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Series Code: MH
Program Code: MH240003S
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00:01 Newborn babies sleep so much.
00:03 You ever wondered why? 00:04 We always hear it's because they're growing fast. 00:07 What is really growing fast is their brain. 00:09 Most of their brain development happens while they're sleeping. 00:13 Memories are being stored, synapsis are being forms, 00:15 brain tissue is developing, and literally the left and right 00:18 hemispheres of their brain are being connected. 00:21 In the first three years of life more than a million million 00:24 neuro connections are formed every second. 00:27 It seems that it's when we're sleeping 00:29 that we're becoming ourselves. 00:50 Babies aren't the only ones who need to get enough sleep, 00:52 as we're about to see. 00:54 If we want to maintain a healthy brain, 00:56 one that keeps learning and growing, 00:58 we need to sleep. 01:00 I know sleep often seems unproductive, 01:02 but it's probably the most important thing you do. 01:07 Sleep is such a fundamental, biological foundation 01:11 for brain health. 01:12 So much so that we basically put ourselves at risk 01:17 for 7 to 8 hours because we're completely unconscious. 01:20 We're unconscious; that's how important it is for the brain. 01:24 I think it's over 1/3 of Americans don't 01:27 get enough sleep, you know. 01:29 Enough sleep is defined as at least 7 to 8 hours 01:34 of sleep at night. 01:36 So a large percentage of Americans are not getting that. 01:40 And when it comes to chronic pain, some very important things 01:45 happen in our bodies when we sleep. 01:48 You know, there are different stages of sleep, 01:51 different types of sleep. 01:53 We have REM sleep, and non-REM sleep. 01:56 REM sleep is sleep that we get when we're dreaming. 02:00 And non-REM sleep is that we get into stages 3 and 4, 02:05 really deep sleep. 02:07 Sleep is actually a very active time for our bodies. 02:11 A lot is happening when we're sleeping. 02:13 And for a person with chronic pain, this is very important. 02:16 So when we're in those deep stages of sleep, 02:19 the delta wave sleep, our bodies are actually healing. 02:24 Growth hormone is being secreted, 02:27 our joints, our wounds, are all healing. 02:30 That's when we actually grow. 02:32 Muscles grow during deep-stage sleep. 02:36 Now during REM sleep, that's when our neurotransmitters 02:39 are being replenished, 02:40 that's when our memories are being consolidated, 02:44 and everything in the brain is happening. 02:47 So where is pain processed? 02:50 It's processed in the brain. 02:52 So people with chronic pain need to have both 02:56 types of sleep, the deep wave sleep, the non-REM sleep, 03:00 and then the REM sleep as well. 03:02 So you're saying that to get both kinds of sleep 03:04 it's about the duration of sleep hours. 03:06 We need those full 7 to 8 in order to experience 03:09 both of those. 03:10 We do. 03:11 You know, as we progress through our sleep at night, 03:15 we go through these 90 minutes, you know, small cycles. 03:21 And as the night goes on, we progress into having more and 03:28 more REM sleep and we have less and less deep-wave sleep. 03:32 So we need both, we need all of those hours 03:35 to get both types of sleep in. 03:38 When we sleep, we think that it's the most important 03:43 hours during the day, because during those 7 to 8 hours 03:47 of deep restorative sleep two very important 03:50 functions take place. 03:52 One, our memories are consolidated. 03:54 So all of the information that we retrieve during the day, 03:58 they are organized, they're put in the right file folder 04:01 and cabinet so that it's easier for us to retrieve it 04:04 the next day. 04:05 A second thing that happens is, our brain cleanses itself. 04:08 And we have this beautiful, sophisticated janitorial system 04:13 called the glymphatic system that is in place 04:16 that is consistent with cells, the microglia, and also 04:21 fluid channels that only get activated, listen to this part, 04:26 only get activated when we go to the deeper stages of sleep. 04:31 And anything that messes up our sleep cycle, 04:33 that prevents us from getting that deep restorative sleep, 04:37 whether it's not going to bed at the same time, 04:40 waking up at the same time, the inconsistencies, 04:42 any sleep disorder like restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea, 04:46 or any behavior that disrupts that cycle 04:50 will render it inactive. 04:52 And so the brain doesn't get cleansed. 04:54 And over a long period of time there are a lot of 04:56 toxic byproducts that deposit; and amyloid beta protein 05:00 is one of them, which has been associated with 05:01 Alzheimer's disease. 05:03 And so, it's very common for people who have 05:06 sleep disruption to have problems with their focus, 05:10 with their attention, with their memory. 05:12 Over a long period of time it puts them at a very 05:15 high risk of developing dementia and specifically 05:18 Alzheimer's disease. 05:19 So during sleep we actually consolidate memories. 