#088 The Science of Optimizing Sleep - Special Preview

Rhonda Patrick

Mar 26, 2024

Episode description

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more

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

Episode description

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more

Discover my premium podcast, The Aliquot

(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

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Choose low-carb dinner to enhance deep sleep quality

According to a meta-analysis, eating a low-carbohydrate dinner can increase the slow-wave sleep stage by about 8.5 minutes compared to a high-carb meal.

#low-carb

#sleep

Engage in learning to enhance slow-wave sleep activity

Engaging in salient or repeated learning experiences during the day can lead to local enhancements of slow-wave activity in the brain during subsequent sleep.

#cognition

#sleep

Cool down after heat exposure for restful sleep

To improve sleep, use saunas or hot baths a couple of hours before bed to allow your core body temperature to cool down, which promotes more restful sleep.

#sauna

#sleep

Utilize sauna sessions to boost growth hormone levels

Two 15-minute sauna sessions at 100°C (212°F), separated by a 30-minute cooling period, can cause a five-fold increase in growth hormone levels.

#growth-hormone

#sauna

Engage in intense exercise to boost slow-wave sleep

The rate of energy expenditure (intensity) during exercise, rather than total energy expenditure, has a larger effect on increasing slow-wave sleep, possibly due to a greater increase in body temperature.