#088 The Science of Optimizing Sleep - Special Preview

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Discover my premium podcast, The Aliquot

If you’ve been following FoundMyFitness for a while, you may remember that we have our members-only podcast, The Aliquot. I want to share a preview of our newest Aliquot episode, "The Science of Optimizing Sleep," available to everyone, not just our Premium Members.

Adequate, quality sleep is essential for the body's recovery and repair, promoting optimal physical and mental health. Getting a good night's sleep can be challenging, especially in our modern world, but we can take steps to overcome those challenges. In this Aliquot, we present a mashup of our best resources on sleep, featuring insights from Dr. Matthew Walker, Dr. Satchin Panda, and me. In this preview, we discuss:

• (00:02:13) How exercise timing affects deep sleep
• (00:08:03) Do saunas and hot baths increase sleep-enhancing hormones?
• (00:12:33) Can learning and meditation boost deep sleep?
• (00:14:10) Do scented oils, like lavender, impact sleep?
• (00:14:47) The insulin-tryptophan-melatonin connection
• (00:19:20) Why carb-heavy meals make us sleepy

In the full episode available only for Premium Members, we also discuss:

• Can calming music, akin to lullabies, curb pre-sleep ruminations?
• The effect of air quality on sleep
• The effect of low-level noise on sleep fragmentation
• Whether or not time in nature transforms sleep quality
• Could melatonin supplementation increase REM sleep — at the cost of decrease deep sleep?
• How my sauna and hot tub routine preps me for sleep
• Is there evidence white noise helps sleep and can calming music curb pre-sleep ruminations?
• The differential impact of morning vs. evening light in slow wave sleep
• Can adjusting our body's thermal cues unlock deeper sleep? (increase deep sleep)
• Improving sleep with science-backed heat therapy protocols and how my sauna and hot tub routine preps me for sleep
• The four pillars of sleep
• How much sleep is enough? (from newborns to older adults)
• The surprising lifestyle factors that synergize to maintain glymphatic clearance in aging brains (sleep, exercise, and omega-3s)
• Are modern lifestyles and "social jetlag" turning us into shift workers?
• Building resilience against circadian disruptions
• Five immediate steps to enhance sleep quality tonight
• How long caffeine stays in the system
• The effect of alcohol and marijuana on sleep, particularly REM sleep