05:22 So if we're not sleeping well, that's going to affect 05:24 our memory in a big way. 05:26 And if we sleep well and we sleep deeply, 05:29 this is actually where we're going to be able to 05:31 remember things better. 05:34 And on top of that, good sleep actually improves our attention. 05:39 And so, if we're not sleeping well, then we're really going to 05:42 tend to struggle with attention, with concentration. 05:46 Memory, attention, concentration, 05:49 brain cleansing, growing muscles, healing; 05:52 they all sound important to me. 05:54 These are some powerful reasons to work on getting better sleep. 05:57 But sometimes it's easier said than done. 06:01 The number one risk factor for a person having a 06:04 pain exacerbation the next day is not getting enough 06:07 sleep the night before. 06:10 The more hours of sleep the person gets when they have 06:13 chronic pain, the less their pain is 06:14 going to be the next day. 06:16 There is a very close link between sleep and our hormones. 06:22 As a pain specialist, I'm interested in this because 06:26 I'm trying to help my patients recoup and recover 06:29 from their pain conditions. 06:31 For example, if we don't get at least three hours of continuous 06:36 sleep, then we don't make growth hormone, 06:39 we don't make testosterone. 06:42 And we need both of those hormones for healing and health. 06:45 You know, like I mentioned before, growth hormone 06:47 is necessary for healing. 06:49 Testosterone is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory 06:55 hormones in the body. 06:56 And you know, people's chronic pain has a lot of things 07:01 stacked against them when it comes to testosterone. 07:05 So for example, opioids really tone down very rapidly 07:10 how much testosterone a person will make. 07:14 The opioids, even from a single dose of opioids, 07:20 for a period of one to four hours after taking that 07:23 dose of medication, you can see a decline in 07:25 testosterone production. 07:28 The other interesting thing about the low testosterone is 07:32 that when the testosterone level becomes low, 07:34 it actually changes the shape of the opioid receptor 07:38 and it makes the pain medications not bind 07:42 effectively to the opioid receptor. 07:44 So it's kind of this cycle that you have to break. 07:49 You know, you take the pain medication, 07:52 testosterone becomes low. 07:54 Testosterone becomes low, it makes the opioid receptor 07:57 not bind to the pain medication very well, 08:00 and therefore it's not effective. 08:02 So you have to intervene and treat that. 08:04 That is so interesting how testosterone and pain medication 08:08 can become a vicious cycle. 08:10 Did you catch how we need at least three hours of 08:13 continuous sleep to make testosterone? 08:15 How much sleep and when we sleep are big deals. 08:19 Many people believe that getting, let's say, eight hours 08:24 of sleep is important no matter at what time of the day. 08:28 They think, "Well, if I go to sleep at 2:00 am 08:33 and just sleep until 10:00, it will be the same length of sleep 08:37 as getting into bed at 9:00." 08:41 Well it turns out, the timing of sleep is also important 08:47 for our melatonin production. 08:49 If you go to bed at 2:00 am versus 9:00 pm, 08:54 the production of melatonin will be cut in half. 08:58 So respecting the natural body light and darkness cycle 09:04 really pays off. 09:06 Getting to bed early is much better than going to bed late. 09:11 You know, I've heard that getting sleep in before midnight 09:14 is worth double than after midnight. 09:16 And I always wondered why. 09:17 The type of sleep changes through the night. 09:19 And the later we go to bed, the more it alters the sleep pattern 09:23 of going in and out of the various stages. 09:25 When we go to bed earlier, we cycle into the 09:28 deep sleep more frequently. 09:30 Going to be after midnight, we get less of the deep sleep 09:33 that we really need. 09:34 A lot of healing takes place in that first phase of sleep. 09:38 Next, we're going to be looking at a hormone 09:41 that we associate with sleep. 09:42 Melatonin. 09:44 And I'm really looking forward to learning more about it. 09:47 Yeah, so melatonin is actually formed by the mitochondria. 09:54 And melatonin helps to, it's a very strong potent antioxidant, 10:01 but it also helps the body to get into that deep 10:05 restorative type of sleep. 10:07 And some people say, "Well, why does it really matter 10:10 what time of day I sleep?" 10:12 Well, it actually does matter because you want to be asleep 10:15 when your melatonin levels are peaking, because again, 10:19 that actually helps your body to really get into that 10:22 deeper restorative sleep. 10:24 So when it's dark outside, the melatonin starts being 10:27 released in our bodies. 10:28 This helps our body to really shut down and get into that 10:33 deeper and more restorative sleep. 10:36 Good sleep apparently supports mitochondria 10:39 in some really interesting ways, 10:40 that I've just recently learned about. 10:43 We've all heard of melatonin and how melatonin comes from 10:46 our pineal gland when the sun goes down, and the sky darkens, 10:49 and we're designed to go to sleep 10:51 after the darkening of our environment. 