无解乏价值,更会导致记忆巩固受损与醒后头昏沉重。 - [01:00:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3610s) 作息类型(早鸟与夜猫子)是客观生物学差异,强行早起会使夜型人陷入慢性睡眠剥夺;加州立法推迟中学开学时间的实证表明其能显著提升出勤率、成绩并降低抑郁与交通事故。 - [01:08:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4102s) 跨时区差旅管理应遵循“每跨越一个时区生理需一天重新适应”的规律,提前 2 至 3 天微调作息与光照,杜绝行前熬夜打包,并利用特定时段的策略性避光阻断错误生物钟漂移。 - [01:26:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5177s) 睡眠不足通过打破内分泌平衡直接破坏体重管理:抑制食欲的瘦素分泌骤降,促进食欲的饥饿素大幅飙升,诱发深夜无法克制的高糖高脂垃圾食品渴望与代谢紊乱。 - [01:27:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5252s) 睡前饮酒会制造虚假困意并彻底摧毁下半夜深层睡眠结构;夜间短暂微觉醒并在 5 至 10 分钟内重新入睡属于完全正常的生理周期切换,无需过度焦虑。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=0s) 睡眠与高水平表现的惊人关联 视频以一段充满震撼力的核心观点混剪开场:主讲人 Dr. Cheri Mah 凭借对球队赛程与睡眠状况的精确分析,能够以高达 86% 的准确率预测 NBA 球队何时处于最可能输球的高危状态。睡眠对运动表现有着极其实质且颠覆性的影响——对于顶尖运动员而言,充足的睡眠是绝对的“赛场规则改变者”(game changer)。例如,经过睡眠优化干预后,运动员的反应速度提升了 12%,罚球命中率提升了 9%,冲刺速度加快了 4%。而且这种改变并不需要生活方式的巨大剧变,仅仅提前 15 到 30 分钟入睡就能产生立竿见影的效果。 在片头精彩集锦中,Dr. Cheri Mah 和主持人 Steven Bartlett 抛出了一系列极具吸引力的高频现实问题: - **睡前洗澡的时机**:洗完澡立刻上床睡觉究竟是对是错?Dr. Cheri Mah 建议将热水澡或沐浴的时间调整到睡前 1 至 2 小时。 - **性生活对睡眠的影响**:性行为是否会损害或促进睡眠质量? - **睡前加餐的选择**:饥饿难耐时,吃什么既不会破坏睡眠又能消除饥饿感?例如牛奶加谷物麦片(cereal and milk)的组合及其背后的科学机制。 - **神级提神工具“咖啡打盹”(Nappuccino)**:职场人士如果需要在短时间内迅速恢复清醒和敏锐度,究竟该如何借助咖啡与小睡的协同机制实现能量爆发。 随后,主持人插播了关于频道即将突破 700 万订阅者的专属抽奖活动,呼吁观众点击订阅。 --- ### [02:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=121s) 睡眠医生的使命:从“被动应付”转向“主动布局” 主持人切入正题,询问 Dr. Cheri Mah 究竟从事何种工作,以及为什么这项工作在她的心目中如此至关重要。Dr. Mah 介绍自己是一名睡眠医生(Sleep Physician),但她将职业生涯的大部分精力投入到了公众科普与倡导之中,致力于推动人们把睡眠放在生活的优先位置。人的一生大约有三分之一的时间是在睡眠中度过的,但绝大多数人不仅睡得不好,甚至习惯性地牺牲睡眠、忽视睡眠。 Dr. Mah 提出了一个核心理念:“如果你没有达到最佳睡眠状态,你就绝不可能展现出最好的自己;反之,睡眠达到顶峰,你的表现才能达到顶峰。”现实中,许多人对睡眠的态度极其被动(reactive),工作、社交或娱乐结束,精疲力竭地到了深夜才匆匆倒头就睡,睡眠成了忙完一天之后才随手应付的“最后一件琐事”。而她指导的精英运动员则截然相反:他们像规划训练一样,提前把睡眠科学地编排进日常日程中,采取积极主动(proactive)的态度。 为了让主持人切身体会,Dr. Mah 提出了一个引人深思的问题:“如果我现在能提供给你一样东西,它完全免费、对健康百利无害,还能让你思维更清晰、决策更精准、心情更愉悦、效率更高,你会想要吗?”Steven 毫不犹豫地回答:“当然想要,不论代价有多大。”Dr. Mah 指出,这就是睡眠的本质,问题只在于人们是否愿意做出决定,主动投资自己的时间来换取这些红利。 --- ### [04:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=261s) 从超级碗冠军到硅谷 CEO:跨界应用睡眠科学 当被问及她的服务对象与合作伙伴时,Dr. Cheri Mah 分享了她多年来如何将实验室的前沿睡眠科学落地应用于顶级职业体育、商业巨头以及个人高管的真实历程: ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Dr. Cheri Mah 的合作生态系统 accDescr: 展示 Dr. Cheri Mah 在职业体育、商业组织和企业高管三大领域应用睡眠科学的合作网络 subgraph Sports["职业体育领域 (Sports Teams)"] MLB["MLB 旧金山巨人队 (SF Giants)"] NBA["NBA 金州勇士队 (Golden State Warriors)"] NFL["NFL 费城老鹰队 (Philadelphia Eagles - 2017 超级碗冠军)"] end subgraph Orgs["品牌与商业机构 (Organizations)"] Brands["耐克 (Nike) & 安德玛 (Under Armour)"] Media["ESPN (基于赛程与睡眠预测 NBA 胜负)"] end subgraph Execs["高管与商界领袖 (Corporate High Performers)"] CEOs["C-Suite 企业高管 & 硅谷科技精英 (Google 等)"] end Sports --> Target["优化作息、跨时区差旅、减少运动损伤并延长职业生涯"] Orgs --> Target Execs --> Target ``` Dr. Mah 指出,除了为费城老鹰队制定睡眠策略并在 2017 年随队赢得超级碗冠军戒指外,她也经常指导大公司的 C-Suite 高级管理层与首席执行官。在她眼中,CEO 和顶级运动员一样,都是必须在巨大压力下持续产出的“极限表现者”(high performers)。尽管运动员量化的是在球场上的冲刺速度或游泳成绩,但企业高管每天需要面对的是高压环境下的关键决策、应急反应与判断力把控。因此,针对精英运动员设计的睡眠优化协议,对商界精英与普通职场人士同样高度有效。 主持人 Steven 也对此深感共鸣。作为经常需要跨国出差、深夜登台演讲或开会的创业者,他经常深受时差与睡眠不足的困扰,并且敏锐地发现:自己在健身房训练时遭遇伤病的频率,往往与近期的“睡眠债”(sleep debt)直接挂钩。 --- ### [07:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=426s) 破除迷思:“熬夜勋章”与个性化睡眠量 围绕阻碍人们采纳健康睡眠习惯的常见误区,Dr. Cheri Mah 重点剖析了两大根本性偏差: 1. **破除“熬夜是荣誉勋章”的 toxic 文化**: 长期以来,社会上普遍弥漫着一种病态的炫耀心理,认为每天只睡四五个小时仍能精力充沛是一种能力的证明(badge of honor)。但近年来风向正在剧烈逆转,众多顶尖运动员开始公开为充足睡眠站台——传奇四分卫 Tom Brady 为了能在早晨以最佳状态训练,将“早睡”作为增强赛场表现的核心手段;体操女王 Simone Biles 也公开强调自己必须睡足 8 小时。这种社会风气正逐渐转变为:“如果你不能保证 8、9 甚至 10 个小时的充足睡眠,你就是在主动削弱自己的潜能与竞争力。” 2. **破除“千篇一律的固定睡眠时长”迷思**: 许多人误以为每个人都需要完全一样的睡眠时长,但实际上个体差异极大。虽然美国睡眠医学会(AASM)和睡眠研究协会(SRS)官方推荐的底线是每晚“至少 7 小时”,但这仅仅是基础健康门槛,绝非最佳表现指标。Dr. Mah 以自己为例坦言,如果只睡 7 小时,她整天都会感觉极其糟糕,她个人的理想生理需求是 8 到 9 个小时。每个人都必须通过身体感受来摸索出自己的最佳睡眠区间。 3. **微习惯累加法:从 15 分钟开始的渐进改善**: 针对像 Steven 这样平时睡不够 7 小时(往往只有 6 小时左右)的忙碌人群,Dr. Mah 强调不需要一夜之间做出巨大改变,而是采取“微步调整”: - 第一周:每天少刷一会儿手机,提前 15 到 30 分钟入睡; - 第二周:在第一周的基础上再提前 15 到 30 分钟,将睡眠时长稳步从 6 小时递增至 6.5 小时。 - 这种微小的增量看似不起眼,但累积起来却有决定性的力量——在学术表现中,仅仅 11 到 15 分钟的睡眠差异,就能决定一个学生最终拿到的是 A 还是 B 等级。 ### [09:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=598s) 微小睡眠变化对学业表现的巨大影响 日常生活中人们往往以为需要进行翻天覆地的作息重构才能看到效果,但科学研究表明,极小的睡眠增量就会产生滚雪球般的改变。在一项针对高中生的相关性研究中,研究人员对比了学生的睡眠时长与其在校学业成绩之间的关系。结果令人震惊:仅仅相差 15 分钟的睡眠时间,就足以区分一个拿 A 的尖子生和一个拿 B 的学生;而 11 分钟的微弱差距,则是 B 等生与 C 等生之间的分水岭。 主持人对此感到不可思议,Dr. Cheri Mah 强调,每天增加短短 15 分钟的休息,在一周的时间维度上就会累积成将近 2 个小时的额外优质睡眠。改善睡眠并不需要一夜之间做出极端的大跨步调整,只要日复一日地积累这些微小的习惯变化,最终在认知表现与实际成果上都会带来巨大的飞跃。 --- ### [10:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=646s) 斯坦福男篮睡眠延长研究:带来突破性的赛场表现提升 Dr. Cheri Mah 详细解读了由她主持、发表于 2011 年的开创性标志研究。该实验以斯坦福大学男子篮球队为研究对象,探讨在为期 5 到 7 周的时间里,通过鼓励球员每晚睡足 9 至 10 个小时以偿还所谓的“累积睡眠债”(accumulated sleep debt),是否会对其赛场综合表现产生实质影响。研究人员在每次常规训练课后,对球员的反应速度、主观疲劳度以及各项场上技术数据进行严密量化。 实验结果极为震撼:球员们的罚球命中率提升了 9%,三分球命中率同样提高了 9%;身体反应时间缩短了整整 12%,场上冲刺速度则提升了 4%。在竞技体育世界中,顶尖运动员往往为了“提升 1%”而穷尽训练手段、营养搭配和装备升级,因为这微小的 1% 往往就是冠军领奖台与被淘汰的分水岭;而这项研究展示的却是 9% 甚至高达两位数的飞跃。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 斯坦福大学男篮睡眠延长干预实验流程与核心表现收益 accDescr: 展示了通过体动记录仪客观监测的睡眠干预措施以及最终对投篮命中率、反应时间和冲刺速度产生的显著提升 subgraph Intervention["干预阶段 (5–7 周)"] A["基线状态:存在累积睡眠债"] --> B["目标:每晚延长至 9–10 小时"] B --> C["体动记录仪监测:每晚实际睡眠增加约 1.5 小时"] end subgraph Gains["竞技表现收益"] C --> D["罚球命中率提升 9%"] C --> E["三分球命中率提升 9%"] C --> F["反应时间加快 12%"] C --> G["专项冲刺速度提高 4%"] end ``` 通过腕部体动记录仪(actigraphy)对运动员客观睡眠数据的监测显示,球员们在实验期间实际每晚比平时多睡了大约 1.5 个小时。主持人感叹道,在像英超足球联赛这样的顶级赛事中,整个赛季打完 38 轮后两队积分完全相同、仅靠微弱净胜球决定冠军归属的案例屡见不鲜;尤其对于守门员等高度依赖瞬间扑救反应的角色,12% 的反应速度增益绝对具有改变比赛走势的战略价值。 - **干预周期**:持续 5 到 7 周的睡眠延长方案。 - **睡眠增量**:球员平均每晚比干预前多睡约 1.5 小时。 - **投篮数据**:罚球命中率提升 9%,三分球命中率提升 9%。 - **机能数据**:反应时间加快 12%,多点往返冲刺耗时缩短 4%。 --- ### [14:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=851s) NBA 赛程预警与昼夜节律优势:周一橄榄球之夜的研究 睡眠与作息对竞技结果的影响绝不仅限于个人层面,更直接左右了整个球队与俱乐部的胜负走势。Dr. Cheri Mah 分享了她此前与 ESPN 合作开展的“NBA 赛程预警项目”(NBA Schedule Alert Project)。ESPN 曾向她提出挑战:能否完全不考虑交战双方的纸面实力差距,仅仅依据赛程安排(例如客场飞行距离、跨越时区频率、背靠背背负的疲劳等生物学因素),预测出球队在哪些比赛中面临极高的输球风险。在连续三个赛季的追踪中,Dr. Mah 仅凭赛程和作息因素就达成了 76% 至 86% 的准确预测率。 类似由昼夜节律主导比赛结局的现象在其他大型职业体育赛事中同样存在。例如一项针对 NFL“周一橄榄球之夜”(Monday Night Football)长达 25 个赛季的大数据研究显示,只要在西海岸与东海岸球队进行的夜间交锋中无脑押注西海岸球队,击败拉斯维加斯让分盘口(point spread)的概率高达 68%。而且无论比赛是在东海岸还是西海岸的主场进行,该定律均保持稳健。 背后的生物学机理在于:人体的体温、反应速度和运动神经表现在一昼夜的下午晚些时候至黄昏(下午 4 点至晚上 8 点左右)达到生理峰值,历史上许多世界纪录都是在这个“黄金窗口期”被打破的。由于客队通常只提前一天抵达赛场,其体内生物钟尚未完全调整: - 当比赛在西海岸晚上 7:00 举行时,东海岸球队因存在 3 小时时差,其体内生物钟感觉已经是深夜 10:00,生理机能开始下滑; - 当比赛在东海岸晚上 7:00 举行时,西海岸球队体内的生物钟正好对应着状态鼎盛的下午 4:00。 西海岸球队因此在长达 25 年的历史统计中始终享有隐性的生理优势。 --- ### [17:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1023s) 冲刺速度突破与体育界的观念转变 针对 2011 年男篮实验中的冲刺测试,主持人好奇这项体能指标是如何测量的。Dr. Cheri Mah 介绍,他们采用了高度标准化、球员极为熟稔的篮球专项冲刺折返跑测试:从底线全力冲刺到中场线折返,再从底线冲刺到全场底线折返。在经过数周充足的睡眠修复后,球员的冲刺测试平均耗时从基线期的 16.2 秒大幅缩减至 15.5 秒,形成了 4% 的实质性提速。 面对这样的震撼数据,职业体育界目前正在经历一场认知变革。过去许多球队完全忽视了睡眠科学、差旅作息规划与相关心理教育,但如今越来越多具有前瞻性思维的顶级俱乐部和精英选手开始意识到,睡眠是一张尚未被充分挖掘的“秘密王牌”。Dr. Cheri Mah 形象地将其比作一种完全合规、安全且健康的“合法兴奋剂”(performance-enhancing drug),因为在所有已知的生理调节手段中,极少有策略能够像优化睡眠一样同时换取反应能力、神经控制和体能表现的全面爆发。 --- ### [18:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1129s) 安德烈·伊戈达拉的职业生涯重塑 在谈及睡眠能否扭转乃至挽救一名运动员的职业生涯时,Dr. Cheri Mah 举出了前金州勇士队(Golden State Warriors)球星安德烈·伊戈达拉(Andre Iguodala)的经典案例。2014 年左右伊戈达拉加盟金州勇士时已经 28 岁,身为全明星球员的他敏锐地意识到自己未来迟早会面临状态下滑的黄昏期,因此极度渴望延长自身的巅峰竞争年限。然而他坦白承认,自己在过去的十年职业生涯中睡眠习惯极其糟糕。 伊戈达拉当年的日常作息是:通宵打游戏到凌晨,只睡几个小时便匆忙前往球馆训练,高强度练完球回家后再睡上 2 到 3 个小时的长午觉,周而复始。为了帮他在高强度联赛中维持竞争力,Dr. Cheri Mah 与其进行了长达数月的深度合作,为他量身重构了整套作息系统: - 重新制定睡前放松程序(wind-down routine); - 结合赛程对饮食结构和进食时序进行科学调整; - 缩短原先长达两三小时的过度小憩,将午睡时机卡准在更接近比赛跳球的时间点,以换取入夜比赛时的最佳警觉度与神经兴奋状态; - 提供化解大脑思绪杂乱(racing mind)的具体应对策略,从而彻底建立起一套科学前瞻的睡眠管理体系。 ### [20:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1207s) 安德烈·伊戈达拉的睡眠蜕变:数据量化与职业生涯延长 在调整睡眠习惯后的接下来的赛季中,金州勇士队时隔多年再次杀入总决赛并一举夺冠,安德烈·伊戈达拉更是斩获了总决赛最有价值球员(Finals MVP)。在此之后,他又随队夺得了三座总冠军奖杯,职业生涯总计四冠,并且将高强度的职业生涯硬生生延长了整整十年。当这些睡眠优化方案落地后,第三方机构对其赛场表现做出了详尽的数据量化。数据清晰地显示,随着他的睡眠时间从不足7小时提升至7.5小时乃至8小时以上,他在赛场上的发挥发生了翻天覆地的跃升。 伊戈达拉的三分球命中率直接翻倍,提升了整整两倍多(统计显示增幅高达218%);罚球命中率提升了8.9%,这一数字惊人地契合了切丽·马赫(Dr. Cheri Mah)此前在斯坦福男篮研究所得出的9%罚球命中率提升;他的每分钟得分效率提升了29%,而个人犯规数则大幅骤降了45%。对于一位本就处在NBA全明星级别最高竞技水准的球员来说,这样的数据飞跃是震撼人心的。伊戈达拉本人公开谈论过这些改变带来的质变,直言这“改变了他的一切”("it changed everything for him")。这不仅拓展了他职业生涯的长度,更挖掘出了连他自己都未曾预料到的潜在竞技能力,打破了他原本以为的极限天花板。 - **总决赛MVP与四冠王**:改善睡眠后斩获2015年FMVP,后续再夺三冠,职业生涯延长10年。 - **三分球命中率翻倍**:增幅达2倍(约218%)。 - **罚球命中率增长8.9%**:与斯坦福大学男篮睡眠研究中9%的提升幅度高度吻合。 - **效率与纪律提升**:每分钟得分增加29%,犯规率下降45%。 --- ### [22:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1325s) 打造“洞穴式”睡眠环境:黑暗与声音管理 面对斯蒂芬·巴特利特(Steven Bartlett)“如果换作是我,你第一步会从哪里入手”的追问,切丽·马赫博士详细拆解了她为伊戈达拉制定的实操策略。优化的首要切入点是睡眠环境:必须把卧室打造成一个犹如“洞穴”(cave)般的空间——极致的黑暗、安静、凉爽与舒适。对于光线,遮光窗帘和高质量眼罩是最简单却极具性价比的投资,无论在家中还是出差住酒店,眼罩都能有效阻断外部多余光线的干扰。 在声音控制方面,耳塞和白噪音机是不可或缺的工具。切丽·马赫强烈推荐便携式白噪音机,它能够掩盖垃圾车清运或室外施工等不可控的突发噪音。目前市场上甚至出现了智能自适应白噪音机,能够在外界发生关门巨响时自动调高音量进行声音遮蔽,随后再平缓降回。针对斯蒂芬提到自己从小习惯听着收音机入睡、成年后也喜欢放点音频才能睡着的困惑,马赫博士指出,如果已经习惯并且这能帮助身心放松,听收音机或播客完全没有问题;但她坚决反对开着电视入睡,因为睡前一小时暴露在电视的强光刺激下,极易引发神经兴奋。两人还风趣地调侃,斯蒂芬追问听《CEO日记》(The Diary Of A CEO)播客算不算科学认可的助眠方式,马赫博士幽默回应:“这至少能让你更关注自己的睡眠,并在今晚做出一项改变。” ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 洞穴式睡眠环境要素 accDescr: 包含黑暗、安静与凉爽三个维度的睡眠环境配置流程 subgraph CaveEnv["打造‘洞穴式’睡眠环境"] direction TB subgraph Dark["黑暗 (Dark)"] D1["遮光窗帘"] D2["旅行遮光眼罩"] end subgraph Quiet["安静 (Quiet)"] Q1["降噪耳塞"] Q2["智能自适应白噪音机"] Q3["可听轻缓音频/播客<br/>(避开电视屏幕强光)"] end subgraph Cool["凉爽 (Cool)"] C1["室温控制: 16-20°C"] C2["双温区温控床垫"] end end ``` --- ### [24:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1479s) 温度的奥秘:为什么睡前不要立刻洗热水澡? 睡眠环境的第三大核心支柱是温度。切丽·马赫强调,绝大多数人的卧室温度都明显偏高,而最有利于入睡并维持深度睡眠的理想室温应保持在华氏60至67度之间(约合摄氏16至20度)。对很多人来说这听起来可能有些偏冷,因此她建议每隔几天将温控器调低1到2度,循序渐进地找到最契合自身的体温舒适区。对于伴侣之间体感温度差异巨大的情况,现在市面上具备独立分区调温功能的智能床垫罩是极佳的解决方案。 针对斯蒂芬“洗完热水澡直接跳上床睡觉”的日常习惯,马赫博士给出了坚决的否定建议。她指出,洗热水澡或泡澡虽然极度解乏,但会使人体的核心体温迅速升高;而生理上入睡的前提条件恰恰是核心体温必须出现自然下降。如果在睡前直接洗澡,体温升高的外部信号就会与身体入睡的生理机制形成直接冲突。正确的做法是将洗澡时间提前至睡前1.5到2小时。提前泡澡或淋浴能促进外周血管扩张散热,在随后的降温过程中有力地“加速并放大”核心体温的自然下行趋势。多项研究表明,这种时间差调整不仅能显著缩短入睡潜伏期,还能有效增加前半夜对肌肉修复与细胞再生至关重要的深睡眠时间。 --- ### [26:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1604s) 睡前饥饿该怎么吃:复合碳水加精益蛋白质的加餐法则 关于饮食与睡眠的窗口期,斯蒂芬坦言自己经常面临现实困境:由于工作繁忙,他常常晚上10点才饥肠辘辘地到家,点个外卖送到手已经夜里11点;又或者下午5点早早吃了晚饭,到了夜里11点饿得前胸贴后背。虽然深知睡前大吃大喝会毁掉睡眠监测数据,但空腹饥饿感又让人根本无法入眠。 切丽·马赫表示,理想状态下确实应避免在睡前一小时摄入油炸、高脂、沉重的正餐,因为消化器官的满负荷运转会严重破坏睡眠结构。但如果确实饥饿难耐,盲目挨饿同样会引发夜间惊醒或入睡困难。此时的最佳策略是准备一份经过科学配比的“睡前轻食”(pre-sleep snack): 1. **热量与营养构成**:大约50%的复合碳水化合物搭配50%的精益蛋白质; 2. **消化特性**:选择在夜间缓慢消化的食物,持续平稳供能,护航人体安睡7至9小时直至早晨; 3. **推荐搭配**:全谷物麦片泡牛奶、茅屋奶酪(cottage cheese)搭配新鲜浆果、100%全麦饼干抹花生酱,或者是坚果坚果碎混合希腊酸奶配覆盆子。 这种组合既能迅速平息强烈的饥饿信号,又不会给胃肠道带来沉重的消化负担。 --- ### [29:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1748s) 摧毁睡眠的“终极配方”:酒精、咖啡因与重口味宵夜 在探讨完正向的睡眠优化后,斯蒂芬反向抛出了一个极具趣味性的假设:“如果我想彻底摧毁自己的睡眠,睡前吃什么、喝什么最见效?”马赫博士随即生动地罗列出了一套“睡眠自杀式菜单”。 首先是所谓的睡前“安眠酒”(nightcap),在临睡前连灌几杯高浓度酒精,制造出虚假的困意,实则彻底粉碎下半夜的REM快速眼动睡眠。其次是同步摄入高剂量咖啡因,直接给大脑的清醒中枢注入强心剂,让神经系统在接下来的数小时内处于极度亢奋状态。最后,再端上一顿极其沉重、油腻、油炸且重度以番茄为基底(tomato-based)的高脂大餐。马赫博士特意强调,番茄制品极易在平躺时诱发严重的胃食管反流(酸反流与烧心感)。当滚烫的胃酸、被酒精扰乱的神经与因咖啡因狂跳的心脏在深夜汇聚一堂时,不仅入睡成了折磨,整夜的睡眠结构也注定被彻底摧毁。 ### [29:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1798s) 睡前进食对睡眠的破坏与恶性循环 高脂油炸食品、番茄酱引发的胃酸倒流,以及酒精和咖啡因的摄入,都会在夜间对身体造成极大的劣势。当人处于睡眠不足的状态时,大脑往往会倾向于渴望高糖碳水化合物——选择膳食纤维更少、糖分更多的重度碳水食物。虽然睡眠与营养学交叉领域仍处于起步阶段,但越来越多的初步研究表明,睡前进食会直接改变睡眠结构,导致夜间觉醒次数增多,严重破坏睡眠质量。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 睡眠不足与不良饮食的恶性循环 accDescr: 展示了睡眠匮乏如何导致不良饮食选择,进而引发代谢压力并加剧睡眠剥夺的循环过程。 subgraph Cycle["恶性循环机制"] A["睡眠匮乏 / 疲劳"] --> B["神经对高糖高脂渴望增加"] B --> C["睡前摄入垃圾食品 (饼干/冰淇淋)"] C --> D["夜间心率偏高、代谢压力激增"] D --> E["REM 睡眠受损、多梦频醒"] E --> A end D -.-> F["长期后果: 体重增加及健康受损"] ``` 主持人分享了自己的亲身经历:在洛杉矶的一家酒店里,他因为忙碌一整天没吃东西,睡前忍不住吃掉了迷你吧里的一块曲奇饼干。尽管那一晚睡满了 8 小时,但第二天醒来却感到筋疲力尽,仿佛根本没睡。通过查阅智能穿戴设备 WHOOP 的数据,他发现自己平时的静息心率通常在 50 到 55 次/分之间,呈平稳直线;而吃了曲奇的那一晚,心率在最初三四个小时里始终维持在 75 次/分左右,身体就像整夜都在走路一样承受着代谢压力,快速眼动睡眠(REM)也受到了严重破坏。Dr. Cheri Mah 确认,睡眠匮乏会让人做出糟糕的食物选择,抓取饼干和冰淇淋等夜宵;而这反过来又会恶化睡眠质量,形成导致体重增加和健康受损的可怕恶性循环。 ### [33:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2004s) 应对大脑飞转的两步睡前准备法 许多精英运动员、表演者和创作者都有一个共同的痛点:临睡前大脑飞速运转(racing mind),各种灵感和思绪不断涌现。针对这个问题,Dr. Cheri Mah 介绍了一套结构化的两步放松流程,帮助大脑从白天的高速运转中平稳刹车。与其像在高速公路上以 60 英里的时速突然猛踩刹车跳上床,不如建立一个循序渐进的降速机制。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: 睡前大脑降速两步法 accDescr: 描绘了从床外的思维整理到床内的放松阅读的睡眠准备流程。 subgraph Step1["第一步: 床外思维整理 (5-10 分钟)"] direction TB A["在昏暗光线下离开床铺"] B["身体拉伸 / 深呼吸"] C["日记书写 / 待办清单梳理"] A --> B A --> C end subgraph Step2["第二步: 床内助眠活动"] direction TB D["在床上进行纸质书阅读"] E["全身心放松并进入睡眠"] D --> E end Step1 --> Step2 ``` 这一两步法的核心在于将思绪整理与床本身隔离开来: - **床外整理(5 至 10 分钟)**:每晚在昏暗光线、远离床铺的环境中进行。可以做轻度拉伸,或者进行深呼吸练习;如果更倾向于梳理思绪,可以在纸上写下日记或整理明天的待办事项(To-Do List),将繁杂的念头从大脑转移到纸面上。 - **床内放松**:完成上述步骤后再上床进行阅读。主持人提到 WHOOP 的年度数据显示,睡前阅读能使整个人群的睡眠质量提升约 5%,因为这既避免了蓝光刺激,又有效地安抚了神经。 ### [35:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2132s) 副交感神经系统与安德烈·伊戈达拉的干预全貌 睡前放松的生理本质在于自主神经系统的调节:需要抑制负责“战斗或逃跑”、导致心跳加快与过度思考的交感神经系统,同时激活负责镇静与修复的副交感神经系统,使生理和心理共同进入适合睡眠的状态。 Dr. Cheri Mah 进一步系统回顾了她在金州勇士队球星安德烈·伊戈达拉(Andre Iguodala)身上实施的综合睡眠干预方案: - **卧室环境重塑**:保持绝对黑暗、安静,将室温精准设定在约 67 华氏度(约 19.4 摄氏度),并将手机、平板等科技产品彻底移出卧室。 - **调整日间小憩策略**:取消过去长达数小时的超长小憩,将其严格压缩至 20 至 30 分钟,并精准安排在更接近晚间比赛的时间节点,以带来赛前的状态爆发。 - **延长夜间核心睡眠**:将他的夜间睡眠从不足 7 小时逐步拉长至 7.5 到 8 小时,系统性偿还多年累积下来的巨额睡眠债(sleep debt)。 ### [37:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2266s) 挽救职业生涯:莱恩·詹森与睡眠呼吸暂停的逆袭 不仅伊戈达拉借助睡眠突破了表现上限,对于另外一些运动员来说,解决睡眠问题则直接挽救了他们濒临破灭的职业生涯。典型的案例是 NFL 橄榄球运动员莱恩·詹森(Ryan Jensen)。詹森曾被巴尔的摩乌鸦队裁掉并下放至陪练组(Practice Squad),当时他的情绪状态极其恶劣,甚至无缘无故将母亲气哭。父亲意识到异样并严厉询问他:“你到底怎么了?你变得完全不像你自己。” 随后詹森接受了医疗检查,确诊患有严重的阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停(Sleep Apnea)——一种气道在睡眠中反复部分或完全塌陷、导致整夜睡眠极度破碎化的常见睡眠障碍。医疗团队为他配置了持续正压通气面罩(CPAP),利用气流在夜间持续撑开气道,使他重新获得了连续、深度的睡眠。 其带来的转变是惊人的: - **重返巅峰并签下巨约**:四年后,重获新生的莱恩·詹森与坦帕湾海盗队签下一份价值 4200 万美元的大合同,一跃成为 NFL 薪水最高的中锋之一。 - **夺得超级碗**:三年后的 2021 年,他携手传奇四分卫汤姆·布雷迪(Tom Brady)率队夺得超级碗冠军。 - **情绪调节机制**:睡眠剥夺会严重破坏大脑的情绪调控系统。当睡眠长期匮乏时,人的情绪调节中枢功能减弱,表现出极强的易怒、暴躁,行为完全被原始情绪所支配,进而伤害身边亲近的人。健康的睡眠不仅挽救了他的运动生涯,更挽救了他的家庭关系。 ### [39:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2398s) 情绪失控与杏仁核绑架:睡眠不足如何改变大脑与决策 当人类处于极度疲劳或睡眠匮乏时,日常情绪反应往往会发生剧烈转变。对此,Dr. Cheri Mah 解释道,这背后是大脑认知机制与体内激素共同作用的结果。充足睡眠与睡眠剥夺状态下的情绪调节能力存在天壤之别;缺乏休息时,大脑皮层无法理性权衡出最具战略意义的克制反应,转而退回到原始的“本能防御”状态。大脑的情绪与恐惧中枢——杏仁核(Amygdala)在此刻往往会接管主导权,导致人在社交和工作场景中表现出远超平时的急躁与易怒。 主持人 Steven Bartlett 对此感同身受。他分享了自己在深入了解睡眠科学后的切身习惯:在睡眠严重不足的日子里,他甚至会严肃地跟自己进行心理对话,提醒自己“今天整个人正被杏仁核绑架(I'm going to be in my amygdala today)”。因此,他会刻意避免在这些日子敲定重大决定,并尽量减少与团队的非必要交谈,以防自己在缺乏耐心和思考余量时做出过激、生硬的反应。 ### [41:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2504s) 贝佐斯的8小时睡眠哲学与“挑战者号”灾难警示 顶尖商业领袖与精英运动员在决策质量的追求上有着高度共鸣。Steven 提到了亚马逊创始人杰夫·贝佐斯(Jeff Bezos)推崇每晚必须睡足 8 小时的著名观点:作为一名大型企业的首席执行官,核心工作并非执行海量杂务,而是每天做出两到三个至关重要的高质量决策;如果决策是其工作本质,那么“好好睡觉”本身就是工作不可或缺的核心部分。Steven 坦言,自己有时每天需要坐在麦克风前连续录制 7 到 8 个小时,睡饱与缺觉时大脑运转与语言表达的连接顺畅度完全判若两人,“简直就像换了一个主持人和完全不同的人类”。 Cheri Mah 强调,充足的睡眠能显著降低认知失误率、改善价值判断,并在危机时刻提升反应速度。认知机能对睡眠短缺极其脆弱,历史上诸多极具破坏性的灾难都与关键决策者的疲劳状态密不可分。最著名的案例莫过于 1986 年美国“挑战者号”(Challenger)航天飞机的发射爆炸惨剧。事故最终调查报告明确指出,关键决策人员在面临严寒天气是否准予发射的生死抉择时,正是由于长期连续作战造成的严重睡眠剥夺与身心疲竭,直接导致了重大判断失误,最终酿成机毁人亡的历史悲剧。 ### [44:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2641s) 反应时间断崖与“适应少睡”的错觉:补觉需要多久? 在实验室中,神经反应时间(Reaction Time)与决策失误测试是评估睡眠受损程度最敏锐的金标准。Cheri Mah 援引了一项追踪不同睡眠时长群体的经典控制实验,直观展现了睡眠剥夺对神经系统的损伤轨迹: ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 睡眠时长与认知反应时间变化趋势 accDescr: 对比连续一周内每晚睡眠9小时、7小时、5小时与3小时对神经反应速度及判断稳定性的不同影响。 subgraph S9["每晚充足睡眠:9 小时组"] A["神经反应时间极其稳定"] --> B["判断严密,极少出现认知失误"] end subgraph S7_5["轻中度剥夺:7 小时与 5 小时组"] C["反应时间迅速衰退变慢"] --> D["中途出现表面上的『平稳平台期』"] D --> E["产生身体已习惯少睡的适应错觉"] end subgraph S3["重度剥夺:3 小时组"] F["神经反应速度全面崩溃"] --> G["注意力出现严重断档与判断崩盘"] end ``` - **9 小时组**:整整一周内反应时间保持高度一致,反应精准,极少发生认知错误或注意力疏忽。 - **7 小时组与 5 小时组**:反应速度迅速变慢,5 小时组下滑尤为剧烈。但随之会出现一个“水平平台期(leveling off)”。这一平台期极具欺骗性,常让人误以为身体已经“习惯并适应”了缺觉状态,但实验表明其反应基准线已大幅劣化。 - **3 小时组**:反应速度彻底崩溃探底,伴随频繁的注意力断片与严重判断瘫痪。 - **恢复期测试的残酷真相**:研究人员随后给睡眠不足的受试者安排了连续 3 晚、每晚在床 8 小时的“恢复性睡眠(Recovery Sleep)”。受试者主观上普遍反馈感觉精神焕发、状态好转,但客观仪器测试显示,7 小时、5 小时和 3 小时组的神经反应时间**完全没有**恢复到最初的基准线水平。 Cheri 指出,指望仅靠周末一两天“补觉”抹平神经疲劳完全是不切实际的幻想。身体要真正消除深层睡眠亏欠,通常需要“数周时间(multiple weeks)”的高质量睡眠延伸,其中前 1 至 2 周能带来最显著的边际改善。而在她针对职业棒球运动员的初步研究中也证实,哪怕只是连续 5 天每晚多睡 1 小时(如从 6 小时增至 7 小时,或从 7 小时增至 8 小时),运动员的认知反应敏捷度与大脑信息处理速度(processing speed)就能获得可衡量的显著提升。 ### [47:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2869s) 什么是真正的“睡眠债”:可以透支补还,但无法提前预存 针对学界与大众经常产生分歧的“睡眠债(Sleep Debt)”概念,Cheri Mah 给出了清晰的量化定义。她坚定站在“睡眠债确实会在体内累积”的科学阵营:假设人体生理基线每晚需要 8 小时睡眠,只要未能达标,差额便会像财务透支一样计入生物账本。 - **债务累加示例**:如果每晚只睡 6 小时,每天就会欠下 2 小时;周一至周五工作日 5 天连续少睡,身体便会累积整整 10 小时的睡眠赤字。 - **还债误区**:很多人认为周六赖床多睡到 10 小时就能满血复活,实际上周六多睡的 2 小时仅仅冲抵了 10 小时欠账中的 2 个小时,体内依然背负着 8 小时的巨额睡眠负债。 - **不能提前“存钱”,但必须及时还账**:人体并不具备类似“睡眠骆驼峰”的储能机制,我们无法为了应对下周的熬夜而在周末提前“预存(Bank/Surplus)”额外的睡眠以供未来透支。然而,对于近期(数天、数周甚至近一个月内)欠下的短期睡眠债,必须通过有计划的“睡眠延长(Sleep Extension)”逐步还清,唯有如此才能从底层修复神经反应机能、缓解慢性疲劳并重构竞技表现。 ### [49:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2981s) 睡眠债务的真实性与“睡眠储备”策略 Dr. Cheri Mah 解释了如何将睡眠作为一种前置策略来使用。如果你预先知道某一天会面临严重睡眠不足(例如一周后要赶一个大项目、通宵加班),最佳的应对方式是在前几天提前储备充足的睡眠,甚至主动延长睡眠时间。研究表明,带着充足的睡眠储备去迎接缺觉的日子,认知与身体机能出现的衰退幅度,会远远小于原本就已经处于睡眠剥夺(例如前几晚只睡 5 小时)的状态。 针对 Steven Bartlett 提出的疑问——“有什么证据能证明睡眠债务(Sleep Debt)确实存在?”,Dr. Cheri Mah 指出,她整个职业生涯的核心都在研究如何通过“睡眠延长干预”(Sleep Extension Interventions)来偿还睡眠债务。在对大学运动员(Collegiate Athletes)的长期实验中,研究团队发现许多运动员在日常基线状态下其实处于长期的疲劳之中:反应迟钝、判断力出现偏差、赛场发挥受限。然而,在保持相同训练量的前提下,通过干预让他们连续数周每天增加睡眠时长来“偿还”累积的债务后,运动员的疲劳感大幅下降,反应时间显著缩短,赛场整体表现全面提升。 Steven 追问道:这是否可能只是因为运动员头一晚睡得好,第二天训练得更卖力、肌肉刺激更充分,从而间接带来了提升?Dr. Cheri Mah 澄清,研究团队在实验设计中严格控制了训练量,并特意选择了训练强度恒定的周期。此外,随着赛季的推移,运动员通常会越来越疲劳,机能理应逐步下滑;但睡眠干预组不仅没有下滑,反而持续获得显著的机能收益,这直接证明了补足睡眠债务本身带来的生理与竞技优势。 --- ### [52:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3142s) 睡眠阶段与“肌肉记忆”的保存机制 Dr. Cheri Mah 纠正了一个常见的误解:许多人以为负责肌肉恢复的是快速眼动睡眠(REM),但实际上深度睡眠(Deep Sleep)才是身体与肌肉修复的核心阶段。在深度睡眠中,人体会释放出全天最大峰值的生长激素(Growth Hormone),主导组织的再生与体能复原。人类的整夜睡眠由浅睡眠、深度睡眠和快速眼动睡眠组成,每个循环大约持续 90 到 120 分钟,但各阶段的比例在整夜中并非一成不变:前半夜以深度睡眠为主,而后半夜到清晨则以快速眼动睡眠(做梦期)为主。这也是为什么人们常常在清晨醒来时,脑海中还停留着极其生动的梦境。Steven 也笑着证实了这一点,提到自己前一天早上五六点反常地早醒,当时就一直反反复复沉浸在几个极为生动的梦境里。 谈到快速眼动睡眠(REM)时,Dr. Cheri Mah 强调其关键作用在于认知、技能与记忆的巩固,也就是俗称的“肌肉记忆”(Muscle Memory)。她形象地将睡眠比作大脑的“保存键(Save Button)”: - 白天学习新知识或练习新动作技能后,如果不睡觉,这些记忆就像未保存的文件一样脆弱脆弱,无法扎实建立底层神经连接。 - 只有经过充足睡眠的巩固,短时记忆才会转化为长时储存,供日后快速提取。无论是学生背诵考试内容,还是运动员记忆复杂的战术手册(Playbook),都必须合理间隔学习周期并在其后保证睡眠,才能真正强化神经联结。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 睡眠阶段与生理功能划分 accDescr: 流程图展示了睡眠周期中深度睡眠与快速眼动睡眠在时间和功能上的不同分工。 subgraph NightCycle ["睡眠周期机制 (90 - 120 分钟/循环)"] A["入睡阶段 (浅睡眠)"] --> B["前半夜占主导: 深度睡眠"] B --> C["后半夜/清晨占主导: 快速眼动睡眠 (REM)"] end subgraph DeepRecovery ["深度睡眠核心功能"] B --> D["爆发性释放生长激素"] D --> E["肌肉组织修复与身体机能再生"] end subgraph REMConsolidation ["REM 睡眠核心功能"] C --> F["敲下记忆的『保存键』"] F --> G["巩固肌肉记忆、战术技能与认知学习"] end ``` --- ### [54:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3275s) 强效提神秘诀:什么是“咖啡盹”(Nappuccino)? 两人探讨了日间小憩的科学策略。Steven 提到了 Dr. Cheri Mah 论文中一个十分吸睛的概念——“咖啡盹”(Nappuccino / Coffee Nap)。Dr. Cheri Mah 详细拆解了这种利用咖啡因与睡眠协同增效的高效工具: 1. **先摄入咖啡因**:喝下一杯自己喜欢的含咖啡因饮品(如意式浓缩咖啡 Espresso)。人体吸收咖啡因并开始产生生理兴奋通常需要大约 15 分钟。 2. **立刻入睡 20 至 30 分钟**:喝完后迅速躺下,在咖啡因起效前的 5 到 10 分钟内入睡,进行一场 20 到 30 分钟的强力小憩(Power Nap)。 3. **双重叠加苏醒**:当你被闹钟唤醒时,咖啡因刚好完全起效,同时短时小憩带来的大脑疲劳消除效应也同时显现,“砰”的一声,整个人瞬间清醒。 临床研究显示,这种结合方式在提升专注度和认知机能上的效果与持续时间(数小时之久),远远优于单纯喝咖啡或单纯小憩。使用该技巧的关键在于必须在喝完后 10 分钟内入睡,且最好安排在上午晚些时候或午后早期,避免影响夜间睡眠。 --- ### [56:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3365s) 午睡的黄金法则与“睡眠惰性”陷阱 Steven 坦言自己过去一直觉得午睡毫无意义,因为他认为进入深睡眠或 REM 睡眠至少需要 45 到 60 分钟,如果睡 15 到 20 分钟根本无法进入深层阶段,那还有什么用?Dr. Cheri Mah 指出这恰恰是日间小憩的最大误区:**白天午睡的目的正是为了停留在浅层睡眠阶段**。 浅层睡眠本身就能提供立竿见影的精力和反应力提升,而一旦睡得过久(如 2 到 3 小时的长觉),大脑就会跌入深度睡眠。如果在深睡眠阶段被叫醒,就会陷入所谓的“睡眠惰性”(Sleep Inertia)——醒来后头昏脑涨、四肢酸软、精神萎靡,不仅无法正常工作或上场打球,还会严重削弱当晚的睡眠驱动力,导致夜间失眠。 - **小憩黄金时长**:上限建议控制在 **30 分钟以内**。 - **实操技巧**:设定闹钟时可以加上 5 到 10 分钟的入睡准备时间,确保实际睡眠维持在 20 至 30 分钟的浅睡区间。 --- ### [57:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3459s) 为什么你应该立即停止按“贪睡按钮”(Snooze Button)? 