10:54 The pineal gland secretes melatonin which has this sort of 10:58 go to sleep effect on all of our systems, all of our cells. 11:02 One thing that melatonin also does, evidently, is 11:07 it affects the mitochondria in such a way it helps them 11:09 to clean up the waste in the reactive oxygen species 11:13 that they have built up during that day's activities. 11:18 So this is one way in which good sleep at night is 11:22 vitally important for your daytime function. 11:24 We know that our glands, our mitochondria in our glands 11:26 will function better if we've slept well at night. 11:28 And what's the value of melatonin? 11:30 Why is that so important? 11:32 Melatonin is important for the immune function. 11:35 It's also cardio-protective. 11:38 It helps with increasing the insulin sensitivity. 11:43 So it protects it against the development of type 2 diabetes. 11:48 It helps in preventing cancer. 11:52 So it has many beneficial effects, and we want to keep 11:55 melatonin high. 11:58 Many of us think of melatonin as a supplement that 12:01 people can take to help them fall asleep. 12:03 But it's so much more than that. 12:05 That was an impressive list Dr. Kahleova mentioned. 12:07 Protecting the heart, fighting cancer, 12:10 improving insulin sensitivity, 12:12 which would benefit a whole host of other health problems. 12:15 It's also one of the body's most powerful antioxidants. 12:20 I'm sure there's a place for supplementation, 12:22 but ultimately what we really want is for your body 12:25 to resume making it where it needs it. 12:28 And there's two ways we can do that. 12:30 By being exposed to sunlight during the day 12:32 and by going to bed in the dark a couple hours before midnight. 12:36 It's just amazing how connected our physiology is 12:39 with the sun, and the moon. 12:42 Nature's rhythms affect our own. 12:46 Many people really are desperate to try hard 12:51 to optimize their sleep, and they simply can't figure it out. 12:55 And so what I suggest is, we've got to sit down 12:58 and figure this out. 13:00 Unless we figure it out, there's going to be 13:03 negative consequences. 13:04 Because without sleeping adequately, 13:07 the brain will degenerate into forms of dementia, 13:12 cardiovascular disease becomes a much bigger problem. 13:16 Diabetes is strongly associated with inadequate sleep, 13:22 so much so that somebody with pre-diabetes 13:26 can actually be diabetic after just one night of poor sleep 13:30 the next morning. 13:31 And if they get a good night's sleep the next night, 13:34 then they're no longer diabetic, by official standards, right. 13:37 And so the lack of optimal sleep dramatically drives 13:43 Insulin resistance. 13:46 I just want to pause here. to emphasize this point. 13:49 That sleep affects our blood sugar by 13:51 promoting insulin resistance. 13:53 We learned a lot about insulin resistance 13:55 in a previous episode. 13:57 We learned that insulin resistance can underlie 13:59 conditions like elevated cholesterol, hormone imbalances 14:03 seen in PCOS, diabetes, heart disease. 14:06 But sleep also affects the level of inflammation in our bodies. 14:10 And there's more. 14:12 On top of that, sleep is very important when we think about 14:18 repairing and restoring, and removing toxins too. 14:23 One of my colleagues uses this analogy, and I really like it. 14:26 He calls it the Disneyland analogy. 14:29 And so basically, he talks about how Disneyland is a very active 14:34 place during the day, right. 14:36 Well, at night Disneyland is actually just as active 14:41 as it is during the day. 14:43 But there's just different things going on. 14:45 And it's similar too with our bodies. 14:47 So you know, during the day we're active or doing things, 14:50 but at night there's also a lot of activity going on. 14:55 So at Disneyland, of course, they're cleaning things, 14:58 they're repairing rides, et cetera. 15:01 Well, in our bodies, also that repair, that restoration, 15:06 that cleaning is taking place. 15:08 And so if we're sleeping properly, this will actually 15:11 help to reduce inflammation. 15:13 And it will also help us to remove the toxins. 15:20 There's something that's called, it's very interesting 15:22 that scientists have found in recent years, 15:25 called the glymphatic system. 15:27 And they used to think, oh yeah, there's probably not really 15:30 any lymphatic drainage or lymphatic system in the brain. 15:35 But what they've actually found is that there's brain-cleaning 15:39 that occurs while we're sleeping. 15:41 And so, normally there is what we call the blood/brain barrier 15:46 that remains intact so that the bad substances 15:50 can't get into the brain. 15:53 But when we're sleeping, that barrier actually relaxes 16:01 because the norepinephrine level goes down, the adrenaline 16:03 levels go down; and so then there's fluid that actually 16:07 goes throughout the brain into the different 16:13 spaces around the brain cells, and it will actually literally 16:16 wash our brain so that the toxins actually get 16:21 removed out of the brain. 16:23 And this is one of the really important aspects of sleep. 