针对现代人普遍依赖闹钟“稍后提醒 / 贪睡按钮”(Snooze)的现象,Dr. Cheri Mah 明确表示自己极力反对这种习惯。她理解大家按下贪睡键再次闭上眼睛的快感,但这种行为对大脑的损害是隐蔽且巨大的。 清晨时段原本是大脑快速眼动睡眠(REM)最密集、连续性最强的关键时期,负责深度加工前一天学到的技能和记忆。如果一个人设了闹钟后每隔 5 分钟按一次贪睡按钮,赖床半小时(相当于连按五次),这半小时的睡眠就会被完全撕碎: - 闹钟响起将你从宝贵的 REM 睡眠中硬生生拽出; - 随后几分钟内你只能勉强重新跌入低质量的浅睡眠,根本无法重建稳态的 REM 阶段; - 这种极度碎片化的浅睡毫无修复价值,反而剥夺了大脑整整 25 分钟高价值的巩固机会,直接损害学习、记忆整合以及醒来后的清晰度。 Dr. Cheri Mah 提出的务实改善建议是:如果实在无法立刻起床,最多只允许自己按**一次**贪睡按钮,5 分钟后必须坚决起床。最理想的状态则是把闹钟直接定在必须起床的最后一刻,享受连贯、未被打断的高质量清晨睡眠。 ### [59:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3562s) 贪睡闹钟的代价与快速眼动睡眠(REM) 对话承接上一环节关于贪睡闹钟(Snooze Button)的讨论。Cheri Mah 博士深入阐述了睡眠周期在清晨阶段的特点:在整个夜间睡眠中,快速眼动睡眠(REM sleep)主要集中在后半夜和清晨时段。这一阶段对于记忆巩固、认知整合与情绪调节至关重要。如果设置多个闹钟不断按下贪睡键,或者人为将清晨的睡眠切得支离破碎,就会破坏宝贵的 REM 睡眠阶段,让人陷入低质量的浅睡眠(Fragmented Light Sleep)。 Steven 恍然大悟地总结道,如果早晨多躺 25 分钟,应该把这完整的 25 分钟全部交给深度连贯的 REM 睡眠,而不是被几分钟一次的闹钟弄得支离破碎。因此,最佳做法是将闹钟直接设定在真正需要起床的时间点,一次性起立,从而最大限度地保障睡眠质量与记忆巩固的完整性。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 贪睡闹钟对清晨快速眼动睡眠的影响对比 accDescr: 对比连续睡眠与多次贪睡闹钟对 REM 睡眠的影响机制 subgraph BrokenSleep["❌ 多次按下贪睡闹钟"] A1["清晨提早闹响"] --> A2["强行打断 REM 睡眠"] A2 --> A3["陷入断断续续的浅睡眠"] A3 --> A4["醒来头脑昏沉、记忆巩固受损"] end subgraph DeepSleep["✅ 闹钟设在唯一起床时间"] B1["一觉睡到必须起床点"] --> B2["完整保留清晨高浓度 REM 阶段"] B2 --> B3["自然完成记忆巩固与脑功能修复"] B3 --> B4["精力充沛,神清气爽"] end ``` ### [01:00:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3610s) 作息类型(Chronotype)与个人时间管理 当 Mah 博士问 Steven 是不是那种喜欢赖床按贪睡键的人时,Steven 坦白自己其实极少按贪睡键,但他有一套专门适配自身生物钟的独特生活机制。他提到自己一直坚信自己是个“夜猫子”(Owl Chronotype),虽然他有时也会自我怀疑这是否只是给自己熬夜找的借口。他发现在深夜时分自己的思维格外清晰,灵感迸发,写作和思考都处于巅峰状态。为此,他给自己制定了一条铁律:**每天上午 11 点之前绝不安排任何会议或通告**,包括当天的这期播客也是定在上午 11 点才开始。这样即便前一天深夜入睡,他也能保证自然醒而无需设置刺耳的闹钟。 Steven 略带疑虑地向 Mah 博士请教这种做法是否次优(Suboptimal)。Mah 博士明确表示这其实是一个极佳的策略,并证实了“作息类型”在科学上的真实存在: - **作息类型(Chronotype)的生物学本质**:人群中存在明确的生物钟偏好分型。夜猫子(Evening Owls)天生倾向于晚睡晚起,并在夜间表现出更高的认知与工作效率;晨型人(Morning Larks)则习惯早起早睡,在早晨精力最旺盛;还有相当一部分人群处于两者之间,没有极端的倾向。 - **顺应天性而非强行对抗**:Steven 能够掌握自己时间的主动权,让工作日程配合自身的昼夜节律,不仅避免了睡眠剥夺,还实现了无闹钟自然醒。 - **现代社会的错位压力**:绝大多数夜猫子面临的困境在于社会制度(如固定朝九晚五的上班考勤、育儿责任和清晨会议)强行推行早起机制,导致夜猫子们既无法早入睡,又被过早强行叫醒,长期处于慢性睡眠欠债状态。 ### [01:02:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3766s) 青少年生物钟延迟与学校开学时间之争 受到作息类型话题的启发,Steven 回顾了自己的学生时代。他提到自己上学时在课堂上表现极差,注意力无法集中,成绩一团糟,甚至经常翘课或在课上呼呼大睡。虽然他在 30 岁时被确诊患有注意力缺陷多动障碍(ADHD),这能解释为什么深夜他的大脑依然亢奋且沉迷游戏寻求刺激,但他强烈怀疑当时的困境很大程度上是因为学校开始得太早——每天早晨 7 点半就得挣扎着爬起来赶 8 点半的课,对一个天生夜型的孩子来说简直是酷刑。 Mah 博士对此深表认同,并指出这在公共卫生和教育领域是一个长期探讨且取得重要突破的课题: - **青少年生物钟的生理学漂移**:进入青春期后,人体的昼夜节律生物钟会自然而然地发生向后推移(Phase Shift)。青少年往往在深夜才能分泌褪黑素入睡,并在清晨需要更长时间的睡眠,这是生理发育规律使然,而非单纯的叛逆或懒惰。 - **加利福尼亚州的立法改革**:由于持续十余年的详实学术研究证据积累,加州正式通过立法推行新规(初中不早于上午 8:00,高中不早于上午 8:30 上学),成为全美首批通过推迟中学开学时间来保障青少年睡眠的地区之一,其他各州也在陆续跟进。 - **推迟上学时间带来的实证益处**: - 学生出勤率显著提高,缺课率大幅下降; - 学习成绩和平均绩点(GPA)普遍改善; - 青少年心理健康问题、抑郁及焦虑倾向明显降低; - 晨间青少年驾车发生交通事故的概率大幅减少。 ### [01:04:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=3872s) 给家长的睡眠建议与科学家自身的育儿困境 谈到家庭对睡眠的重视程度,Mah 博士指出,良好的睡眠卫生习惯和睡前规律应该从幼儿时期就开始系统培养。现在的成年人大多从未受过任何科学的睡眠教育,往往要等到身体亮起红灯甚至进入中年才去弥补。如果家长能够从孩提时期就赋予孩子正确的睡眠认知工具,不仅有助于孩子的终身健康,也能促进整个家庭的作息良性循环。 随后,Steven 问及 Mah 博士的私人育儿近况:“你的儿子多大了?”Mah 博士笑着透露自己的宝宝才 11 个月大。Steven 顺势打趣追问这位顶尖睡眠专家自己的睡眠状况如何。Mah 博士坦率承认:“老实说,我现在其实非常疲惫。”面对新生儿半夜啼哭和频繁醒来照料的客观现实,哪怕是睡眠科学家也无法逃脱睡眠中断的生理规律。 她向大家展示了如何在客观条件受限时进行“战略性自救”: - **灵活利用能量小憩(Power Naps)**:夜间为了照看宝宝多次中断睡眠后,在白天抓住空隙进行精准的日间短暂补觉; - **三维度补偿策略**:在无法保证充足“睡眠时长”(Duration)的情况下,全力以赴优化“睡眠质量”(Quality)与“睡眠时机”(Timing),包括彻底优化卧室遮光与温度环境、严格遵守睡前放松程序,尽可能减少身体代偿损伤。 ### [01:07:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4067s) 职业体育实战案例:费城老鹰队与跨时区旅行应对 在简短探讨了 Shopify 作为商业平台在转化率(比其他平台高出 36%)等方面的优势后,对话重新回到竞技体育领域的睡眠应用。Steven 询问在 Mah 博士的所有咨询经历中,哪些案例最令她感到自豪,或者对她的睡眠思维模式产生了根本性的塑造。 Mah 博士重点提及了她在 2017 年与 NFL 费城老鹰队(Philadelphia Eagles)的深度合作。这支队伍在该赛季最终夺得了超级碗冠军,而科学的睡眠干预在其中扮演了关键角色: - **睡眠素养全员教育**:改变职业运动员“睡得少证明更努力”的错误文化,让球员理解睡眠对肌肉生长、反应速度与运动表现的直接推动作用; - **定制化睡前风控程序(Wind-down Routine)**:针对高强度比赛和训练后的交感神经亢奋状态,制定系统化的平复与放松机制; - **全流程跨时区旅行管理**:针对客场比赛跨越不同时区的痛点,制定精确的光照控制、作息前移或后移方案,将时差(Jet Lag)对竞技状态的负面影响降到最低。 ### [01:08:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4102s) 差旅睡眠策略:告别“恐慌式打包”与行前储备 对于经常需要出差或长途旅行的人来说,缺乏清晰的应对方案是导致严重时差反应和差旅疲劳的主要诱因。Dr. Cheri Mah 指出,绝大多数人在出行时毫无策略可言,往往只是盲目登机,落地后再被动硬扛着去适应新环境。科学的差旅管理必须包含三个阶段的清晰战术:起飞前(Pre-flight)、飞行中(In-flight)以及落地后(Post-flight)。在起飞前阶段,首要任务就是彻底戒除“恐慌式打包”(Panic packing)。许多人习惯在起飞前一晚熬夜收拾行李,硬生生将睡眠时间压缩到仅剩四五个小时,带着严重的睡眠赤字上飞机,这会让后续的时差反应和旅途疲倦成倍加剧。 针对这一点,主持人 Steven Bartlett 笑着承认自己正是典型的打包拖延者。即使这次要在洛杉矶停留整整两周,他也只带了一个登机箱,并且是在出发去机场前的一个小时才匆忙打包。Steven 调侃道,正因为自己每天都穿款式一模一样的衣服,打包才极其简单,但他也不得不承认,这确实侵占了原本可以用来补觉的宝贵时间。Dr. Cheri Mah 建议,无论是清晨还是深夜打包,只要影响了睡眠时长,就应该提前一至两天有条不紊地完成。在出行前的一到两天内,务必保证至少 7 小时以上能让自己状态满格的充足睡眠;如果带着睡眠剥夺的状态进入机舱,不仅时差感会更加剧烈,人们在机场也更容易向高糖高脂的牛角面包妥协,从而彻底打乱身心节律。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 三阶段差旅睡眠应对方案 accDescr: 展示飞行前、飞行中与落地后的核心应对策略流程 subgraph PreFlight ["起飞前 (Pre-flight)"] direction TB A["提前1-2天打包<br/>避免恐慌式压缩睡眠"] --> B["行前保证7+小时睡眠<br/>储备精力与代谢韧性"] B --> C["提前2-3天微调作息<br/>早睡早起+清晨日光"] end subgraph InFlight ["飞行中 (In-flight)"] direction TB D["全程充分补水<br/>戒除酒精与过量咖啡因"] --> E["向目的地作息对齐<br/>调整进食与小憩时间"] E --> F["备齐差旅睡眠工具包<br/>眼罩/耳塞/降噪耳机/颈枕"] end subgraph PostFlight ["落地后 (Post-flight)"] direction TB G["策略性光照管理<br/>特定时段晒太阳或戴墨镜"] --> H["规避高压日程与极量训练<br/>防范急性伤病风险"] H --> I["利用小憩与咖啡因<br/>平稳度过午后精力低谷"] end PreFlight --> InFlight InFlight --> PostFlight ``` ### [01:10:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4226s) 跨时区调整与体内生物钟的提前重置 若要跨越多个时区,最聪明的做法是在登机前就主动引导体内的昼夜节律发生偏移。以美国本土从西海岸飞往东海岸的 3 个时区差为例,旅客可以在出发前两到三天开始,每天刻意提早 30 分钟入睡并提早 30 分钟起床。清晨醒来后立刻接受室外自然光照射,因为晨光是向大脑下达“重置生物钟”指令的最强生物信号。通过在出发前两三天进行微调,当真正踏上目的地土地时,身体需要跨越的其实只剩下 1 到 2 个时区,从而大大缩短了不适期。 - **时区重置法则**:业界通行的黄金法则是“每跨越一个时区,人体在生理上平均需要约一天的时间才能完全重新适应”。 - **隐性生理脱节**:即使旅客在抵达的第一天感觉良好,其深层的生理代谢和体温节律也并未真正完成同步,主观感受与生理机能之间往往存在脱节。 ### [01:11:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4289s) 飞行途中策略、睡眠装备包与褪黑素的利弊 进入机舱后,对抗时差的战斗正式打响。Dr. Cheri Mah 强调,高空机舱极其干燥,脱水会显著加剧时差综合征,因此全程持续补水至关重要。旅客应尽早把手表和心理预期切换到目的地时间,并依此安排机上进食与闭目休息的节奏。她极力推荐经常出行的商务人士与运动员打造一套专属于自己的“差旅睡眠工具包”(Travel sleep kit),包括高品质遮光眼罩、隔音耳塞、主动降噪耳机以及贴合颈椎的旅行枕,依靠这些物理工具在非理想的高空环境中随时创造出适宜入睡的微环境。 当 Steven 追问睡眠药物与褪黑素(Melatonin)的效果时,Dr. Cheri Mah 分析指出,褪黑素在辅助将生物钟“向前推进”(即促使作息提前)时确实具备科研证据支撑,但它绝非毫无副作用的万灵药: - **宿醉式迟钝反应**:使用褪黑素可能导致次日清晨苏醒后感到昏昏沉沉、思维迟滞(Groggy and sluggish),这对需要极高敏锐度的职业运动员尤其不利。 - **监管缺失与剂量虚标**:在美国,褪黑素作为膳食补充剂并不受美国食品药品监督管理局(FDA)的严格处方药监管。研究显示,市售褪黑素产品的实际成分含量跨度极大,部分产品的真实含量甚至超过了包装标签标示值的 400%,也有产品严重低于标注量。 - **职业运动员的合规选择**:对于顶尖专业运动员,团队通常只允许使用经过独立第三方检测的 NSF 运动认证(NSF Certified for Sport)版本,以确保不含违禁杂质且剂量精确。 ### [01:13:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4416s) 落地后的光照管理、差旅应用与恢复节律 Steven 分享说,他和团队出差时都会使用一款时差管理 App(如团队成员 Will 提前截图发给 Steven 的行程指引),该类应用能根据航班起降地精确提示何时该进食、何时该禁食以及何时睡觉,帮助身体迅速锚定新时区。Dr. Cheri Mah 极为认可这种数据驱动的规划,同时进一步补充了机舱内与抵达后的关键注意事项: - **严格规避机上酒精与咖啡因**:在飞机上饮酒或摄入咖啡因会进一步破坏睡眠架构、加重脱水,导致着陆后的真正睡眠变得支离破碎。 - **策略性规避光照与使用墨镜**:阳光是调节生物钟的最强媒介,但并不意味着晒得越多越好。根据出发地与所跨越的时区方向,生物钟在特定时间段接受光照反而可能向错误的方向漂移。因此在某些时段,必须按照科学指导佩戴深色墨镜出门,物理阻隔日光刺激。 - **落地首日的缓冲保护**:刚抵达的第一天,不建议安排决定成败的关键商务谈判;职业运动员更应严禁在此期间进行极限强度体能训练,因为急性时差状态下的神经肌肉控制力下降,受创伤的风险会显著攀升。 - **利用“小憩+咖啡因”渡过生理低谷**:人体通常在下午 1:00 至 4:00 间会出现天然的警觉度低谷(Circadian dip)。跨时区后这一低谷可能发生位移,此时战略性地安排 20 分钟以内的强力小憩(Power nap)并适量搭配咖啡因,是平稳过渡的最优解。 ### [01:16:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4561s) 床的唯一用途法则与性爱对睡眠的影响 谈到睡眠环境的心理设定时,Dr. Cheri Mah 提出了极其坚决的行为学原则:“床只能用来做两件事——睡觉和性爱(Sleep and sex in bed, and that is it)。”绝大多数现代人常犯的一个严重错误,就是躺在床上刷手机、用笔记本电脑办公或处理杂务。这种行为会强化大脑的条件反射,让神经系统建立起“躺在床上等同于保持清醒和思考”的神经联结。因此,不论是睡前的放松流程(Wind-down routine)还是梳理纷乱思绪的减压动作,都必须移至床铺之外的独立空间进行。唯有将清醒活动与床铺彻底解绑,才能在躺下的瞬间触发身体的睡眠开关。 对此,Steven 提出了更深入的疑问:伴侣同床或睡前性行为究竟会改善还是破坏睡眠质量?他结合自身生活体验坦言,睡前发生性关系往往能让自己睡得更香甜踏实,非常想探讨这一亲密行为背后的科学机制。 ### [01:17:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4621s) 睡前性生活与床伴对睡眠的影响 在探讨睡眠与性行为的关系时,Dr. Cheri Mah 指出目前科学界虽然缺乏足够资金支持的大规模深入研究,但床伴的存在本身就会对睡眠产生显著干扰。例如伴侣翻身、肢体动作以及打鼾等情况,都极易导致同床者夜间频繁微觉醒(micro-arousals)。 而在性行为方面,许多人从经验上反映性高潮有助于放松身心、巩固睡眠并提升主观上的睡眠质量。不过从严肃的临床研究来看,该领域的高质量实证文献依然相对匮乏,许多结论主要停留在经验反馈层面。 --- ### [01:17:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4654s) 常见迷思:午睡与“睡得过多”(Oversleeping) 当主持人 Steven Bartlett 询问她最常被公众问及的问题时,Dr. Cheri Mah 提到了两点:其一是午睡时长(她始终主张控制在20至30分钟的短时小憩);其二则是“人是否可能睡得过多”。 针对“睡多了反而更疲惫昏沉”的现象,Dr. Cheri Mah 澄清这并不是因为生理上“睡眠过剩”,而是由以下几个关键机制所致: - **睡眠节律大幅漂移**:很多人周末睡10小时,往往是将就寝与起床时间整体推迟了数小时(例如平时早晨8点起,周末延后至11点),强行打破了昼夜节律。 - **长期睡眠债释放与假象揭开**:平日处于高强度刺激和忙碌工作下的身体被动紧绷,掩盖了真实的疲倦;一旦停下来放松长睡,深层积累的慢性睡眠债务(Sleep Debt)完全显现,让人误以为是“睡多了导致疲倦”。 - **长时间脱水**:连续在床上躺9至10小时未补充水分,机体处于轻度脱水状态,晨起易产生乏力感。 针对主持人提到的“睡眠超过10小时人群全因死亡率与心理疾病风险更高”的统计学文献,双方深入探讨了其因果倒置问题:长期睡眠超长(10至11小时)往往是伴随抑郁症、慢性代谢疾病或行动受限等原发病症的“合并并发症(comorbidity)”,而非健康人群多睡一晚导致的直接致病后果。 --- ### [01:19:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4774s) 隐形杀手:阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停(OSA)与打鼾 社会普遍将打鼾视作随年龄增长的无害生理现象,但 Dr. Cheri Mah 严厉反驳了这种观点,警告打鼾极可能是阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停(Obstructive Sleep Apnea, OSA)的危险信号。该病症表现为睡眠期间上呼吸道部分或完全塌陷,导致血氧下降与睡眠结构高度碎片化,患者往往醒来后依然感到昏沉,必须依赖大量咖啡因或白天频繁打瞌睡勉强维系清醒。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停影响路径 accDescr: 展示气道塌陷如何导致睡眠结构碎片化及次生健康风险 subgraph Pathophysiology["病理机制"] A["上呼吸道软组织塌陷<br/>(肥胖或颈部解剖异常)"] --> B["呼吸暂停与血氧骤降<br/>伴随打鼾/憋气惊醒"] B --> C["夜间频繁微觉醒<br/>睡眠结构严重碎片化"] end subgraph Symptoms["典型临床表现"] C --> D["晨起无解乏感<br/>清晨3-5点无故早醒"] C --> E["日间极度嗜睡<br/>重度依赖咖啡因/小憩"] end ``` - **高患病率与低就诊率**:30至70岁人群中,约有26%(四分之一以上)患有不同程度的睡眠呼吸暂停,但大量患者直至60至70岁才确诊,贻误了干预时机。 - **高危体征与警示信号**: - 床伴观察到呼吸暂停、停顿、大口喘气或呛咳惊醒。 - 清晨3点至5点之间无明显诱因频繁苏醒。 - **易感人群差异**:虽然肥胖和颈围粗大是经典风险因素,但体型极为精瘦结实的年轻顶级职业运动员,同样会因颌面与颈部解剖结构特点成为高危人群。 --- ### [01:22:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4938s) 借口拆解:“我没有时间睡觉” 面对大众最常用的借口——“我太忙,根本没有时间睡够”,Dr. Cheri Mah 认为这本质上不是时间问题,而是优先级配置问题: > “我们所有人一天中至少能抽出5分钟来建立睡前放松流程,优化卧室环境,或者购置基础的睡眠工具。” 对于运动员声称“休赛期再补觉,赛季内必须全力以赴”的言论,她尖锐地指出这是完全本末倒置的逻辑。带着高额睡眠债务进入常规赛乃至季后赛,就等于开局便落后于那些在休赛期还清睡眠债、以满血状态保持体能的竞争对手。 --- ### [01:23:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5032s) 睡眠剥夺与运动损伤风险:生物力学视角的实证 关于睡眠缺乏与运动损伤的关联,Dr. Cheri Mah 引用了令人警醒的研究数据: - **青少年运动员**:每晚睡眠不足6小时,与疲劳相关的运动损伤发生率显著飙升。 - **1.7倍损伤风险**:在成年与专业运动员中,每晚睡眠少于8小时的人群,其运动损伤风险是睡足8小时者的 **1.7倍(即高出170%)**。 在解释损伤机制时,Dr. Cheri Mah 分享了她开展的一项早期生物力学试验。研究追踪了连续多日睡眠不足的精英运动员在执行标准垂直纵跳(Vertical Jump)时的动态表现: - **动作一致性崩解**:充足休息时,顶尖运动员能极其稳定地复现最优神经肌肉协调模式。 - **力学变异性剧增**:睡眠不足时,跳跃与着地过程中髋关节、膝关节的协同运动模式产生剧烈变异,代偿机制介入,极大地增加了韧带与关节结构的急性或慢性损伤概率。 --- ### [01:25:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5135s) 凌晨早起为什么会产生强烈饥饿感? Steven 提出一个切身体会:平时早晨8点起床他并无饥饿感,但如果为了赶早班飞机在凌晨3点或4点醒来,便会立刻感到饥肠辘辘。 Dr. Cheri Mah 解释道,突然将作息提前数小时相当于在没有乘坐飞机的情况下人为制造了“社交时差(Social Jetlag)”。人体的生物钟(Circadian Clock)原本设定在更晚时间启动代谢,骤然提前开工迫使代谢内分泌轴发生急性移位,刺激食欲调节激素分泌异常,引发强烈的空腹感。 ### [01:26:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5177s) 睡眠不足如何扰乱激素:瘦素、饥饿素与体重管理 当生物钟被迫提前唤醒时,身体往往会出现类似时差反应的症状,包括胃肠道不适、疲惫乏力等,即便人们并未真正搭乘飞机跨越时区。史蒂芬·巴特利特提到,这种强烈的疲倦伴随着饥饿感,本质上其实是一种激素驱动的生理反应。切丽·马博士(Dr. Cheri Mah)对此给出了肯定的解释,明确指出控制食欲的两个关键激素是瘦素(Leptin)与饥饿素(Ghrelin)。饥饿素负责向大脑传递饥饿信号,而瘦素则带来饱腹感。当人体缺乏充足的睡眠时,这两种激素的分泌平衡会被严重打破——饥饿素飙升而瘦素骤降。 这种激素失衡直接促使人们在深夜对高碳水、高热量的不健康食物产生无法克制的渴望。长期以往,不仅极易导致体重增加,还会让身体失去调节体重的正常代谢能力。马博士透露,当有来访者困惑于自己为什么始终无法达成减重或塑形目标时,她首先调查的就是对方的睡眠情况。许多人根本没有意识到,调整并改善每晚的睡眠质量,往往才是实现体重管理目标的决定性突破口。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 睡眠不足对食欲激素与体重的影响 accDescr: 展示睡眠匮乏如何通过失衡瘦素与饥饿素引发夜间高碳水渴望并导致体重管理失败 subgraph Hormonal_Shift["激素调节失衡"] A["睡眠不足 / 生物钟紊乱"] --> B["饥饿素 (Ghrelin) 上升<br/>食欲显著增加"] A --> C["瘦素 (Leptin) 下降<br/>饱腹感迟钝"] end subgraph Behavioral_Impact["行为与代谢后果"] B & C --> D["深夜渴望高碳水与垃圾食品"] D --> E["热量摄入过量与代谢紊乱"] E --> F["体重失控 / 塑形目标受阻"] end ``` ### [01:27:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5252s) 夜间醒来正常吗?浅睡眠觉醒与潜在诱因解析 播客制作团队的杰克(Jack)插话请教,表示自己目前的睡眠状态整体不错,但总会在半夜醒来,这是否属于睡眠呼吸暂停等病理现象,抑或夜间醒来本身是正常的生理节律。马博士澄清了一个极具普遍性的误区:许多人误以为理想的睡眠应当是“头一沾枕头就人事不知,整夜一动不动直到天明”,但事实完全并非如此。夜间短暂醒来其实极其普遍,如果半夜醒来去一次洗手间,并在回到床上后的五到十分钟内顺利重新入睡,这属于完全正常的健康睡眠范畴。 睡眠周期是在不同睡眠阶段(浅睡、深睡与快速眼动期)之间不断切换的动态过程,在周期过渡阶段出现微觉醒(Awakenings)是正常现象。有些觉醒是人有意识记住的,而大量微觉醒则是无意识发生的,通常只有佩戴智能穿戴设备时才能在数据图表上被捕捉到。然而,如果夜间频繁清醒、醒后难以复睡,且这种情况持续数周并严重损害日间的认知与精神状态,就需要引起警惕。导致夜间异常频繁醒来的诱因多种多样: - **外部环境刺激**:卧室的噪音、光线泄漏或室温波动。 - **化学摄入干扰**:睡前摄入酒精(导致后半夜睡眠碎片化)或下午晚些时候摄入的咖啡因。 - **心理压力**:持续思绪飞转、焦虑的大脑无法进入平稳的副交感神经主导状态。 - **伴侣干扰**:床伴翻身、打鼾或作息不一致。 - **病理性睡眠障碍**:潜在的阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停(Sleep Apnea),若伴随早醒且白天昏沉,必须及时就医排查。 ### [01:29:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5355s) 酒精对睡眠结构的破坏与“睡眠医生”的饮酒建议 史蒂芬进一步询问饮酒到底会在百分比上对睡眠产生多大程度的损害。马博士坦言,虽然很难给出一个通用的精确百分比数字,但大量严格的科研数据一致证实,中度到重度的酒精摄入与高度碎片化的睡眠直接相关。酒精会显著增加夜间觉醒的频率,严重破坏睡眠质量和深层次恢复机制。 因此,如果第二天有一场至关重要的商务会议、专业比赛,或者单纯希望在次日保持巅峰状态,前一晚都应当严格限制甚至杜绝饮酒。马博士打趣道,在专业睡眠医学界流行一句行内调侃:“想喝酒就在刚起床时喝(Drink when you wake up)。”医生们宁愿人们在清晨或午后早些时候小酌,也绝不建议在临睡前饮酒,因为只有留出足够的时间让身体在入睡前代谢掉酒精,才能避免深层睡眠结构遭到摧毁。 ### [01:30:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5410s) 传统终极提问:如果能抹去人生最大的错误,你会回去改变吗? 节目进入终盘环节,迎来了每期由上一位飞行嘉宾留下、提问者与回答者互不知晓身份的传统提问。上一位嘉宾留给切丽·马博士的问题是:“如果你能回到过去纠正自己犯过的最大错误,但这将彻底改变后续的一切,且没有任何结果保障,你愿意去做吗?” 马博士毫不犹豫地回答:“不,我不会去改。”她坚定地认为,人的一生注定会犯错,正是这些错误教会了人们如何适应、如何反省,并将人生推向新的方向。这一切最终塑造了当下的自我、决定了与谁相遇同行、如何构建未来的生活。即便重来一次可能走上一条完全不同的康庄大道,她也绝不愿用如今真实的人生去冒险交换。 当史蒂芬追问她听到这个问题时脑海中是否浮现出了某个具体的“最大错误”时,马博士坦承自己从未纠结于此。她在个人生活与职业发展中固然犯过错,也曾有过“要是当时换种做法就好了”的遗憾,但她始终将这些经历视作不可或缺的磨砺。学会不重蹈覆辙并从中进化,才是成就今天自己的根基。 ### [01:31:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5496s) 摆脱“熬夜勋章”:睡眠不是一天的结束,而是明天的开始 史蒂芬感同身受地反思了自己对睡眠认知的巨大转变。在十八岁初次创业直到二十六岁左右的漫长岁月里,他曾是狂热的“熬夜勋章团(Badge of Honor Burnout Brigade)”成员,盲目地将少睡视为炫耀的资本,以为对外宣扬自己睡得极少却能做成很多事是一件令人钦佩的成就。然而现在的他深刻意识到,极致专注地捍卫睡眠才是他如今高生产力的真正支柱,甚至为自己立下了“除非有不可抗力,否则上午十一点前绝不安排任何行程”的铁律。 马博士高度赞同这种认知的觉醒,并为所有听众和顶尖运动员提供了一个关键的思维重塑角度: > “不要把睡眠看作是今天的结束,而要把它视作明天的开始(Sleep is not the end of today, it's the beginning of tomorrow)。” 你今晚为入睡所做的身心准备、为达标时长所做的努力,将全方位决定你明天的大脑运转速度、与人沟通的情绪稳定性以及竞技场上的真实表现。睡眠绝非可有可无的妥协项,而是一切卓越表现的底层基石。她鼓励每个人从今晚开始为自己的睡眠做出微小的调整与优化,只要付出耐心,这种长期积累的红利完全足以彻底改变一个人的职业生涯与生命轨迹。 ### [01:33:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5629s) 社交渠道、足球俱乐部的反馈与对谈结语 在对谈结尾,马博士公布了自己的联系方式与社交账号,听众可以在 Instagram、X(原 Twitter)、Facebook、LinkedIn 等平台上搜索 `@DrCheriMah`,或直接访问其个人官方网站 `drcherimah.com` 获取更多科学睡眠指导。 史蒂芬对马博士的研究表达了深切感谢。他透露,包括曼联(Manchester United)的健康管理团队以及切尔西足球俱乐部(Chelsea FC)在内的众多顶级体育界专业人士,都是本档播客的忠实听众。两周前他在酒店与曼联团队交流时,大家探讨的核心主题正是睡眠与整体运动表现之间密不可分的纽带。马博士开创性的科研工作打破了“睡眠可以随意牺牲”的陈旧偏见,不仅深刻赋能了职业运动员,也将彻底启发每一个渴望提升生活品质的普通人。节目在双方的真诚致谢中圆满结束,随后切入赞助商天然抹茶能量饮料 PerfectTed 的推荐介绍。 ### [01:35:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5727s) 节目赞助商 PerfectTed 专属优惠与结语 Steven Bartlett 谈到了自己在主持播客时维持精力的秘诀。他表示,在录制节目时常常需要与嘉宾进行长达三到六个小时的深度对话,而 PerfectTed 抹茶能量饮料不仅风味极佳,更能带来他一直在寻找的持久而平稳的能量支持。正是因为对这款产品的高度认可,他不仅成为了 PerfectTed 的早期投资人,该品牌也成为了本期播客的赞助商。 在节目尾声,Steven 为《The Diary Of A CEO》的听众争取到了专属的限时重磅福利。他开玩笑地嘱咐大家“别告诉其他人”,只要在结账时输入专属折扣码,就能直接享受高额优惠。该活动仅限线上购买且时间有限,他特别提醒想要提升日常精力的听众千万不要错过这次机会。 - **长时精力支撑**:有效支持长达 3 至 6 小时的播客录制与高强度对话,提供稳定持久的精力补充且口感极佳,促使 Steven 亲自注资成为该品牌投资人。 - **听众专属优惠**:在 PerfectTed 官网结账时输入优惠码 `DIARY40`,即可获得限时专享的 40%(六折)独家折扣。 ## Notable quotes > [02:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=121s) 如果你没有达到最佳睡眠状态,你就绝不可能展现出最好的自己;反之,睡眠达到顶峰,你的表现才能达到顶峰。 — Dr. Cheri Mah > [02:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=121s) 如果我现在能提供给你一样东西,它完全免费、对健康百利无害,还能让你思维更清晰、决策更精准、心情更愉悦、效率更高,你会想要吗? — Dr. Cheri Mah > [20:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=1207s) 改变了他的一切 — 安德烈·伊戈达拉 > [37:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2266s) 你到底怎么了?你变得完全不像你自己。 — 莱恩·詹森的父亲 > [39:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=2398s) 今天整个人正被杏仁核绑架 — Steven Bartlett > [01:16:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4561s) 床只能用来做两件事——睡觉和性爱 — Dr. Cheri Mah > [01:22:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=4938s) 我们所有人一天中至少能抽出5分钟来建立睡前放松流程,优化卧室环境,或者购置基础的睡眠工具。 — Dr. Cheri Mah > [01:29:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5355s) 想喝酒就在刚起床时喝 — Dr. Cheri Mah > [01:30:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5410s) 不,我不会去改。 — Dr. Cheri Mah > [01:31:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk&t=5496s) 不要把睡眠看作是今天的结束,而要把它视作明天的开始 — Dr. Cheri Mah ## Mentioned Dr. Cheri Mah, Steven Bartlett, 安德烈·伊戈达拉 (Andre Iguodala), 汤姆·布雷迪 (Tom Brady), 西蒙·拜尔斯 (Simone Biles), 莱恩·詹森 (Ryan Jensen), 杰夫·贝佐斯 (Jeff Bezos), 斯坦福大学睡眠医学中心 (Stanford Sleep Medicine Centre), NBA, 金州勇士队 (Golden State Warriors), 旧金山巨人队 (SF Giants), 费城老鹰队 (Philadelphia Eagles), 巴尔的摩乌鸦队 (Baltimore Ravens), 坦帕湾海盗队 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), 曼联足球俱乐部 (Manchester United), 切尔西足球俱乐部 (Chelsea FC), ESPN, 耐克 (Nike), 安德玛 (Under Armour), Shopify, WHOOP, PerfectTed, 持续正压通气面罩 (CPAP), 挑战者号航天飞机灾难 (Challenger Disaster), 美国睡眠医学会 (AASM), 美国食品药品监督管理局 (FDA) ## Video description Quicker decision making and faster reaction times, here's how you sleep like an Olympian Dr Cheri Mah is a sleep scientist and Professor at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Centre, specialising in the relationship between sleep and performance in elite athletes. 0:00 Intro 01:59 What do you do and why do you do it? 04:22 Who do you work with? 07:06 What are the misconceptions about sleep? 10:46 Study that increases performance by 12% 14:11 NBA players losing based on schedule 17:03 Players who slept more sprinted faster 18:49 Athletes who have changed their careers by focusing on sleep 22:05 Where to start getting better sleep? 23:18 Does sound/music hurt sleep quality? 24:39 Does temperature matter? 26:44 Food timing for better sleep 29:09 The food to eat before bed that will destroy your sleep 34:03 What to do for a racing mind? 35:34 What is the parasympathetic nervous system? 39:40 Emotional link to better sleep 41:44 Perception change on the importance of sleep 44:01 Cognitive performance and sleep 47:49 Sleep debt and how it works 52:22 Muscle memory and its connection to sleep 54:35 What's a nappucino? 56:05 Do naps work? 57:39 Is the snooze button bad? 01:00:10 Are there different chronotypes? 01:02:46 Does school start too early for kids? 01:04:32 What parents should know 01:07:47 Sleeping travel tips 01:12:13 Sleeping drugs 01:16:01 Does sex before sleep hurt quality of sleep? 01:17:34 What is the most popular question Cheri Mah gets asked? 01:20:21 How common is sleep apnea? 01:22:17 What excuses do we hear for prioritizing sleep? 01:23:52 Sleep and injury proneness 01:25:35 Waking up early makes Steven hungry 01:27:32 Is waking up in the middle of the night normal? 01:29:15 How much does alcohol affect my sleep 01:30:10 Guests last question Follow Dr Cheri: Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/9kmHGQ1DHLb Twitter - https://g2ul0.app.link/9NTFNX3DHLb You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb Follow me: https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb Sponsors: PerfectTed: https://bit.ly/PerfectTed-DOAC with an exclusive code DIARY40 for 40% off [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybq6V74qRk)

Source quotes

[2:01] Dr. Cheri Mah: 如果你没有达到最佳睡眠状态,你就绝不可能展现出最好的自己;反之,睡眠达到顶峰,你的表现才能达到顶峰。 [2:01] Dr. Cheri Mah: 如果我现在能提供给你一样东西,它完全免费、对健康百利无害,还能让你思维更清晰、决策更精准、心情更愉悦、效率更高,你会想要吗? [20:07] 安德烈·伊戈达拉: 改变了他的一切 [37:46] 莱恩·詹森的父亲: 你到底怎么了?你变得完全不像你自己。 [39:58] Steven Bartlett: 今天整个人正被杏仁核绑架 [76:01] Dr. Cheri Mah: 床只能用来做两件事——睡觉和性爱 [82:18] Dr. Cheri Mah: 我们所有人一天中至少能抽出5分钟来建立睡前放松流程,优化卧室环境,或者购置基础的睡眠工具。 [89:15] Dr. Cheri Mah: 想喝酒就在刚起床时喝 [90:10] Dr. Cheri Mah: 不,我不会去改。 [91:36] Dr. Cheri Mah: 不要把睡眠看作是今天的结束,而要把它视作明天的开始

Source quotes

[0:00] Dr. Cheri Mah: If you don't sleep your best, you will not be your best. [7:06] Dr. Cheri Mah: When you experience what it feels like to be well rested, you never want to go back. [36:28] Dr. Cheri Mah: He was eventually tested, diagnosed, and then put on treatment through what's called a CPAP... 4 years later, Ryan Jensen comes back, signs a $42 million contract... and then 3 years later in 2021 wins the Super Bowl. [39:40] Steven Bartlett: If his job is to make decisions, then his job is also to sleep because the variance I see in even my own decision-making when I'm slept and underslept is just unbelievably staggering. [47:49] Dr. Cheri Mah: Conceptualize it like this: if you need 8 hours and you get 6 hours, you have 2 hours of debt... If you sleep in on Saturday and get 10 hours, you've paid back 2 hours, but you still have 8 hours left to go. [90:10] Dr. Cheri Mah: Sleep is not the end of today; it's the beginning of tomorrow.

Original transcript

[0:00] I was 86% correct on accurately [0:02] predicting when an NBA team will be at [0:04] highest risk of losing strictly based on [0:06] the sleep oh gosh yes and just 15 or 30 [0:10] minutes can make a difference so let's [0:12] dive into just some very practical [0:14] strategies to get the best sleep [0:16] possible Dr sharim ma is a renowned [0:18] sleep doctor and performance expert [0:20] whose sleep optimization research has [0:22] enhanced the careers of CEOs as well as [0:24] athletes in the NFL MLB and Formula 1 [0:27] and has provided lifechanging expertise [0:29] to companies like under aror and Google [0:31] for my Elite athletes that I work with [0:34] sufficient sleep it's a game Cher for [0:36] example we saw 12% faster Reaction Time [0:39] a 9% Improvement in free throws and a 4% [0:42] increase in Faster Sprint time and when [0:45] you experience what it feels like to be [0:47] well rested you never want to go back [0:49] getting insufficient sleep and it [0:50] doesn't have to be these big jumps I'd [0:52] love to dig into that okay so i' have a [0:54] shower then I get straight into bed [0:55] after is that good or bad tweak the [0:57] timing of your shower and your hot bath [0:59] to just an hour or two before bed it's [1:02] hard to grasp how much of a difference [1:04] this can make in your life what about [1:06] sex does it have an impact on your sleep [1:09] okay so is there anything that I can eat [1:11] before bed that won't disrupt my sleep [1:12] but will get rid of The Hunger there's a [1:14] pre-sleep meal for example cereal and [1:16] milk cereal and the reason why is [1:18] because and then I read this fascinating [1:21] word nappuccino yes this is a useful [1:23] tool if you're a working professional [1:25] and you need a little boost and [1:26] alertness and performance what you do is [1:31] the DI of AO raffle is about to close [1:35] anyone that subscribes to the DI ofo [1:36] before we hit 7 million subscribers [1:39] which is probably going to be in a [1:40] couple of days time you will be included [1:42] in the raffle and on the day we hit 7 [1:44] million subscribers we are giving away a [1:46] lot of money can't buy prizes to all of [1:49] you so hit the Subscribe button get in [1:51] before 7 million and I'll announce the [1:53] prizes and the winners in the comments [1:55] below when we hit 7 million subscribers [1:58] [Music] [2:01] Dr M what is it you do and why is it so [2:07] important in your mind that you do [2:09] it great question so I am a sleep [2:12] physician um but I spend a lot of my [2:15] time and career trying to educate and [2:18] and advocate for people to prioritize [2:21] sleep right this fascinating process [2:23] that each of us does every single night [2:25] and arguably is about a third of our [2:27] lives but many individuals don't do this [2:30] very well or they you know sacrifice it [2:32] and overlook this area I very much [2:35] believe if you don't sleep your best you [2:38] will not be your best or counter to that [2:41] is if you your if your sleep is best [2:44] you'll be at your best and what that [2:46] means if I unpack that a little bit more [2:48] is we often are sacrificing our sleep [2:50] we're underslept we often don't have [2:52] good quality sleep it we're very [2:55] reactive to our sleep at night time and [2:57] it's the last thing that we think of at [2:58] the end of the day when we wrap [3:00] everything up um and that's arguably not [3:02] going to put ourselves up to be the best [3:05] we can be in the following day right and [3:08] for my Elite athletes that I work with [3:10] when you actually get sufficient sleep [3:13] you have practices that you plan into [3:16] your day and you actually are more [3:18] proactive with that it can be a game [3:21] Cher and for them when it comes to [3:23] performance on the field that can be the [3:25] difference of a 9% Improvement in free [3:28] throw shots it can mean reacting 12% [3:31] faster and so until you experience that [3:35] it sometimes is hard to grasp how much [3:37] of a difference this can make in your [3:39] life but it is one of the foundations [3:42] that will impact everything about how [3:43] you function your mood how you feel and [3:46] ultimately perform the following day if [3:49] I could offer you or yes you [3:51] specifically see if I could offer you [3:53] something that's free and healthy and [3:56] safe that's going to help you think more [3:59] clearly make better decisions be in a [4:02] better mood be more productive and [4:04] efficient would you want it of course [4:07] how much exactly and so it's really a [4:10] decision of whether you want to invest [4:13] uh your time to be able to be more [4:14] proactive with this particular area of [4:17] your life to get the benefits that come [4:19] down the road with it who do you work [4:21] with give me a sort of broad spectrum of [4:24] the individuals organizations that [4:26] you've worked with on sleep and why have [4:29] they come to you I've had an opportunity [4:32] to work with a number of professional [4:34] sports teams and athletes as well as [4:36] organizations over the years to try and [4:38] apply the science into practice to help [4:41] them improve their sleep their [4:42] scheduling and their travel so for [4:44] example I've been with the San Francisco [4:46] Giants in Major League Baseball I've [4:49] worked with um NBA teams like the Golden [4:51] State Warriors uh NFL teams like the [4:54] Philadelphia Eagles I won a Super Bowl [4:56] ring in 2017 with them to um other [5:00] sports organizations like Nike and under [5:03] arour and ESPN to try and show how you [5:06] can predict when NBA teams will lose [5:08] strictly based on the schedule and [5:11] insufficient sleep opportunities um to [5:13] individual athletes who recognize you [5:15] know hey this is an area that I am not [5:19] optimizing and I know this can be such a [5:22] valuable asset to extend my career to [5:24] prevent injuries down the road and to [5:26] help me be at my best do you ever work [5:28] with CEOs I do I do work with Executives [5:32] and seite um um Executives to try and [5:35] help them be their best because they too [5:37] are high performers right their [5:39] performance outcomes are maybe a little [5:41] bit different than pro athletes where [5:43] we're quantifying on field performance [5:45] and looking at their swim times and what [5:48] they're doing when it comes to the you [5:50] know onc court or on field um [5:53] performance outcomes but for these [5:54] Executives they arguably are also making [5:56] incredibly important decisions they have [5:58] to still react when they're under [6:00] pressure and they have to make good [6:01] judgment calls and so many of the things [6:04] that I coach and and try to recommend to [6:07] my lead athletes are very much [6:09] applicable to the SE Suite executive or [6:12] even just the working professional [6:14] that's really what what I found so [6:15] fascinating about your research and your [6:16] work is that although there's a focus on [6:19] athletes as someone who is also [6:21] traveling is also very very busy also um [6:25] struggles with sleep sometimes because [6:26] I'm I have to perform late at night [6:28] whether that's on stage or with meetings [6:29] or whatever it might be I resonated with [6:32] so much of it and I also train in the [6:35] gym pretty much every day if I can um [6:38] and I've also noticed a correlation [6:40] between things like injury in the gym [6:43] based on how I'm sleeping in my quote [6:45] unquote sleep de but I but I I want to [6:48] confront two things the first thing I [6:49] want to confront is the misconceptions [6:50] around sleep that you encounter over and [6:52] over again what are the like big [6:54] overarching misconceptions that stand in [6:56] the way of people believing in and [6:59] implementing the advice that you give [7:02] them I'll start with just this badge of [7:05] honor that I really believe still [7:06] persists in society where you should get [7:08] only four or five hours of sleep and [7:10] should be able to perform at your best [7:12] and I think the tides are turning and I [7:14] do think that that is changing over the [7:16] last several years where there are more [7:19] vocal Advocates of um you know Elite [7:23] athletes like the Tom Brady who you know [7:26] say everything is around performance [7:27] enhancement I going need to go to to bed [7:29] early so that I can wake up early and to [7:32] be ready to go for the day to you know [7:34] the Simone bios who says I need to get 8 [7:36] hours of sleep and so I think that that [7:39] is a badge of honor that is now shifting [7:41] and now it's going to become well if [7:43] you're not getting your 8 n 10 hours of [7:46] sleep right then you're actually at a [7:48] decrement to yourself and you're [7:50] actually not going to set yourself up to [7:52] be the best that you could possibly be [7:54] whether you're on the field as a pro [7:55] athlete or whether you're leading an [7:57] organization or trying to go after [7:59] whatever ever it is that matters to you [8:01] right and and I think that's going to [8:03] continue to shift but I'm excited about [8:05] it because that's one thing until you [8:07] experience that that difference and that [8:10] life transformation of what it feels [8:12] like to be well rested then it can be a [8:15] game changer you never want to go back [8:16] to it again when you're getting [8:18] insufficient sleep are there any [8:20] misconceptions around how to sleep in [8:22] sleep hygiene and um I know the [8:25] quantities of sleep weeny that also seem [8:28] to stand in people's way [8:29] of them getting a great night's sleep [8:32] yeah so I think that there is a [8:33] misconception that everyone needs a [8:35] certain amount of sleep there's [8:36] individual variability so the the [8:39] recommendation from the American Academy [8:41] of sleep medicine and the Sleep research [8:43] Society so two of our national [8:44] organizations here in the US recommend [8:46] minimally 7 hours of sleep but that's [8:48] the lower threshold you might actually [8:50] need 8 hours or 9 hours or more to feel [8:53] well rested right I I personally feel [8:55] terrible on seven hours and I much more [8:57] need the eight to nine hours and there's [9:00] those in that individual differences so [9:02] you need to find what you feel well [9:04] rested you're able to function well at a [9:07] high level during the day and that will [9:10] then be your individual requirement so I [9:12] think there's this misperception that [9:14] everyone needs a certain amount but you [9:16] need to find what works for you and it's [9:17] all about small changes so if you're not [9:20] at 7 hours I think you shared sometimes [9:22] you're you're you're under that oh yeah [9:23] sometimes yeah you know it's about F 15 [9:27] or 30 minutes more can make a difference [9:29] refence so if you're getting 6 hours [9:31] then I'm going to recommend getting 15 [9:33] minutes or 30 minutes more every day for [9:36] this one week and then get 15 or 30 [9:38] minutes more next week so that you're [9:40] building from say 6 hours of sleep to 6 [9:42] and a half hours and you may not think [9:44] that that's that much but we can all do [9:46] 15 minutes more right we're less [9:47] scrolling or doing what we're wrapping [9:50] up our day but those 15 minutes add up [9:52] where that's a difference of like an a [9:54] student to a b student or 11 minutes [9:56] more sleep is the difference of a b [9:58] student to a c student in one of these [10:00] studies really exactly and then over the [10:03] course of a week 15 minutes will be [10:05] almost 2 hours more sleep than if you [10:08] didn't what was the study so this was a [10:10] study done um in high school students [10:13] but looking at the difference of how [10:14] much they're sleeping versus their [10:17] correlation to to grades and so that [10:19] 15minute difference was shown to be that [10:22] A to B student 11 minutes from that B to [10:24] C student oh gosh yes so it doesn't have [10:28] to be these big jumps [10:29] but small changes over time will will [10:32] add up the the study I have in front of [10:34] me here which I've printed out um also [10:37] highlights the importance of sleep for [10:39] everybody but also specifically in this [10:41] case for athletes can you walk me [10:44] through this study and what you found in [10:46] this particular study on the adult male [10:48] basketball players yes and how you [10:50] conducted the study so in the study we [10:53] looked at the men's basketball team and [10:55] we really tried to examine if we [10:57] extended their sleep over 5 to 7 weeks [11:00] encouraging them to get 9 or 10 hours of [11:03] sleep every single night to B pay back [11:06] what we call an accumulated sleep debt [11:08] would we see any impact on performance [11:11] outcome specifically would we see an [11:13] impact on reaction time their fatigue [11:15] levels and would we see an impact on [11:18] their onc Court performance specifically [11:20] free throw shots three-point shots [11:22] Sprint time and these are measures that [11:25] we would do after every regular practice [11:28] and over the course of those 5 to 7 [11:30] weeks we demonstrated that we saw a 9% [11:32] Improvement in free throws a 9% [11:35] Improvement in three-point shots we saw [11:37] a 12% faster reaction time and a 4% [11:41] increase in uh faster Sprint time and so [11:45] these were the quantification which was [11:48] novel at the time was what was quite [11:49] fascinating because it wasn't that 1% [11:52] that I think many Elite athletes are [11:54] trying to find every small way to adjust [11:57] their training to get that 1% better [11:59] better because in Elite Sport that 1% [12:01] can be the difference right of being at [12:03] the top versus not but this was arguably [12:06] 9% or even double digits for Reaction [12:09] Time depending on the outcome and so [12:11] we've expanded that looking at other [12:13] sports as well but this was one of the [12:14] first ones to show that it really [12:17] potentially could have a significant [12:18] impact on performance outcome for these [12:20] athletes how much did they sleep more [12:22] per night to get those results yeah so [12:25] they did so we did quantify objectively [12:27] through a uh what's called actigraphy it [12:30] looks like a wearable nowadays um and [12:33] then compar that also with what they [12:34] thought they were getting and so we did [12:36] extend their sleep um uh substantially [12:39] over I believe an hour and a half uh [12:42] compared to what they were getting prior [12:44] to the study because getting 9% more [12:47] free throws or three-point shots or 12% [12:51] better reaction time is quite frankly [12:53] for some teams the difference between [12:55] like winning a championship and not yeah [12:57] because I think about the Premier League [12:58] often which is it's soccer I guess [13:01] football um often time there's been [13:04] leagues within my lifetime there's been [13:05] years in my lifetime where both teams [13:07] have um tied with the same amount of [13:09] points and one is one just on the amount [13:10] of goals they've scored they've just [13:12] scored a couple more goals so after 38 [13:14] games they both have the exact same [13:16] points and the winner is just the person [13:17] that scored like a couple more goals but [13:20] even you think of reaction times you [13:21] think of goalkeepers in in soccer their [13:23] whole game is reaction time so if you [13:25] can increase your reaction time by 12% [13:27] it's really really staggering [13:30] it can be a game changer and I think [13:31] that's what has been so fascinating with [13:33] some of the athletes or organizations [13:35] and teams I've worked with who have made [13:37] it to the most important games and those [13:40] championships because the hope is that [13:43] you've invested not just the night [13:46] before that championship game but you've [13:47] invested an entire season even starting [13:50] in the off season on cultivating better [13:52] habits to give yourself that foundation [13:55] and be able to leverage these strategies [13:57] that the other team is not because we [14:00] know that it significantly can impact [14:02] not just the individual level on [14:04] performance outcome but organizations as [14:06] a whole and I think one example of that [14:08] is um I partnered with ESPN to do what [14:11] was called the NBA schedule alert [14:13] project where they ask can you predict [14:15] Dr ma when NBA teams are going to be at [14:18] risk of losing games strictly based on [14:20] the schedule so not factoring in [14:23] strength of team but based simply on [14:26] their schedule where they're traveling [14:28] to how many times are crossing these [14:30] various factors does it affect [14:32] organizations as a whole and teams and [14:35] their game outcomes as you mentioned and [14:37] over three seasons I was 76 to 86% [14:40] correct on accurately predicting when an [14:43] NBA team will be at highest risk of [14:45] losing strictly based on the schedule so [14:47] in the spirit of the project we didn't [14:49] factor in strength of team but to me [14:51] that was staggering because there's many [14:54] other factors that maybe are not always [14:56] considered to be as clearly important [15:00] about you know this travel schedule up [15:02] front but hey maybe these factors really [15:04] do play and influence um game outcomes [15:07] in this way and that's not the only [15:08] thing that has obviously shown that [15:11] organizations and teams as a as a whole [15:13] will have differences performance [15:15] outcome there's other studies like the [15:17] Monday Night Football study that showed [15:19] if you simply bet on a West Coast team [15:23] when they play an East Coast West Coast [15:25] matchup during night games over 25 [15:28] seasons you'd beat the Las Vegas point [15:30] spread 68% of the time and so if you're [15:33] able to predict with with greater [15:35] accuracy then obviously there is [15:37] potentially some gambling outcomes that [15:39] could work in your favor here but really [15:41] being able to show that you would be [15:43] able to benefit and predict better than [15:46] what the spread will be between the the [15:48] two teams over is that because the West [15:51] sorry the West Coast team has gone which [15:54] who's who's traveled it doesn't matter [15:56] it simply matters that the West Coast [15:58] team is playing the east Coast team [15:59] during night games so this can happen on [16:01] the west coast it can happen on the East [16:03] Coast the reason why is because [16:04] performance is enhanced in the late [16:06] afternoon to evening around 4: to 8:00 [16:09] in both scenarios the body clock of the [16:12] West Coast team because they typically [16:15] go out just the day before the game it [16:18] feels like they're on the west coast [16:20] okay right so when you're a West Coast [16:23] team and you stay there and the East [16:25] Coast team comes out the East Coast is [16:27] three hours later so what is a seven [16:29] o'clock game on a West Coast feels like [16:32] a 10 o'clock game for a East Coast team [16:34] got you same thing applies when the West [16:37] Coast team goes east coast even if it's [16:39] a 7:00 game there yeah the West Coast [16:42] feels like it's a 4:00 body clock yes [16:45] and so that special window of around 4: [16:48] to 8:00 p.m. when world records are [16:49] broken and performance in a 24-hour day [16:53] is is optimal and that is leveraged then [16:56] over those 25 Seasons that the West [16:59] Coast will have more favorable outcome [17:01] overall got you so in this study you did [17:03] in 2011 that was published in 2011 one [17:06] of the things I read as well is that [17:07] players who had slept more in your study [17:11] sprinted [17:13] faster I mean quite quite dramatically [17:15] faster as well I I think from 16.2 [17:18] seconds at the start of the study versus [17:21] 15.5 seconds at the end yes over what [17:23] distance was that yes so that was from [17:25] the Baseline to half court to Baseline [17:27] to full court and back so we chose a [17:29] very standardized [17:31] sprinting uh sprinting drill that they [17:34] are familiar with that we could [17:36] replicate after every regular practice [17:37] as you imagine not everyone on the team [17:39] was participating on in this study and [17:41] so they did this after every regular [17:43] practice and that ended up being a 4% [17:46] difference in Sprint time that is pretty [17:48] crazy do do do professional teams know [17:51] this do athletes know this are they [17:53] aware of this or is this something [17:54] that's fairly new some are aware and I [17:57] think the momentum is shifting towards [18:00] more athletes more teams recognizing [18:02] that this is an untapped competitive [18:05] advantage that this is an area that they [18:08] may or may not have implemented specific [18:11] strategies or education or or planning [18:14] for when they travel but I think the [18:16] more Forward Thinking organizations [18:19] teams and athletes are starting to pick [18:22] this up and starting to recognize that [18:24] they can use this as a weapon right as a [18:27] performance-enhancing drug if you may [18:29] because it is safe it's healthy it's [18:31] effective and we know that it will be [18:34] one of the only things that can give you [18:36] these performance benefits um and and [18:39] those are the ones that are trying to [18:41] Leverage The Science into application [18:43] for optimizing yeah their sleep at [18:45] nighttime have you seen athletes [18:47] individual athletes change and save [18:50] their careers when I say change I mean [18:52] change the trajectory of their career or [18:54] save their careers because they focused [18:57] on their sleep and can you give me some [18:58] examples of that yes Golden State [19:01] Warriors Andre Iguodala he's someone who [19:03] I worked closely with he came to the [19:05] Warriors back in around 2014 he was [19:09] already an Allstar he was 28 at the time [19:12] knew that his career was going to [19:15] probably be sunsetting at some future [19:17] time but wanted to extend it as long as [19:18] possible but he knew he wasn't doing [19:20] sleep best as possible he was very open [19:24] about sharing how he would stay up till [19:26] the we hours in the morning playing [19:27] video games would sleep for a few hours [19:30] go to practice play for a few hours come [19:32] home and take a 2 to three hour power [19:33] nap and that was his routine for for 10 [19:36] years um and he said you know how do I [19:39] improve how I approach my sleep I know [19:41] that this is important as an athlete to [19:44] who wants to play in the league as long [19:45] as possible so I had the opportunity to [19:47] work with him over several months to [19:49] help him recraft how he approached to [19:51] sleep including a wind down routine [19:54] thought about some of his nutritional [19:55] choices tried to shorten his naps time [19:58] them closer to game time to give him the [20:00] Boost and alertness and performance be [20:03] able to manage a racing mind and be able [20:05] to have just a more proactive approach [20:07] to his sleep in a really neat way The [20:10] Following Season the Warriors went to [20:12] the championship for the first time in [20:15] many years they won he came back with [20:17] the finals MVP he subsequently has won [20:21] three more championships with them so [20:23] four in total and extended his career [20:25] for 10 years when we made these changes [20:28] there was a quantification of the [20:30] performance enhancement so a third party [20:32] Quantified as he went from under seven [20:34] to seven and a half to more than eight [20:36] hours he had a two-fold increase in his [20:39] threo percentage he had a [20:42] 88.9% increase in his free throw shots [20:46] which very interestingly is the exact [20:48] same 9% that I showed in my man's [20:50] basketball study that had the same 9% [20:54] Improvement in free throws he had a 29% [20:58] Improvement in his points per minute a [21:00] 45% decrease in his fowls and so you [21:04] know these numbers are pretty staggering [21:06] again for someone who's already at the [21:08] highest level as an Allstar and it's not [21:10] to take anything away from Andre but he [21:12] has been very vocal about the difference [21:14] this made as he changed these habits it [21:16] he says it changed everything for him [21:19] and I think that that's you know a very [21:21] inspiring story of what it can mean to [21:25] extend your career and be able to almost [21:27] tap into this additional performance [21:29] capacity that I think even he was [21:31] surprised about that he for the first [21:34] time was able to improve beyond what he [21:38] already thought was his best and I think [21:40] that's what's so inspiring because this [21:42] is something that's accessible to all of [21:43] us to be able to tap into that little [21:45] bit more so not only did he win the most [21:46] valuable player award but his [21:48] three-point conversion went up [21:53] 218% yes so during the time that I had [21:55] worked with him his three-o percentage [21:57] went up twofold during that time it begs [22:00] the question what did you do to [22:03] him and you know you named a couple of [22:05] things there but I'd love to dig into [22:06] some of those key points sure um where [22:09] you started with him the specific sort [22:11] of implement things that you implemented [22:13] into his um sleep hygiene and so that if [22:17] I am him the day that you met him when [22:20] he was taking those naps and staying up [22:21] late which I often do to be fair um [22:24] where would you start with me and where [22:25] did you start with him okay so let's [22:28] dive into is just some very practical [22:30] strategies that I started to challenge [22:31] him with which was we'll start with his [22:34] sleep environment we want to make your [22:36] sleep environment like a cave really [22:39] dark quiet cool and [22:42] comfortable dark cave so dark blackout [22:46] curtains eye mask are some of the [22:48] easiest tools that you can grab but are [22:50] incredibly helpful and great investment [22:52] to be able to use that both at home and [22:54] then when you travel so that if you're [22:56] in a non-ideal environment like a hotel [22:58] room you have for example an IM mask [23:00] that can help dampen out the the light [23:03] uh making it quiet so [23:05] earplugs uh also a white noise machine [23:07] I'm a huge fan of even a small travel [23:09] white noise so that you can actually [23:11] mask over external noises that you may [23:13] or not be able to control I'm someone [23:15] that tells myself that I sleep with [23:17] something playing for I grew up with a [23:19] radio in my room so when I'm as an adult [23:21] now I'm always looking to play something [23:23] as I fall asleep is that going to hurt [23:25] my Sleep Quality I would say if you're [23:27] accustomed to this would say that's fine [23:29] to continue to do so I am not a fan of [23:31] having the TV on and having the bright [23:33] light exposed um to you in that hour [23:36] before bedtime because it also can just [23:38] be very psychologically stimulating but [23:40] if like you said it's a radio or it's a [23:42] podcast that you feel is helping you [23:44] relax then I'm a fan of it do you think [23:46] Daria will help people relax it [23:49] might it might help you at least think [23:51] about your sleep a bit more and [23:53] challenge you to do maybe one one change [23:55] tonight we consider that to be a [23:57] scientific endorsement of of the podcast [23:59] um okay so I've got sound down you are a [24:03] fan of the white white noise machines I [24:05] am because sometimes there's external [24:06] noises like a garbage truck or [24:09] construction that you're not always able [24:11] to control so if you can at least mask [24:12] over it temporarily that can sometimes [24:15] be helpful to keep individuals more [24:17] asleep during the night time and there's [24:19] even some now that are adaptive so if [24:21] the door slams then the volume [24:23] temporarily increases and then will [24:25] decrease so there's almost these smart [24:27] white noise machine that are that are [24:29] coming out on the market so that's from [24:31] a noise standpoint and earplugs are [24:33] going to be helpful if you're traveling [24:35] when you're at home you can obviously [24:36] use those to dampen down any external [24:38] noise from a from a temperature [24:40] standpoint you want it to be cool I [24:42] think this is an area that a lot of [24:43] people can benefit from because they [24:45] often sleep in much warmer temperatures [24:47] than what we know is probably more [24:49] conducive to sleep which is cooler 60 to [24:52] 67° has been shown to help individuals [24:55] stay asleep and fall asleep that may be [24:58] frigidly cold for some but you have to [25:00] find the temperature that's right for [25:02] you I would say decrease your [25:04] temperature by say one degree or two [25:06] degrees every couple of days and then [25:07] you can find the temperature that works [25:09] well for you and there's even technology [25:11] now where there's mattress covers that [25:13] can help you regulate temperature from [25:17] much cooler to warmer so if there's [25:19] differences in bed Partners that's a way [25:21] that you can actually accommodate both [25:22] of their preferences so that's about 16 [25:25] to 20° cus [25:28] what about when I shower or I bath [25:31] because often I go and have a shower [25:33] then I get straight into bed after yes [25:35] is that good or bad I would encourage [25:38] you to shift that timing a little bit [25:40] earlier into the night so an hour and a [25:42] half before you are planning to go to [25:44] bed I would shift your shower because [25:48] when you are taking a hot bath or hot [25:50] shower it increases your core [25:52] temperature but when you fall asleep [25:54] your core temperature drops so you don't [25:56] want that competing signal to be right [26:00] before bedtime but if you back that [26:02] shower up an hour and a half that should [26:05] be sufficient time that we think [26:06] potentially there's an augmentation of [26:08] helping that drop in temperature and [26:11] some smaller Studies have shown that [26:12] that can help decrease the time to fall [26:14] asleep and also enhance deep sleep which [26:17] has implications for Muscle Recovery [26:20] regeneration and you get more of that in [26:22] the earlier part of your night so it's [26:24] an easy fix uh just to tweak the timing [26:27] of your shower in your hot bath to be [26:29] just an hour or two before bedtime not [26:32] right before bed so it's a strategy too [26:33] if you have difficulties winding down [26:36] and relaxing to implement that hot [26:38] shower hot bath earlier in the evening [26:41] one of the problems I also have when I [26:42] sleep sometimes is I I hear people say [26:45] you got to you can't eat like 3 or 4 [26:47] hours before bed however I sometimes you [26:51] know I sometimes get home at 10:00 p.m. [26:53] and I get home hungry as hell at 10 p.m. [26:56] and then sometimes if I order food for [26:58] for example it might come at like 11:00 [26:59] okay which means I end up eating at [27:01] 11:00 and then I really see it in my [27:03] sleep schools [27:05] um I think as well that I'm someone that [27:08] tends to fall asleep later again this [27:10] might just be me telling BS to myself [27:12] but that's what tends to happen and I [27:13] know I'm not supposed to eat before bed [27:15] but I'm so hungry so is there anything [27:18] that I can eat before bed that won't [27:19] disrupt my sleep but will get rid of The [27:21] Hunger yes the preference is not to have [27:23] a huge meal right before bed that's [27:26] fried fatty um you know really heavy [27:29] sitting in your stomach that hour right [27:32] before bedtime um so if you're able to [27:34] time that and be strategic then that's [27:35] obviously the preference but I'm okay [27:37] with you having a pre-sleep snack a lot [27:39] of times for my athletes that means [27:41] we'll go for something like 50% of a [27:43] complex carb and like 50% of a lean [27:46] protein so for example cereal and milk [27:48] is an easy one cereal yes cereal and [27:51] milk of course we want something that's [27:53] whole grain uh and not you know [27:55] necessarily A sugary you know cereal but [27:58] Cal and milk is an easy one that's many [28:01] people have access to or cottage cheese [28:03] and fruit or 100% ho whe crackers and [28:06] peanut butter and the reason why is [28:08] because I don't want you waking up in [28:10] the middle of the night being hungry or [28:11] even trying to fall asleep and you feel [28:13] like you're hungry but we want something [28:14] that's slow digesting through the night [28:16] because ideally you're going to be [28:17] sleeping S 8 n hours during the night uh [28:21] and we want it to be able to get you to [28:23] the morning time and then you will fuel [28:25] when you wake up so a pre-sleep snack [28:27] can can be a great strategy if you're [28:29] coming home late and you want to [28:31] obviously be able to fuel before bed or [28:33] if you have a really early dinner and [28:35] you're hungry before bedtime yeah that [28:37] happens sometimes as well sometimes I'll [28:38] eat dinner at about 5:00 p.m. Y and then [28:41] I get to about 10 11:00 p.m. I'm still [28:43] awake and I'm starving okay so what's a [28:45] pre-sleep snack that you think you can [28:46] grab for some nuts okay yeah does that [28:49] work yeah yeah nuts have protein in them [28:52] um yeah you can grab a good nut mix [28:55] maybe you can partner that also with [28:56] like some yogurt too raspberries [28:59] raspberries yeah fruit yeah and some [29:02] yeah a a protein and carbon there and [29:05] those are good good pre-sleep snack [29:08] what's the if I wanted to destroy my [29:10] sleep what would you recommend I eat [29:12] right before bed what would you [29:14] recommend I I yeah consume right before [29:16] bed it can be if you just want to [29:17] destroy your entirely okay so we're [29:20] going to have the the night cap of [29:23] having a couple of drinks right before [29:25] bed okay so some alcohol yeah we'll have [29:27] some alcohol on board we'll we'll throw [29:29] in some caffeine too to to really get [29:32] you to stay awake in the next couple of [29:35] hours we add a really heavy meal that's [29:38] Fried Tomato based um fatty sitting in [29:42] your stomach right before bed and you [29:44] say tomato based yeah sometimes [29:46] individuals will have acid reflux with [29:49] tomato based products and so if that's [29:51] something that is is yeah is that [29:53] something that you experience then you [29:55] generally want to avoid some of the [29:57] Tomato based products that can aggravate [29:58] some of the acid reflux so some fried [30:02] food with some [30:04] ketchup yes okay so alcohol caffeine and [30:07] some fried food with some ketchup I [30:09] think that would really work to your [30:12] disadvantage during the nighttime any [30:14] sugar yes sugary carbs are tends to be [30:18] some of the preferences when you're [30:20] particularly also sleep deprived so [30:21] people will choose more carb heavy foods [30:25] and foods that have um less fiber and [30:28] more more sugar why fats is it that if I [30:32] eat those Foods before bed it impacts my [30:34] sleep what what what's going on I don't [30:37] think we have a great understanding of [30:39] that I think the field of sleep and [30:40] nutrition is definitely growing and I [30:43] think down the road in the next five or [30:44] 10 years we hopefully we'll have more [30:46] answers to that but it's a fast area [30:48] that we do start to understand what we [30:50] eat can affect our sleep so for example [30:52] the stages of our sleep or how we sleep [30:55] during the night time some of the [30:57] smaller studies shown what you eat can [30:59] then affect having more Awakenings [31:01] during the nighttime um and affecting [31:03] the quality of your sleep but I think [31:05] many of them are still at the infancy [31:08] because that's certainly something I can [31:09] attest to I I talked about one time many [31:11] months ago I think it was last year [31:13] actually when I I was staying in a hotel [31:14] here in LA and I had a cookie before bed [31:17] because it was cuz I'm bloody you know I [31:19] blame the hotel I don't really blame the [31:20] hotel I take full responsibility it was [31:22] in the mini bar and I hadn't eaten all [31:24] day I'd came back I'd been working all [31:26] day and when I'm when when I'm when I've [31:28] been working a lot I'm much more likely [31:30] to reach for something bad and I had [31:32] this cookie and honestly I woke up the [31:33] next morning 8 hours later feeling like [31:35] I hadn't slept at all I just felt so [31:39] tired and I know it was that Bloody [31:41] cookie cuz I looked at my um my whoop [31:44] hashad investor and I could see that my [31:47] heart rate throughout the night was [31:48] really high like atypically high my [31:50] heart rate throughout the night will [31:51] usually just be this nice flat I don't [31:53] know 50 55 beats per minute and when I'd [31:56] had that cookie it it started and pretty [31:58] much stayed for the first 3 or 4 hours [32:00] about 75 beats so it was like my body [32:03] was was still on it was like I was [32:06] walking MH um and so I've always just [32:09] had this idea that when I if you eat [32:10] something like that right before bed [32:12] like puts your body under a lot of [32:14] strain like metabolic strain then it's [32:16] kind of like your body doesn't fall [32:19] asleep and my REM sleep's always [32:21] attacked as well if I if I if I were to [32:23] eat something like that yeah it's it's [32:25] very fascinating I think we're starting [32:27] to understand the connection of what we [32:30] eat how our gut is responding to that [32:32] and then how that potentially can affect [32:34] your sleep and then ultimately your [32:36] daytime functioning the next day but we [32:38] do recognize from sleep deprivation [32:40] studies uh that individuals will make [32:42] different nutritional choices and grab [32:44] for the cookies and the ice cream and [32:46] some of those other snacks later at [32:48] night than they would if they were well [32:51] rested that's a real horrible Paradox [32:53] isn't it it is do you know what I mean [32:56] like if you're tired then you're going [32:57] to eat bad things right before bed which [32:59] is going to make you sleep worse and [33:01] make you tired which is going to mean [33:03] you eat bad things before bed is vicious [33:05] cycle it is and unfortunately that could [33:07] potentially lead to potential weight [33:09] gain and other Downstream consequences [33:12] so just one other reason why obviously [33:15] making sure you're having sufficient [33:16] sleep but also having good practices and [33:19] your approach to sleep is also um a [33:22] priority so you're asking what else did [33:24] we do with Andre but in that ways of [33:28] preparing to sleep you know we addressed [33:30] does he have a windown routine so we [33:32] implemented one where he would read [33:35] before bed to actually relax and prepare [33:38] his brain and body to sleep for the [33:39] night managing a racing mind can be [33:42] incredibly common for not just the elate [33:44] athlete but for for all of us and so [33:47] even before he did that reading we'd [33:49] actually have him stretch and process [33:51] his thoughts outside of bed and that set [33:54] him up with a two-part system so that he [33:57] could actually be strategic about [33:59] preparing to sleep for the night a lot [34:02] of people can relate to this managing a [34:03] racing mind athletes um performers [34:07] creatives um so if I've got a racing [34:11] mind I think as well I think I tend to [34:13] feel like I have my best ideas just [34:15] before I'm about to get in bed what [34:17] would you recommend someone do if they [34:18] have a racing mind again incredibly [34:21] common to have racing thoughts thinking [34:24] through the day needing to process your [34:26] thoughts about how to prepare for [34:28] tomorrow so what I'd recommend is [34:30] spending 10 minutes processing your [34:33] thoughts outside of bed in dim light [34:36] every single night so that can mean I [34:39] would recommend you could do stretching [34:42] H you could do deep breathing exercises [34:44] to activate your parasympathetic system [34:46] and dampen down your sympathetic system [34:48] that's what I recommend for a lot of my [34:50] athletes if that's not your thing I [34:52] recommend journaling getting your [34:54] thoughts down onto paper uh or writing a [34:57] to-do list [34:58] those are easy ones that all of us can [35:00] do for even if you start with 5 minutes [35:02] today so I'm going to stretch um I've [35:05] read I read something I think it was [35:06] whoops data they released at the end of [35:08] the year where they because there's an [35:10] activity log in whoop where you [35:11] basically say what you're doing and I'm [35:13] going to butcher this but I think the [35:15] stats said that reading before bed [35:18] improved your sleep by about 5% across [35:21] everyone that was using ROP which makes [35:23] sense because you're going to be away [35:25] from Light I guess and you're also going [35:28] to be calming your you called it your [35:30] parasympathetic nervous system yes the [35:32] parasympathetic nervous system what do I [35:33] need to know about that in the context [35:35] of sleep that's just the system that [35:37] helps you relax and wind down the it is [35:41] in balance with the sympathetic system [35:43] which you may have heard is the fight or [35:44] flight system that gets you going that's [35:46] where your heartbe heartbeat will be [35:48] much more rapid your breathing can be [35:50] much more rapid when you need to go [35:52] that's when I'm overthinking yes but you [35:54] want to dampen that down and you want to [35:56] get your parasympathetic atic system [35:58] activated so you can help actually relax [36:00] physiologically your body and also your [36:02] brain so that you're in a better state [36:05] to sleep at night right it's easier to [36:09] slowly pump your brakes and then try to [36:12] sleep versus if you were going 60 M an [36:14] hour on a freeway and then suddenly [36:15] slamming on the brakes and just jumping [36:17] into bed so you actually have a process [36:20] to slow yourself down your brain and [36:22] body it will help prepare you to [36:24] actually get better sleep during the [36:26] night time just want to close off on [36:28] Andrew then is there anything else you [36:29] did with him to yes there's please give [36:31] me there's more that we've done with [36:33] Andre but this is to give you some [36:34] highlights so you know approaches to his [36:37] sleep were having that way to process [36:40] his thoughts being able to wind down [36:42] before bed and relax improving his sleep [36:46] environment so that it was as I [36:48] mentioned dark and cool I believe his [36:51] was around 67 degrees it was quiet um we [36:54] tried to we took out technology from his [36:57] bedroom so he didn't have that exposure [36:59] prior to bed we looked at cutting down [37:03] some of his power naps that were several [37:05] hours long to shorten them to 20 to 30 [37:07] minutes and time it much closer to game [37:09] time so we would get that boost as you [37:11] would go into evening [37:13] games um and we looked at some of his [37:16] nutritional choices but this is the [37:18] highlight of of some of the ways that we [37:20] were strategic about his approach to [37:22] sleep and while we're also extending his [37:24] sleep from that under 7 to 7 and 1 12 to [37:27] 8 hours because we knew he had an [37:29] accumulated sleep debt that had been [37:31] built from not getting sufficient sleep [37:33] probably for many months to years prior [37:35] to this and so as we've shared some of [37:39] the performance outcomes were [37:40] astonishing and he's been very vocal [37:42] about sharing his sleep story and he's [37:44] not the only one um if I could share [37:46] another story about another athlete [37:48] where you've asked what has saved [37:50] someone's career so with Andre I think [37:52] he saw this performance enhancement that [37:55] he could tap into that was that was um [37:58] previously he didn't know almost existed [38:01] right but then there's other athletes [38:02] where I think having sleep as a [38:05] foundation almost save their career one [38:08] example is Ryan Jensen so Ryan Jensen [38:10] was cut from the Ravens and put on the [38:12] practice squad and during this time as [38:15] the story goes his father said you know [38:18] what's happening you're not yourself you [38:19] like made your mom cry the other day you [38:22] know there there's something that's [38:23] going on and he eventually was tested [38:27] for sleep apnea which is a very very [38:30] common sleep disorder where your Airway [38:33] has some partial or full collapse during [38:35] the air during the night and so can have [38:36] very fragmented sleep through the night [38:40] and he was eventually tested diagnosed [38:43] and then put on treatment through what's [38:46] called a CPAP or continuous positive [38:48] airway pressure so it's a it's a mask [38:50] that provides air to keep the airway [38:53] open so then you actually can have [38:55] Consolidated sleep during the nighttime [38:58] and in a very neat way four years later [39:02] Ryan Jensen comes back signs a $42 [39:05] million contract as one of the highest [39:08] paid centers in the NFL and then 3 years [39:11] later in [39:12] 2021 wins the Super Bowl with Tom Brady [39:16] on the Bucks I see this as the success [39:18] story of Saving his career and he's been [39:20] vocal about how much of a difference it [39:23] made from literally almost the end of [39:25] his career happening to now being able [39:27] to succeed at the highest level and also [39:29] of course being healthier and being able [39:32] to have um more success on the field [39:34] than he probably imagined for himself [39:37] and better relationships presumably he's [39:39] not made his mother cry I'm quite [39:40] curious about that why is it that when [39:42] we haven't slept we're more likely to [39:44] make people cry because we are our [39:47] emotions are not regulated well when [39:50] we're short on sleep we are more [39:52] irritable we are more grouchy we respond [39:56] more with our emo [39:58] being able to um why we respond with our [40:01] emotions yeah what's going on in the [40:02] body is it like a different part of my [40:03] brain is it my hormones is it something [40:05] else it's probably a combination of both [40:08] right we know that um our emotional [40:10] regulation is not the same if we're well [40:12] rested versus if we're asleep deprived [40:15] and so we rely more on our innate [40:17] response which may not necessarily be [40:19] that which is strategic for what we [40:22] should be responding with if we were [40:24] tempered and had a better rest under our [40:26] belt um so we ask cognitively there's a [40:29] an implication of which part of your [40:31] brain you're going to be using but then [40:33] also you are just not in a state in [40:36] which you are going to be able to [40:38] respond in the way that you would [40:40] otherwise is it the amydala that's the [40:42] emotional center that is one that's [40:44] where like fear is very much um and [40:47] emotions and and um yeah the amydala is [40:50] where like fear and emotions are are [40:52] often centered because I've started when [40:53] I started learning more about sleep and [40:55] the impact it has on my emotions I could [40:56] see a huge VAR in how [41:00] um how I make my decisions but also how [41:03] like short I can be yeah if I haven't [41:06] slept yeah and so on the days now where [41:09] I haven't slept I literally have a [41:10] conversation with myself and tell myself [41:12] that I'm going to be in my M mdala today [41:14] so to try not to make any decisions try [41:16] not to talk to many people because [41:18] there's a risk that I might just be I [41:20] might be too short in how I consider [41:22] things and how I respond and I really [41:24] want to stay away from that but I've [41:26] seen such a huge huge variant and I've [41:27] also heard of other like famous CEOs and [41:29] stuff like that talk about how they they [41:33] focus so much on their sleep I can't was [41:35] reading something the other day and it [41:36] was I think it was it was Jeff Bezos do [41:40] you know what I'm gonna say I don't but [41:42] Jeff Bezos is someone who has been an [41:44] advocate about sleep and vocal that he [41:46] needs eight hours every night yes the [41:48] quote that I heard him say or someone [41:51] told me that he said was I think it [41:53] might have been Ariana Huffington [41:54] actually he said that his job as a CEO [41:59] is to make decisions and he says he [42:01] doesn't have to make that many decisions [42:02] a year he only makes a couple of big [42:04] decisions a year every day he's probably [42:06] just making two or three big decisions [42:08] so if his job is to make decisions then [42:11] his job is also to sleep because the [42:14] variance I see in even my own decision- [42:16] making when I'm slept and underslept is [42:17] just unbelievably staggering as someone [42:20] that sits here for seven eight hours a [42:22] day sometimes having [42:23] conversations you wouldn't believe the [42:25] difference when my brain and my mouth [42:27] are like connected because I've slept [42:29] it's like a different human being it's a [42:31] different podcast host um have you got [42:33] data to support this this impact on [42:35] cognitive performance yes so you [42:38] definitely make better decisions when [42:39] you're well rested you're less likely to [42:42] make cognitive errors you have better [42:45] judgment when you're well rested and [42:47] you're going to react faster so in the [42:49] situations where you need to make big [42:52] decisions whether it's on the field and [42:54] you need to react because you're running [42:56] a pass whe whether you are Jeff Bezos [42:58] and you're running a company and you [43:00] need to make critical decisions um under [43:03] under sometimes you know acute stressors [43:06] or you are someone who just is trying to [43:09] be your best we know that the cognitive [43:12] domain very much is influenced by [43:14] getting sufficient sleep and some of the [43:16] I would say you know large um very very [43:21] public disasters have happened as a [43:24] result of what we know is sleep loss um [43:27] where people have made poor decisions or [43:30] decisions that have led to unfortunate [43:32] disaster so for example the Challenger [43:34] disaster with a space shuttle that [43:37] exploded um and as a result there's [43:39] investigations of why did this happen [43:42] and the final report does suggest that [43:44] insufficient sleep for some of those key [43:47] decision makers around being able to [43:49] launch or not was attributed to fatigue [43:52] and insufficient sleep so being able to [43:53] make good Dame time decisions had this [43:56] disastrous effect ultimately on the [43:58] Challenger explosion or are you aware of [44:01] any studies that have measured cognitive [44:04] performance on and sleep yes so my [44:08] studies as well as many of my other [44:10] colleagues particularly look at reaction [44:12] time because we know reaction time is um [44:15] very finely or is very sensitive to [44:17] sleep loss and I'm starting to find it [44:19] also is sensitive to extension of sleep [44:22] so the other half of the story when you [44:24] pay back sleep sleep debt we see that [44:27] benefit on on uh reaction time but uh [44:31] reaction time and looking at aspects of [44:34] you know how quickly you're able to [44:36] respond or if you're having errors when [44:38] you're responding and you're not [44:39] supposed to be responding cognitively [44:42] those are um tests that are typically [44:44] used in a lot of sleep studies because [44:45] we know is quite sensitive can you give [44:47] me an example of a study that will [44:49] convince me that um if I sleep more my [44:52] cognitive performance will improve one [44:55] of the studies I mentioned before even [44:56] 15 15 minutes more sleep was that [44:58] difference of that a student to the B [45:00] student there's another study I often [45:02] cite where if you look at the difference [45:04] of someone who gets 9 hours of sleep for [45:06] a full week the reaction time stays very [45:09] consistent great you want to react [45:11] appropriately you want to not make [45:13] cognitive errors or lapses in judgment [45:15] and that will be consistent over the [45:16] week if you're someone who's getting [45:18] seven hours of sleep you see a slowing [45:20] of that reaction time and then a [45:22] leveling off if you are getting 5 hours [45:24] of sleep you see an even sharper decline [45:27] in being able to react fast and then you [45:30] see a leveling off if you're getting [45:31] three hours of sleep every night you're [45:33] just going to tank that reaction time [45:35] and be slower at the same time you have [45:37] more lapses in judgment and not able to [45:40] respond appropriately but the the thing [45:43] about this study that I find so [45:44] fascinating is when we know that there's [45:47] this deficit when you're going to react [45:50] slower in the seven and the 5our group [45:53] there's this leveling off so people say [45:54] oh can I get used to getting [45:56] insufficiency sleep in some sense there [45:58] was this stabilizing of it but the [46:00] reality is you're not at your best right [46:02] we know what your reaction time could be [46:04] if you were getting that 9 hours and if [46:06] we even gave you three nights of what we [46:08] call recovery sleep so we said okay now [46:11] we get let's say 8 hours in bed for the [46:13] next 3 days you're going to feel better [46:15] and you'll probably feel more refreshed [46:17] but those reaction times for the 7 hours [46:20] and the 5 hours and the 3H hour group [46:23] didn't go back to the Baseline so it [46:25] takes more than one night night or one [46:27] weekend of that recovery sleep to get [46:31] you back to your Baseline and so that's [46:33] the bottom line that I tried to show my [46:35] athletes is that you can pay back sleep [46:38] debt but it often can take more than [46:40] just one day or one weekend of quality [46:44] sleep how long does it take so my [46:46] Studies have suggested multiple weeks uh [46:48] will really be beneficial to paying back [46:51] more of your sleep debt than just a [46:53] night or two nights of sleep the biggest [46:56] bankr tends to be in the first week or [46:58] two but obviously this depends on how [46:59] much more you're actually getting how [47:01] you're timing that in your night but the [47:04] bottom line is that if you can invest [47:06] maybe a week or maybe if you have a [47:08] vacation coming up and you do two weeks [47:10] that's going to be U the biggest impact [47:13] on paying back your sleep debt and if [47:15] you say hey that sounds like a long time [47:17] Dr ma well even potentially like 5 days [47:20] is one of my preliminary studies had [47:22] suggested in professional baseball [47:24] players even if it's 5 days of getting [47:26] one additional hour of sleep that was [47:29] shown to potential that was shown to [47:31] improve cognitive reaction time and also [47:34] processing speed in the athletes that [47:37] actually got one additional hour so if [47:38] you got six hours you went to seven if [47:40] you got seven hours you went to eight [47:42] hours versus the athletes that just [47:43] continue to get their normal sleep [47:46] interesting I I guess I've got to [47:47] understand what this concept or this [47:50] idea of sleep Deb is because I I want to [47:52] make sure I'm super clear on what it is [47:53] and isn't cuz when you say the word debt [47:55] I assume it's kind of like I I owe [47:57] the Sleep bank manager a couple of hours [48:00] um but but I I've kind of gone back on [48:03] forward on this idea of sleep debt I [48:05] think some people have told me that it's [48:06] real some people have told me that it's [48:07] not real um and I don't know where where [48:09] I should stand on it so if I if I [48:12] haven't so for example I flew into La [48:14] first couple of nights my sleep wasn't [48:15] great am I still but I had good sleep [48:18] last night am I still paying for it now [48:21] the way I explain the concept of sleep [48:22] dead is that your body requires a [48:24] certain amount every single night again [48:26] we talked but individual variability but [48:28] let's just say you need 8 hours every [48:31] night and conceptually if you don't meet [48:33] that 8 hours then you build up a debt so [48:35] if you're only getting six hours a night [48:36] you now have two hours of debt built up [48:38] if you go Monday to Friday that's 5 days [48:40] now you have 10 hours built [48:42] up right two hours every night becomes [48:45] 10 hours and if you then sleep in on a [48:47] Saturday and you get let's just say 10 [48:49] hours of sleep you've paid back two of [48:52] those hours but you still have eight [48:54] hours left to go and my buddy knows yes [48:57] so conceptually that's the idea of [48:59] accumulating sleep debt I do stand in [49:00] the camp that believes that that does [49:02] accumulate over time we do think that [49:05] you can pay back some of that debt on [49:07] the short term right so what you lost [49:10] like you said this past day or this past [49:12] week maybe this past month you should [49:14] pay that back with getting extra sleep [49:17] or we call Sleep extension we don't [49:19] think that you can Surplus and Bank more [49:24] and that you can pull from that in the [49:25] future but we re recognize that if [49:27] you've got insufficient sleep that if [49:30] you extend it over a couple of days [49:33] maybe a couple weeks then you will see [49:35] benefits in your reaction time in your [49:37] fatigue levels in your performance [49:39] outcomes and so we do recommend that as [49:41] a tool especially if you know that [49:44] you're going to have a day where you're [49:46] going to have sleep loss so it's a [49:49] strategy for example if you know okay in [49:51] a week I'm going to have a project and [49:54] I'm not going to be getting enough sleep [49:56] that night night then what you can do in [49:58] the days leading up to it is getting [50:00] sufficient sleep but arguably even more [50:03] so that we know when it gets to that [50:05] project the decrements that you'll [50:07] experience tend to be less robust than [50:09] if you went into it with just say that [50:11] was 5 hours so what evidence do you have [50:14] that sleep debt is a real thing what's [50:16] the first thing that comes to mind so my [50:19] my what I've dedicated my career to is [50:21] trying to understand how to pay back [50:23] sleep debt with sleep extension [50:25] interventions so what that means is [50:28] typically I'm working with a number of [50:29] Collegiate athletes where many of them [50:31] are not getting what they need because [50:33] when we start these studies many of them [50:35] have high fatigue levels they are [50:37] reacting slowly we often see lapses in [50:40] their um their judgment and their [50:43] ability to ultimately perform and [50:46] function which is what they consider [50:49] their Baseline but then when we actually [50:52] challenge them by paying back some of [50:54] that debt by getting additional hours [50:57] when we monitor the the differences that [50:59] can make over multiple weeks that's [51:01] where we see there's Improvement in the [51:03] reaction time their fatigue levels drop [51:07] their performance on the field improves [51:10] and so we recognize what has changed in [51:13] this is trying to pay back some of that [51:15] accumulated debt when the rest of their [51:18] training has been held consistent where [51:20] we've been trying to maintain the rest [51:22] of their their training which is key [51:24] which is the key point because in my [51:26] mind I go well maybe if you've got the [51:29] athlete to sleep well on that first [51:30] night then when they've showed up to [51:32] training they've trained a little bit [51:33] harder they've built their muscles a [51:35] little bit more they've had better [51:36] recovery in their muscles so [51:39] then the next day the same thing happens [51:41] because they've slept so it's actually [51:43] just that they're training better which [51:45] is causing them to improve their that's [51:46] fair we we've tried to hold their [51:48] training to be consistent and choosing [51:50] periods where their training isn't going [51:52] to vary significantly as well as you can [51:55] almost make the argument too that [51:56] sometimes as the season goes on athletes [51:59] get more fatigued more tired and that [52:02] can be actually a decrement to how [52:04] they'll perform so when we see the [52:05] benefits come down the road as the [52:07] season potentially gets even longer that [52:09] at least is some suggestion that the [52:11] intervention of sleep while we also have [52:13] the measures of how much more they were [52:16] getting actually were at least [52:18] associated with these performance [52:19] outcomes because REM one of the key [52:22] things about REM sleep which is the sort [52:23] of final stage of sleep is that it helps [52:25] with Muscle Recovery uh deep sleep is [52:28] actually deep sleep is where we uh deep [52:31] sleep is where it's implied that there's [52:33] more R Muscle Recovery regeneration [52:35] because there's the biggest pulse of [52:36] growth hormone during your deep sleep so [52:39] to back up a bit you have light stages [52:41] of sleep then you have deep stages of [52:43] sleep and then you have that rapid eye [52:45] movement sleep or when you dream that is [52:48] tends to be more associated with [52:50] consolidation of learning in memory and [52:53] skill consolidation so you go through [52:55] these Cycles during the night time about [52:57] 90 to 120 minutes but the proportion [53:00] changes through the night the beginning [53:02] of the night you get more of that deep [53:04] sleep and then in the early morning [53:06] hours is when you get more of that REM [53:08] sleep so you might have woken up in an [53:10] earlier morning and had the recall of [53:12] these vivid dreams it's because you [53:14] often will be waking up from the that [53:16] REM sleep yes that happened last night [53:18] actually CU I woke up suspiciously early [53:20] for me so I woke up at about 5 or 6:00 [53:23] and I was just kind of dipping in and [53:24] out of Dreams MH and were very vivid [53:27] dreams that I can still remember now [53:28] yeah um so the muscle memory element of [53:32] all of this what is muscle memory and [53:34] how is that sort of implicated with [53:36] sleep so muscle memory there's different [53:39] types of memory and you need sleep think [53:42] of sleep as hitting that save button [53:44] right you need to sleep after you have [53:47] learned new information learned a new [53:49] skill so that you can consolidate those [53:53] those uh those memories and be able to [53:55] retrieve it later so I always use an [53:58] analogy of hitting that save button [54:00] after you learn new material or learn a [54:02] new skill set you need to go home and [54:04] sleep so that it goes into long-term [54:05] storage and that you can retrieve that [54:07] the following day and subsequently [54:09] without that sleep we know that that [54:11] groundwork for that new skill or that [54:14] new memory is not going to be as strong [54:17] and so in the context of students who [54:20] are trying to study for a test or an [54:22] athlete that's trying to remember the [54:24] Playbook you want to space those [54:27] intervals that you're learning that [54:28] material and have sleep that follows so [54:31] that you strengthen those [54:34] connections and also you mentioned when [54:36] you were talking about one of your [54:37] athletes encouraging them to nap before [54:40] a game yes um I I read this fascinating [54:44] word in the research that I was doing on [54:46] your work I think it's napino yes what's [54:49] a napino the nappuccino so this is a [54:52] useful tool if you're trying to have a [54:55] temporary boost and aler and performance [54:57] so the nappuccino you go and take your [55:00] favorite caffeinated beverage the [55:02] caffeine will start to kick in in about [55:04] 15 minutes and you go and then take your [55:07] 20 to 30 minute power nap so if you're [55:10] able to fall asleep within that 5 to 10 [55:12] minutes while the caffeine will start to [55:14] come on board then when you wake up [55:16] after 20 to 30 minutes then bam both the [55:18] caffeine will have kicked in and the [55:20] power naap will have kicked in and [55:22] there's research to show that that's [55:23] more effective for alertness and [55:26] performance Improvement for a couple of [55:28] hours than if you only did the caffeine [55:30] alone or only did the power nap alone so [55:33] the nappuccino is is a useful tool for [55:36] some who who utilize caffeine and you [55:39] can partner that together with a short [55:41] 20 to 30 minute nap so if I wanted to [55:43] take a nap now I have an espresso and [55:47] then go and have my nap exactly yes the [55:50] cettas you do need to fall asleep within [55:52] about 10 minutes or else the caffeine [55:54] will start to come on board but if if [55:56] you do this in the late morning or early [55:58] afternoon it can be a helpful tool so [56:00] that you have a boost in your alertness [56:02] for a couple of hours and I grew up [56:05] thinking that naps didn't work because [56:07] the minute I learned about sleep and [56:08] these sleep cycles and that it takes I [56:10] don't know 45 60 Minutes whatever it is [56:12] to get into late stage sleep like the [56:14] Rems sleep the deep sleep I thought [56:16] what's the point taking a 15 20 minute [56:18] nap if I'm not going to get into deep or [56:20] REM sleep so there's benefit of just [56:22] that 15minute nap you mentioned you want [56:24] to stay in lighter stages of sleep cuz [56:26] there's benefits of lighter stages of [56:28] sleep and that can give you that [56:30] alertness and performance boost even [56:32] when you're in lighter stages of sleep [56:34] you actually don't want to go into [56:35] deeper stages of sleep because when you [56:37] take the longer naps as I think you you [56:40] might have shared you you've taken the [56:41] 2-hour nap the three p you wake up and [56:43] you're much more sluggish much more [56:45] groggy that's not a good state for you [56:48] to go out and then do you know work [56:52] after that or it's not the state that [56:53] you want to be if you're a a basketball [56:55] player and have to go and play a game [56:58] but those deeper stages you come out of [57:00] what we call Sleep inertia with that [57:01] sluggishness and so it can also affect [57:04] your sleep at night and make it harder [57:06] to sleep subsequently so you actually [57:08] want to stay in those lighter stages of [57:10] sleep and keep those naps very short so [57:12] what's the maximum length that a nap [57:14] should be I like 30 minutes okay yes so [57:17] you can time that by setting an alarm if [57:20] it takes you 5 or 10 minutes to fall [57:22] asleep you can plan for that as well and [57:24] the setting alarm to wake yourself up 30 [57:26] minutes later I think it's a great [57:28] strategy when again you don't get [57:30] sufficient sleep at night or you had [57:32] poor sleep leading into that night and [57:34] you need a little bit of a boost later [57:36] in the day what do you think of the [57:37] snooze button the snooze button I'm not [57:41] a huge fan of the snooze um I fully [57:44] understand why people love to hit the [57:45] snooze and then go back to bed uh and if [57:48] you're someone who does that one of my [57:50] suggestions is just to cut down so that [57:52] you only hit the snooze once 5 minutes [57:54] later start your day the reason why is [57:57] because it helps to maximize your rem or [58:00] your dreaming sleep in those early [58:01] morning hours if you can actually sleep [58:04] Consolidated all the way until the time [58:05] you have to wake up so for example if [58:07] you're someone who hits the snooze [58:09] button five times every five minutes for [58:12] a half hour it means that you're having [58:14] very interrupted sleep for the last half [58:17] hour of your night versus if you just [58:20] let yourself sleep Consolidated all the [58:22] way through and then maybe hit the [58:24] snooze button just one time and then got [58:26] yourself up to start your day it means [58:28] you would have given yourself another 25 [58:31] minutes of Consolidated sleep likely [58:33] that dreaming REM sleep that's so [58:35] important for learning and memory and so [58:38] that is one just easy adjustment that [58:40] you can make in terms of your morning [58:43] approach to maximizing what you get [58:45] during the night so what's the what's [58:46] the value in consolidating it versus [58:48] just having fragmented sleep yeah so [58:51] then if you're getting a lot of that REM [58:53] sleep in those early morning hours and [58:55] you're snoozing you're going to be [58:57] waking up and coming out of that REM [58:59] sleep so you likely are changing the [59:01] stages of sleep you would be getting in [59:03] those early hours so you would then be [59:05] awake and then probably going into [59:07] lighter stages of sleep awake lighter [59:09] stages of sleep than necessarily having [59:11] a solid REM period all the way until you [59:14] wake up what's the cost of that so [59:16] learning a memory and consolidation is [59:19] definitely one area that we recognize is [59:22] associated with that REM sleep and so [59:24] you want as we talked about it changes [59:26] through the night you want to have as [59:27] much as possible but you part have to [59:30] have just the duration so when you get [59:32] the most of it in the morning hours if [59:34] you cut that short and either wake up [59:36] earlier or you're snoozing and you're [59:38] interrupting it you're not going to [59:40] maximize the value you get of the hours [59:43] in rem okay so I just want to make sure [59:45] that I those 25 minutes I give them to [59:48] REM sleep versus just giving them to [59:51] little fragmented light sleep exactly so [59:54] I'm better off just putting my alarm to [59:57] the time that I actually have to get out [59:58] of bed exactly just to maximize the [59:59] amount of R sleep that I get to [60:01] consolidate my memories are you a [60:02] snoozer no not really okay well I mean [60:06] we all have our moments but not really I [60:09] can't remember the last time I pressed [60:10] pressed the snooze button but the thing [60:12] that I do and I'm not sure if this is a [60:13] good idea or not is because I have told [60:17] myself and I say told myself because I'm [60:18] quite conscious of the BS that I believe [60:20] about myself but um I've told myself [60:23] that I'm like an alow chronotype or [60:24] something which by the way I don't even [60:26] know if it's true and I don't know if [60:27] chronotypes are true um and I typically [60:31] work quite late and I love working late [60:33] I get better ideas late I do my writing [60:35] pretty late at night as well and so what [60:37] I've done in my life is I've basically [60:39] made sure that I don't have any meetings [60:40] or any engagements before 11:00 so even [60:44] like this podcast today started at 11:00 [60:46] yes um basically nothing in my life [60:48] starts till 11:00 for that very reason [60:51] just to because if I do end up staying [60:53] up a little bit late I want to be able [60:54] to kind of sleep through without having [60:56] to set an alarm and just wake up [60:57] naturally what do you think of that is [60:59] that suboptimal no I think it's a great [61:02] strategy so there are chronotypes where [61:05] you've mentioned you're more of an [61:06] evening owl you go to bed later you like [61:08] to wake up later as a natural [61:10] predilection is is that real or I just [61:12] myself this is justifying myself no [61:15] there is a natural tendency for some to [61:17] feel like they are evening owls and [61:19] there's others who feel like they do [61:21] much better in the morning so they go to [61:22] bed earlier they wake up earlier they're [61:24] more productive in the morning those are [61:25] are morning Larks and then there is a [61:28] group that's somewhere in the middle [61:29] that don't strongly lean one way or [61:31] another but really what you're doing is [61:33] you're you're making your sleep work to [61:35] your your chronotype and to your [61:37] advantage where you do feel like you're [61:39] more productive in the evenings and then [61:41] you want to be able to maximize your [61:42] sleep waking up without an alarm and [61:44] starting your day later I think that's [61:46] like a great strategy because a lot of [61:47] people aren't able to have that [61:50] flexibility and so Society often will [61:52] force particularly the night owls onto [61:55] an earlier schedule where you have to [61:57] wake up whether to go to work or other [61:59] obligations or kids earlier Point yeah [62:03] and and then you're cutting your sleep [62:05] short like you mentioned like with [62:07] school and then we're getting these um [62:10] and then you're on a schedule that [62:12] doesn't work synergistically with what [62:14] your chronotype is they should do some [62:16] studies on kids in school and like [62:18] Disobedience and ability to pay [62:20] attention and do homework in grades [62:22] because honestly I was so useless in [62:24] school and I really I really think of it [62:26] now I'm not entirely sure here because I [62:29] got diagnosed with ADHD when I was like [62:30] 30 years old so part of me thinks I've [62:31] just got like a very active brain and [62:34] part part of having an active brain [62:35] meant that late at night I was Finding [62:36] ways to stimulate it by playing Video [62:38] Games Etc so that might just be the [62:40] reason but the other reason might be [62:41] that I'm an Al Chron type and I found it [62:43] really hard to get up at like 7:30 to [62:46] get to go to school by sort of 8:30ish [62:50] and so I would miss school I would show [62:52] up knacked I would sleep in lessons um [62:56] and I feel like school just starts way [62:58] too early for kids it's a ongoing uh [63:01] it's an ongoing problem and actually in [63:03] a very interesting way there has been a [63:06] change to school start times [63:07] particularly in California um this this [63:10] year was the first year that school [63:12] start start times for high schools and [63:14] for middle schools was shifted much [63:16] later because there are studies to show [63:18] that our when our students are better [63:20] rested they have higher attendance rates [63:22] their GPA and grades are much higher [63:24] there's less mental health issues um [63:27] there's less car accidents and so this [63:29] these Studies have um been over the last [63:32] decade and longer in which they have [63:34] built evidence to help make decisions to [63:38] start school time later um and that is [63:42] in California been enacted this year and [63:44] some other states are starting to follow [63:46] suit but to your point what makes it [63:48] challenging is that at the age of high [63:51] school many of those body clocks are [63:53] shifted and so students St want to an [63:56] adolescence go to bed later and wake up [63:59] later naturally that's just how our [64:00] sleep changes through the life cycle but [64:03] when they stay up late and then we cut [64:05] their sleep short by forcing them to get [64:06] up really early for school now they have [64:09] insufficient sleep and that builds like [64:11] a sleep debt and so they're not setting [64:13] themselves up for success in school for [64:15] learning and memory so that's where [64:16] again there's more evidence of if we can [64:18] shift the school start time get these [64:20] students to have a little bit more sleep [64:22] they ultimately are better prepared for [64:25] school come to school have less uh car [64:28] accidents and are just healthier [64:30] students do you think there's anything [64:31] parents need to know about sleep when it [64:34] as it relates to their children and [64:36] sleep hygiene with their children I [64:38] think it's important for parents to [64:40] start at the early early years of [64:43] instilling good sleep habits a good [64:45] sleep routine and giving their their [64:48] children the tools and skills to be able [64:52] to make sure that it's a priority as [64:54] they go through early childhood into [64:56] adolescence and hopefully then sets [64:58] themselves up for making sure it's a [65:00] priority for their adult life um I'm a [65:03] young parent myself I just had uh my [65:05] first son and so um I recognize and can [65:08] empathize with the TR the struggles of [65:11] getting sufficient sleep when they're [65:12] very young but then trying to instill [65:15] how they can approach their sleep from [65:17] early age I think would be incredibly [65:19] helpful to also just change culturally [65:20] how we think about sleep because so many [65:23] of us now have never learned about sleep [65:25] for or what we should do until you're an [65:27] adult but if we can make that change [65:29] earlier on I think we're going to have [65:31] healthier kids better families um who [65:34] are better rested and and also just this [65:37] generation where we recognize this is so [65:39] important that we shouldn't sacrifice it [65:41] because we're doing ourselves a [65:42] disservice to letting us be the best [65:45] that we can possibly be how old is your [65:47] son 11 months 11 months so how are you [65:49] sleeping oh I transparently am quite [65:52] tired okay I I as a yeah new Young mom [65:56] also um I don't have the ideal sleep [65:58] that I know I would love um it's a for a [66:02] short time but I'm trying to be [66:03] strategic of the things that I can do [66:06] with some of the tools that we've talked [66:08] about trying to leverage power naps um [66:10] when for example I do have to still wake [66:12] up during the night time to tend to him [66:14] um and you know the early morning starts [66:16] are not always consistent so my sleep [66:19] schedule is not always consistent so you [66:21] know going back to those three buckets [66:24] we talked about earlier like if I don't [66:26] get the full duration that I want then [66:28] how do I maximize the quality right I've [66:30] optimized my sleep environment I try to [66:32] have a process to wind down at nighttime [66:35] um or the timing you know is and the [66:37] sleep schedule is another area that you [66:39] can still work on when for example you [66:41] may not be getting the duration um so [66:44] these are strategies that I try to [66:45] employ when I know that I um also am a [66:48] work in progress and trying to get the [66:50] best sleep possible Once Upon a Time if [66:52] you had a business idea it was [66:54] exceptionally difficult to get going but [66:57] now in the age of Shopify it is [67:01] exceptionally easy as many of you will [67:03] know Shopify are a sponsor of this [67:05] podcast if you don't know Shopify it's [67:07] an exceptionally simple web platform for [67:09] anybody that's got an idea that wants to [67:11] transact on a global scale so things [67:14] like these conversation cards which we [67:15] sell we've sold using Shopify and it [67:18] only took us a couple of clicks to get [67:21] going so why did we choose Shopify for a [67:23] number of reasons but I think one of the [67:24] big ones which goes and appreciated is [67:26] their checkout system converts 36% [67:28] better compared to other platforms and [67:31] here's what I'm going to do to remove [67:33] the cost for you if you go to [67:34] shopify.com Bartlet you'll be able to [67:37] try Shopify for [67:39] $1 a month I've seen Shopify completely [67:43] change people's lives and for many of [67:45] you I think it could change yours what [67:47] are the other examples of sort of case [67:50] studies that you're you're most proud of [67:52] or that were most pivotal in shaping [67:53] your thinking about sleep I mentioned [67:56] the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2017 and [67:59] tried to help them educate their players [68:02] about sleep how to have a more strategic [68:04] approach to their wind down routine to [68:07] thinking about how they're integrating [68:09] sleep into their training practices and [68:12] thinking about ultimately how they [68:14] travel and and having for example [68:16] strategies to minimize jet lag when [68:18] you're Crossing time zones and having to [68:20] play in different locations than the [68:22] give me some of those then so some the [68:24] tips you'd give me someone that travels [68:26] a lot yeah um pre- during and post [68:28] travel yeah what should I be thinking [68:30] about before I travel while I'm [68:31] traveling and after I I land yes so have [68:34] a a game plan for every trip I think [68:37] most people have no strategies in place [68:38] when they travel they just get onto an [68:40] airplane get to a new location and try [68:42] to adjust when they get there that is [68:44] not really a great strategy you want to [68:46] have at least a pre-flight strategy [68:48] inflight strategy and post-flight [68:50] strategies because that will set [68:51] yourself up better to minimize jet lag [68:54] also travel fatigue and ultimately then [68:57] be able to acclimate faster if you're [68:59] Crossing multiple time zones before [69:01] pre-flight try not to panic pack I know [69:03] all of us do do Panic packing right [69:06] before bed right before we're getting on [69:07] a flight um so you want to try and be [69:10] strategic and pack early you want to get [69:12] at least why do I want to not panic pack [69:14] because most people will Panic pack the [69:16] night before they they have a flight and [69:17] then they'll cut their sleep short so [69:19] they'll get only say 5 hours of sleep [69:21] because they're staying up late trying [69:22] to pack everything and get ready for [69:24] that early morning flight or for the [69:26] next day well I I pack the morning of [69:28] travel so okay but I'm I'm out here in [69:31] La for I'm out here for 2 weeks and I [69:33] packed a carryon carryon suitcase okay [69:36] cuz I so look at what I'm wearing I wear [69:38] just the same outfit every day so I have [69:39] like the same outfit um but I pack [69:42] literally an hour before I go to the [69:43] airport okay okay so but you're right it [69:45] does cut my sleep because I could have [69:47] been in bed whether it's beginning of [69:49] the day or the end of the day if it's [69:51] affecting then the duration of your [69:53] sleep I would recommend trying to a [69:55] little more strategic and do it a day [69:57] before two days before don't pain it [69:59] pack number two try to get at least [70:02] those seven hours if not [70:04] your your amount of sleep that makes you [70:07] feel like you're functioning and [70:08] Performing well um at least a day if not [70:11] two days if you get insufficient sleep [70:13] before you get onto an airplane jet lag [70:15] will be worse and that travel fatigue [70:17] can feel much more robust and you're [70:20] more likely to have the quas on in the [70:21] airport which is going to destroy the [70:23] whole thing for for you so those are [70:26] things that you can do before flight [70:27] depending on where you're going you can [70:29] actually start to adjust your body clock [70:31] before you even get onto the airplane so [70:33] let's just take a 3-hour time difference [70:36] here in the US if you're in the west [70:38] coast and you're going to the east coast [70:39] three time zones you can actually start [70:41] to go to bed a half hour early wake up a [70:45] half hour early do that for two or 3 [70:48] days and and get sunlight in the morning [70:51] because that sunlight reinforces to your [70:53] brain to start to shift that body clock [70:56] so if you can do that a day before 2 [70:58] days before maybe 3 days before when you [71:00] actually get to the new location you [71:01] don't have to shift your body clock [71:03] three time zones you've already shifted [71:05] it one time zone or two time zones [71:08] because the rule of thumb is for every [71:09] time zone you cross it takes about a day [71:12] to re acclimate even if you feel better [71:14] after the first day usually jetti feels [71:17] the worst in that first day when you [71:18] arrive um but physiologically you [71:21] haven't really adjusted fully even if [71:24] it's over you know a couple of days so [71:26] that's the rule of thumb so those are [71:27] some things pre-flight you can do when [71:29] you're in Flight you want to hydrate [71:32] throughout the flight because [71:33] dehydration can worsen jet lag you want [71:35] to think about getting onto the new time [71:37] zone schedule so again depending on [71:40] which direction you're flying and how [71:41] many times when you're Crossing you want [71:43] to start to synchronize perhaps like [71:45] when you're actually sleeping or some of [71:47] your meal times so that you're getting [71:48] onto that schedule and then you partner [71:51] that with for example building a travel [71:53] sleep kit I'm a huge fan of investing in [71:55] sleep tools that will help you sleep [71:58] when you need to in non- ideal [71:59] situations whether you're on the plane [72:01] and now trying to take a nap or shift [72:03] your sleep schedule then you actually [72:05] have an eye mask and ear plugs you have [72:07] noise cancelling headphones you have [72:09] your own travel pillow you have the [72:12] tools with you to S drugs sorry sleeping [72:15] medication okay so some uh medications [72:18] can be helpful like melatonin [72:21] particularly if you're trying to advance [72:22] your clock has um evidence that it can [72:25] help shift that a little bit more [72:26] quickly when you're trying to advance [72:28] your clock earlier would you recommend [72:30] it to athletes um it I would say if it's [72:33] something that you've used before and [72:35] you know that you don't experience some [72:37] of the side effects it could be a useful [72:39] tool so melatonin while it's one of the [72:41] most commonly used supplements and sleep [72:43] aids there are still side effects that [72:45] to be wary of so specifically for [72:47] athletes too you can feel more groggy [72:49] and sluggish when you wake up from it um [72:51] it's not regulated by the the FDA here [72:55] in the US and so you don't always know [72:57] what's actually in those supplements so [72:59] for my lead athletes they use what's [73:01] called NSF Sports certified versions um [73:04] they're just there's more um regulation [73:06] around them but in for the for the you [73:09] know everyday person you know there's a [73:11] study where they looked at the amount of [73:13] melatone that was actually in a variety [73:15] of these supplements and it was a wide [73:17] range from over 400% of what was on the [73:20] label to obviously sub you know you know [73:23] uh under 100% of what they actually [73:25] indicated so there's a wide range of [73:27] what's actually going to be in the [73:28] supplement but it can help particularly [73:31] when you're on travel with um re [73:34] acclimating my team here we most of them [73:36] use a certain app when we travel and it [73:39] just tells you basically you say where [73:41] you're going and then it'll tell you [73:42] what time to eat what time not to eat [73:45] Etc so you can get aligned with that [73:47] with your destinations like circadian [73:49] rhythm I guess so we'll link below one [73:51] of the apps that our team use we're not [73:53] affiliated with them in any way but [73:55] we're flying out here I know will and my [73:56] team sent me a screenshot and said Steve [73:57] this is what time you need to be eating [73:59] and everything cuz we're going to La so [74:01] it's been super helpful for all of us I [74:03] I'll link that below because I know some [74:04] people are going to be wondering what [74:05] apps they should be using so we're in [74:07] the flight we've got our postt trvel [74:09] flight kit with the ey masks and all [74:11] those kinds of things in we've got our [74:13] app is we're [74:15] hydrated um noise cancelling headphones [74:18] is there anything else we need to be [74:19] thinking about while we're traveling [74:20] when you're traveling so on a plane on a [74:23] plane so we talked about hydration minim [74:26] Al and caffeine or eliminating entirely [74:28] is a straty inad of having on board [74:33] because that can also potentially worsen [74:36] um jet lag and or make it more difficult [74:38] to sleep when you're actually trying to [74:40] when you arrive and again seeking light [74:43] that is the most powerful signal to your [74:45] brain to help shift your body clock also [74:48] bringing sunglasses so that you actually [74:50] avoid sunlight at certain times because [74:52] your body can respond differently [74:55] depending again on your home location [74:57] and how many time zones youve crossed so [74:58] there's certain times that these apps [75:00] can be helpful that will likely tell you [75:02] you don't want to get sunlight during [75:04] these hours and so you want to be [75:06] strategic about that and just make sure [75:07] you have sunglasses so that you can [75:09] still go about your day but trying to [75:11] minimize that sun exposure um getting [75:14] well rested and getting sufficient sleep [75:16] even if it might be a little bit more [75:18] fragmented than usual just giving [75:19] yourself at least a day to acclimate so [75:22] that I would recommend not scheduling [75:23] your most important meetings right when [75:25] you get in or in that first day for [75:27] athletes they don't want to do maximal [75:30] exercise because there's a risk that [75:32] that jetl could increase injury in that [75:35] acute period so you want your body clock [75:37] to be able to readjust and then using [75:39] caffeine and power nap strategically so [75:42] for example our afternoon 1 to 4:00 is [75:45] typically when we have this dip in our [75:47] alertness now when you get to a new time [75:49] zone that can occur at a different time [75:51] point in the day but strategically then [75:54] you can use CA and and uh Power naaps to [75:57] be able to help you through those lulls [75:59] when you're in that new time zone what [76:02] about sex sleep and sex in bed and that [76:05] is it because I think so many people [76:07] actually make the mistake of being in [76:10] bed and being on their computer on their [76:12] phone doing other work while they're [76:14] awake and that actually helps strengthen [76:16] that connection that when you're in bed [76:18] you're awake and your brain will start [76:19] to associate that so sleep and sex are [76:22] all that you want in bed everything else [76:24] should be outside so when we talked [76:25] about that wind down routine or that [76:27] racing mind all that should happen [76:29] outside of bed because you want to [76:30] actually tease apart that Association [76:33] that your brain is making of being awake [76:35] in bed and that will be one small [76:37] adjustment that's helpful to to get [76:39] better rest at night but will will sex [76:41] improve or hurt my sleep I'm thinking [76:45] you know CU I'm really trying to get out [76:47] like should you be in bed with someone [76:48] does it does it improve your sleep to [76:50] sleep with someone and does sex have an [76:52] impact on your sleep cuz I you know [76:55] speaking from personal experience I [76:57] think that if I have sex before bed I [76:58] sleep better I don't think that there's [77:01] great literature on sleep and sex out [77:03] there but um I will say that there has [77:05] been um there's definitely an impact [77:08] potentially of a bed partner sleeping [77:10] with you in bed because their movements [77:12] can affect your sleep if they snore that [77:14] can very much affect your waking up [77:17] during the night time um and then you [77:20] know with sex I think that that is [77:21] something anecdotally some people will [77:23] definitely say it helps them to be able [77:25] to consolidate their sleep and they feel [77:26] like the quality is better um but I [77:29] don't think there's a lot of great [77:30] studies that are are being funded for [77:32] research right now what is the most [77:35] popular question you typically get asked [77:36] about sleep from people most popular [77:39] question is napping which we've [77:40] discussed keep them short 20 to 30 [77:42] minutes I I get asked a fair amount [77:45] about can you oversleep so no we don't [77:48] think you really you should you can [77:49] overs sleep when some people say they [77:52] get say 9 hours or 10 hours and feel [77:55] much more groggy it's because often [77:57] they've shifted their sleep schedule or [77:59] they have an accumulated debt that say [78:01] built up and then they're finally [78:02] allowing their body to relax and so now [78:04] that they're they're they don't have the [78:06] mask of stimulating activities from [78:09] their day or their work that can read I [78:11] read I didn't read a study one of my [78:12] podcast guests told me that there is a [78:15] harm to oversleeping but I think from [78:17] what I managed to [78:18] ascertain the studies they were citing [78:22] just proved that people who sleep for [78:23] like 10 or 11 hours [78:25] typically have a higher risk of um [78:27] disease and mental health but then it's [78:29] hard to establish cause and effect [78:31] because if you're in bed for 11 hours [78:33] maybe you're a depressed and B one would [78:35] assume you're exercising and moving a [78:37] little bit less so you probably got a [78:38] lot of like cardiovascular issues yes so [78:41] there are studies of looking at the more [78:43] extremes of Less hours of sleep and then [78:45] even more hours of sleep like the 10 [78:47] hours and obviously there can be other [78:49] comorbid conditions uh that go along [78:52] with individuals like who sleep much [78:54] longer you mentioned you can sleep much [78:56] longer because of depression or other um [78:59] chronic health issues and so um that's a [79:01] different context of thinking about [79:02] oversleeping I think in the question I [79:04] typically get is oh I slept one night of [79:06] 10 hours and I feel worse so I'm never [79:08] going to do that again and that's [79:10] actually not true right I think we want [79:12] to have just more consistent hours that [79:14] are timed so you're not having a shift [79:16] in the bedtime and wake Time by like [79:18] three hours later um because that could [79:20] be why you're having that grogginess [79:21] when you wake up not because you got the [79:23] 10 hours but because you're waking up up [79:24] now at 11:00 a.m. instead of your [79:27] typical you know 8:00 a.m. wake up time [79:29] um you could be more dehydrated because [79:31] of that longer time um snoring is one [79:34] that I get asked a fair amount about is [79:37] you know is it completely benign and I [79:39] would say if you're snoring you should [79:41] go talk with your primary care doctor [79:43] and you should potentially ask about [79:45] getting a sleep study there is Sleep [79:48] Disorders like obstructive sleep apnea [79:50] we mentioned before that's incredibly [79:52] common and that's when that Airway has [79:54] partial or full collapse and can lead to [79:56] very fragmented sleep so you can wake up [79:58] not refreshed because you really didn't [80:00] get quality sleep during the night time [80:02] and snoring I think in our society has [80:04] become just an accepted Norm that can [80:06] happen as you get older but that is not [80:08] always the case that it is uh a benign a [80:12] benign symptom and so um making sure [80:14] that you talk to your primary care [80:16] doctor and potentially get a sleep study [80:18] I think is incredibly important is sleep [80:21] apnea the the most common um disease [80:24] disorder you see yes yes it [80:27] isapa can be incredibly common I believe [80:30] it's about 26% of people of people in [80:33] the ages of 30 to 70 and so that as you [80:35] imagine that's like one in four [80:37] individuals but many individuals don't [80:40] actually get tested or diagnosed and [80:43] then treated until they're way into [80:45] their adulthood or even pasted into [80:48] their 6070s so with asleep apnea often [80:51] times people will not wake up refreshed [80:53] they will often feel tired in the [80:56] daytime they may have a lot of caffeine [80:59] or have to rely on power kns to keep [81:01] their alertness up a lot of individuals [81:04] will have early morning Awakenings so in [81:06] those 3 4 5:00 in the morning they'll [81:08] wake up and not realize why they're [81:09] waking up frequently snoring can be very [81:12] common if you've ever had a bed partner [81:14] or a roommate and they've ever noted [81:16] that you stop breathing or pause [81:18] breathing or gasp and choke those are [81:22] very suggestive that you might have [81:24] sleep apnea um and again it is [81:27] incredibly common but very manageable so [81:29] something that I would highly recommend [81:31] if you your bed partner your your [81:35] roommate snore just uh suggest to have [81:38] um I would suggest they go see their [81:40] primary care doctor and typically is it [81:43] people that are slightly overweight that [81:45] are more likely and susceptible to [81:46] having sleep apnea yes yes a lot of [81:49] individuals who are overweight or obese [81:52] um will be more at risk for Sleep back [81:54] as you imagine the collapse of the [81:56] airway typically is here around the neck [81:58] and so more weight um typically is is [82:01] not helpful for for apne but you can [82:03] also be a very fit healthy young [82:06] individual so I work with Elite athletes [82:08] and I have a number of my professional [82:10] athletes who again are young healthy [82:13] males but their Anatomy is just more [82:16] susceptible for this condition what are [82:18] the um the big rebuttal you get the big [82:21] excuses that you hear from people I [82:23] don't have enough time [82:25] yeah I don't have enough time to sleep [82:26] okay I don't have enough time to sleep [82:28] and what do you think of that one uh I [82:30] don't think that that's true I think we [82:32] we all are going to make sacrifices and [82:36] priorities in our day and I think if you [82:39] are saying you don't have enough time I [82:41] think there's ways to be strategic about [82:43] how you manage your time in the day I [82:45] think we all have five minutes to [82:47] implement a windown routine we can all [82:49] do that at the very least I think all of [82:52] us can um optim ize our environment I [82:56] think we all can invest in some sleep [82:57] tools I think we can make better choices [83:00] about how you go about your day so you [83:02] set yourself up better for sleep so I [83:04] think that those are just small [83:05] adjustments but will be huge in terms of [83:08] what that will mean at night um I hear [83:11] that you know I will sleep you know I'll [83:13] sleep in the offseason right now in [83:16] season is when I want to focus on being [83:17] my best but really I think that's the a [83:20] backwards way of thinking about it if [83:22] you're thinking about optimizing your [83:24] sleep when it gets to the season or the [83:26] postseason when some of the most [83:27] important games come down the line [83:29] you're just playing catchup because if [83:31] you have a sleep that built up and [83:33] you're just trying to maintain that [83:34] through the season you actually are at a [83:36] deficit versus the other guy or growl on [83:40] the team who has paid that back in the [83:42] off seon now you have given yourself you [83:46] know zero sleep debt you're at your best [83:48] and now you're just trying to maintain [83:50] that through the [83:51] season what about injury what if I if [83:55] I'm an athlete and I'm underslept are [83:57] there any studies that suggest I'm more [83:59] prone to injury there are a few studies [84:01] that do suggest getting insufficient [84:03] sleep so under 6 hours there's been more [84:06] fatigue related injuries in adolescent [84:08] athletes there's also a study that has [84:11] looked at under eight hours of sleep [84:13] still has a increased risk around 1.7 [84:15] fold higher of inj fold 170% yes yeah of [84:21] higher risk of injury when you're [84:23] getting under 8 hours of sleep versus [84:25] those that got more than 8 hours of [84:27] sleep and so I think it's unclear [84:29] exactly why you're specifically more at [84:33] risk for injury but I tried to take a [84:36] look at the biomechanical changes of [84:39] what happens when athletes are not [84:41] getting sufficient sleep in one of my [84:43] early studies um that has explored the [84:48] biomechanical changes and what we showed [84:50] is that when you're not getting [84:51] sufficient sleep for multiple days you [84:53] have more more variability in your [84:57] biomechanics yeah so you're moving [84:59] differently so you're not actually [85:00] selecting probably your preferred [85:03] coordination strategy so for example I [85:05] had them doing a vertical jump and if [85:07] you're well rested you likely should be [85:09] able to do that very consistently as an [85:11] elite athlete but when you're not well [85:14] rested it's much more variable so [85:15] they're moving differently and that may [85:17] put people at risk for injury they like [85:20] Landing differently a little bit jumping [85:22] yeah how their knees their hips um are [85:24] coordinated together differs and so that [85:27] may put you at risk for injury down the [85:29] road but more to come hopefully on that [85:31] front there's just not that many studies [85:33] that currently exist I've noticed [85:36] something recently because recently I've [85:38] had to get up quite early on a few occas [85:40] so when I say early I mean I've had to [85:43] go get wake up at 4:00 a.m. because I've [85:45] got a flight at 6:00 a.m. and really [85:47] interestingly if I so say if I go in bed [85:50] at like 11:00 p.m. at night and I and I [85:52] have to wake up at say 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. [85:54] when I wake up at 3:00 or 4 a.m. I'm [85:56] really hungry but if I wake up at 8:00 [85:59] a.m. M I'm not hungry well you are [86:02] starting your day much earlier so your [86:04] body clock is starting at a much earlier [86:06] time than you typically would versus [86:08] 8:00 so you almost have what we call [86:10] socially jetlagged yourself right where [86:13] you didn't get on an airplane yet but [86:15] you literally shifted your whole sleep [86:17] schedule to be an earlier wakeup time [86:20] and so you can feel some of the symptoms [86:21] of jet lag where you can have and you [86:24] can have stomach GI upset you can feel [86:26] more fatigued you can have those [86:28] symptoms as if you gotone onto a new [86:30] time zone and flew there but you hadn't [86:33] yet if it it almost feels dare I say [86:37] like hormonal like it because I was [86:39] trying to understand what hunger is and [86:41] hunger is essentially a bunch of [86:42] hormones isn't it so yes you have [86:44] certain hormones that regulate your [86:46] appetite so leptin and gin are two [86:48] hormones that impact your appetite um [86:52] gin makes you more hungry leptin feels [86:55] more satiated if you don't get [86:57] sufficient sleep these levels can be [86:59] imbalanced and so that's where people [87:02] tend to as we've talked about grav [87:04] gravitate towards you know carb and [87:07] unhealthy Foods in the later evening [87:08] time um but also when these are not well [87:11] balanced that can also lead to weight [87:13] gain or situations where you're not able [87:16] to potentially um regulate your weight [87:18] appropriately and so when I have [87:19] individuals who are wondering about not [87:22] making weight goals I ask them about [87:24] their sleep and they don't recognize [87:25] that sometimes being able to address how [87:27] they sleep will actually help them to [87:29] get to the weight management goals that [87:30] they're really striving for Jack what [87:33] about you we've talked about sleep [87:34] before how how are you sleeping at the [87:35] moment I've got pretty good at my sleep [87:38] but waking up in the middle of the night [87:40] you spoke about it in terms of like [87:41] sleep happena but it feels like it [87:43] should be normal to wake up so [87:46] Awakenings actually can be very normal [87:49] this is a very common question I get [87:50] asked is you know should I never wake up [87:52] at night and that's actually not true so [87:54] you shouldn't necessarily hit your head [87:56] on the pillow and then you're out for [87:58] the full night and then never have an [87:59] Awakening if you wake up you go to the [88:01] bathroom one time you come back fall [88:03] asleep in the 5 to 10 minutes great [88:05] that's actually very normal um so you [88:09] can have Awakenings that happen at even [88:12] in the early morning hours and that can [88:14] be just a typical part of your sleep [88:16] cycle because it can be as your [88:17] transitioning between these sleep stages [88:19] that you'll have these Awakenings [88:21] sometimes you'll consciously know that [88:22] you're awake and other times you will [88:25] unconsciously awaken um and so something [88:27] like a wereable might actually show you [88:29] that you have these Awakenings during [88:30] the night time that you don't recall um [88:33] but when it becomes very frequent then [88:35] you have these Awakenings and over [88:37] multiple weeks or it makes it more [88:40] difficult and challenging than to [88:41] function in the daytime that's when we [88:42] get more concerned about Awakenings [88:44] because there's a number of ways reasons [88:47] why you can awaken at nighttime um to [88:49] name a few it could be environmental [88:51] factors that affect your sleep it could [88:53] be that you had alcohol you know that [88:55] right before bedtime maybe there's [88:57] caffeine that's causing you to be awake [88:59] there's also just stress or if you just [89:01] have a racing mind that potentially [89:03] could cuse those Awakenings a bed [89:05] partner is something that is a common [89:07] culprit um or underlying sleep apnea [89:10] that can happen and so there's early [89:12] Awakenings that need to be investigated [89:14] with your doctor how much does um [89:16] alcohol impact my sleep in percentage [89:18] times I I don't know the specific [89:20] statistics of how that's going to impact [89:23] um um the the duration but I will say [89:26] that when we look at the studies of [89:28] moderate to high consumption of alcohol [89:30] that very much has a association with [89:33] more fragmented sleep more Awakenings [89:35] during the night time and so the quality [89:37] of your sleep is significantly impaired [89:40] so if you're trying to um have an [89:42] important meeting the following day an [89:44] important game or you're just trying to [89:47] be able to be your best that following [89:49] day at least try to minimize or [89:51] eliminate the alcohol or in the sleep in [89:53] the sleep docks world we say drink when [89:55] you wake up we'd rather you have that [89:57] alcohol in the morning or the or the [90:00] early afternoon not not necessarily [90:02] right before bed and so um yeah that's [90:05] that's one of the strategies is to [90:06] eliminate the alcohol right before [90:08] sleeping Dr M we have a closing [90:11] tradition on this podcast where the last [90:12] guest leaves a question for the next [90:13] guest not knowing who they're going to [90:14] leave it for and the question that has [90:16] been left for you is if you could go [90:21] back and fix your worst mistake but it [90:24] would change everything afterwards with [90:27] no [90:28] guarantees would you do [90:32] it no I would not do it I think we make [90:36] mistakes in life and we learn from them [90:39] and we adapt and we it can set us off in [90:43] a different direction but that [90:45] ultimately is going to influence who we [90:47] become who we interact with how we build [90:50] a life forward and I wouldn't change my [90:53] life life if I could go back and it [90:56] could would set me on a completely [90:58] different trajectory could you think of [90:59] a worst mistake when I said that did one [91:01] come to mind or was that a category of [91:03] there wasn't I maybe I haven't spent a [91:06] lot of time to try and dive into some of [91:09] my worst mistakes I definitely have made [91:10] mistakes along the way and uh obviously [91:13] would have done some things differently [91:15] in my personal or professional life but [91:17] I do think that that is what has made me [91:20] who I am today right I think I have [91:21] tried to learn from those mistakes [91:24] try not to make them again um and try to [91:27] figure out how to adapt from there but [91:29] that has I think set me on a path that [91:31] uh is where I am today so I wouldn't I [91:33] wouldn't change that it's so interesting [91:36] the subject of sleep for me because I I [91:38] was part of the like burnout Brigade The [91:41] like badge of honor burnout Brigade for [91:43] a long period of time and I I definitely [91:45] thought in my early career when I [91:47] started my first business around 18 19 [91:49] 20 21 up until probably about I'm going [91:52] to say up until about 26 [91:54] I thought that me not sleeping was [91:57] something to show off and I thought that [91:59] I was more impressive if I communicated [92:02] to people how little I slept and how [92:04] much I was able to accomplish in spite [92:06] of that I think actually the greatest en [92:08] enabler to my productivity is like being [92:10] really obsessive about my sleep and [92:12] having that rule that I said where [92:14] nothing in my life unless there's a [92:16] something that's immovable is booked [92:17] before 11 o00 and I really hope other [92:19] people um after listening to you after [92:24] going through your work which is all [92:25] available online really prioritize their [92:28] sleep because as you've shown through [92:29] your research and the studies the the [92:32] impact the very real impact on our lives [92:35] is so profound maybe one shift in your [92:38] mindset too that I encourage you but [92:40] everyone that's listening as well is the [92:43] way I frame it to athletes is it's a [92:45] small tweak but if you think about sleep [92:48] is not the end of today it's the [92:50] beginning of tomorrow what you do to [92:53] prepare [92:54] what you do to try and get the the [92:55] duration that you're striving for and [92:57] how you set yourself up will affect [93:00] everything about how you function how [93:03] you interact with individuals and [93:05] ultimately perform tomorrow if you're [93:07] willing to do everything it takes for [93:09] you to be your best sleep has to be [93:13] foundational in every day and if you're [93:16] willing to put in that time and that [93:18] effort you'll reap the benefits that [93:19] come down the line and it can be [93:21] completely [93:22] lifechanging but you have to give [93:24] yourself that Grace and that patience to [93:27] be able to make these small adjustments [93:30] but as some of my athletes have shown it [93:32] can be a GameChanger for them it can [93:34] completely change the trajectory of [93:36] their career and even life once they [93:39] actually get quality sleep under their [93:41] belt and so I challenge everyone to make [93:44] small adjustments starting tonight and [93:47] reach out if you have questions but [93:49] where do we find you uh you can reach me [93:52] at um Instagram Twitter or x uh Facebook [93:56] um LinkedIn at Dr Sherry ma d r c h r i [94:02] Mah or you can find me my website is Dr [94:05] sherim ma.com thank you so much I I know [94:09] that there's a lot of different [94:10] individuals from various sports teams [94:12] that listen because I speak to them I [94:13] was speaking to um some of the guys at [94:15] Manchester United um two weeks ago in a [94:18] hotel about from the well-being team [94:20] about these subjects and the sort of um [94:22] interconnected subjects of sleep and [94:24] well-being generally but also I've [94:25] spoken to people at Chelsea Football [94:27] Club that listen to the podcast about [94:28] these themes so I'm I'm convinced [94:31] there's going to be a lot of athletes [94:32] and aspiring athletes and just people [94:34] like me who are going to benefit [94:35] profoundly from the work that you do and [94:37] the research that you've you've done [94:38] that really shines the light on the [94:39] importance of sleep which is often [94:41] misunderstood and is seen as a [94:42] negotiable part of our lives so thank [94:44] you so much for the work that you do and [94:46] I'm very excited to see um where your [94:48] research and where your studies take you [94:50] because it will be pioneering research [94:52] No Doubt thank you so much thanks for [94:55] having me it's been a [94:56] pleasure perfect Ted has quite frankly [94:59] taken the nation by storm a small green [95:02] energy drink that you've probably seen [95:04] popping up through a Tesco or to a [95:05] waitrose they've grown by almost [95:09] 10,000% in a very short period of time [95:13] because people are sick and tired of the [95:15] typical unhealthy energy drinks and [95:17] they've been looking for an alternative [95:19] perfect Ted is the drink that I drink as [95:21] I'm sat here doing the podcast because [95:23] it gives me increased focus it doesn't [95:26] give me crashes which sometimes might [95:27] happen if I'm having a three four five [95:29] six hour conversation with someone on [95:31] the podcast and it tastes amazing it's [95:33] exactly what I've been looking for in [95:35] terms of energy that's why I'm an [95:37] investor and that's why they sponsor [95:38] this podcast and for a limited time [95:40] perfect Ted have given di of CEO [95:42] listeners only a huge 40% off if you use [95:47] the code diary 40 at checkout don't tell [95:50] anybody about this and you can only get [95:53] this online for limited time so make [95:54] sure you don't miss out [95:57] [Music] [96:16] [Music]