16:26 If we don't have the regular, especially that deeper sleep 16:30 where our brain can really relax, 16:32 then we're not going to get that brain-cleaning 16:34 which will actually remove toxins and prevent, you know, 16:37 even chronic inflammatory conditions like Alzheimer's, 16:40 and that sort of thing. 16:42 And just get us ready for a new day with a clean slate. 16:47 Sleep detoxifies. 16:49 Your glial cells and glymphatic system detoxifies you. 16:53 We say the two most powerful detoxicants that we know of 16:57 are, not very interesting, sleep and water. 17:03 This is so important. 17:05 Dr. Sherzai referred to glial cells, which are brain cells 17:08 that have a lot to do with the brain's waste removal 17:11 which occurs primarily while we're in deep sleep. 17:13 The brain has a sort of plumbing system 17:15 called the glymphatic system. 17:17 And I picture the glymphatic system like an ocean tide 17:20 that during the day retreats when the brain is active, 17:23 but then at night when we're are unconscious, 17:24 the tide comes in. 17:26 And this rising tide provides a deep cleaning of the brain 17:29 during sleep. 17:31 As the tide retreats, it takes with it proteins and molecules 17:34 that would become toxic if allowed to 17:36 accumulate in the brain. 17:38 And these molecules are associated with 17:40 neurodegenerative disorders. 17:42 So picture sleep detoxing the brain; 17:45 washing away the waste products that build up all day, 17:48 but washing them out at night. 17:50 Yeah, our mental health is definitely affected 17:52 by our sleep. 17:55 In fact, when we're not sleeping properly, that clearly shows, 18:01 studies show that it disturbs our frontal lobe function. 18:04 And that can lead to all sorts of mental health problems 18:07 including depression, anxiety disorders, etc. 18:10 So Americans are notoriously sleep deprived. 18:13 And what's interesting is, there is a very strong link 18:16 between sleep problems and mental health problems. 18:20 Statistics actually show that in a psychiatric mental health 18:25 population, that 50% to 80% of those people 18:29 struggle with sleep problems. 18:30 And you can compare that with 10% to 18% 18:33 of the overall American population. 18:36 And so, that correlation is very strong. 18:39 And I think there is important reasons for that. 18:42 Again, it definitely affects our frontal lobe. 18:45 And one thing that I've learned over the years 18:48 with mental health is, when things affect the frontal lobe 18:51 of our brain, it's going to affect our mental health. 18:55 And in fact, all mental health problems have one thing 18:58 in common; and that is there's frontal lobe problems. 19:00 So you can see how if you're not sleeping well, 19:03 it affects your frontal lobe, it's going to set the stage for 19:07 mental health problems. 19:09 So I'm wondering, why? 19:12 Why are Americans notoriously sleep-deprived? 19:15 A lot of factors. 19:17 I think one is that we live in a society that never turns off. 19:22 And I think that translates into our brain just not ever 19:25 learning how to relax and to deregulate. 19:30 So I think that's a big part of it. 19:32 Yeah, so sleep problems are definitely on the rise. 19:36 And there's several factors that play a role there. 19:38 Stress levels... 19:40 Any of us can certainly sympathize with the idea 19:43 that when we have more stress it's harder to go to sleep, 19:47 and often times harder to stay asleep. 19:49 And so, because people's stress levels have been so high, 19:52 that's one of the causes for insomnia. 19:54 But that's not the only cause. 19:57 Another major reason is because of all the stimulation 20:00 we're getting, especially from our gadgets like our phones, 20:04 television, video games, etc. 20:08 We have so many distractions nowadays. 20:12 First of all, we can use lights any time we want. 20:16 We don't have to respect the day and night cycle. 20:22 That's the first factor. 20:24 The second one is the demands of society 20:27 in keeping us on the toes with our work demand 20:31 and also with social media bombarding us with 20:36 fresh news all the time. 20:38 And we want to keep in touch basically 24/7. 20:43 We like to be, we like to be present. 20:45 We feel like we don't want to miss out on all the 20:49 opportunities that are out there. 20:51 We feel like watching the newest video is more important 20:56 than getting sleep. 20:58 So it's about the distractions, but it's also about the other 21:04 unhealthy lifestyle factors that contribute. 21:08 Lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet that makes us 21:13 more sluggish, and yet the quality of sleep is compromised. 21:19 So that bright light from the screen, 21:23 it contains blue light as well as other 21:27 areas of the light spectrum. 21:28 But especially the blue light will actually shut down 21:32 the melatonin production and release. 21:35 And so, that will actually make it very difficult 21:39 to fall asleep. 21:40 And on top of that, those things are not only reducing 21:43 the release of melatonin, but they are also very stimulating 21:46 to the emotional part of your brain. 21:48 And so, if you're trying to go from being really stimulated 21:53 by the TV, or something like that, into a deep restful sleep, 21:58 it's not going to work very well. 21:59 And some people actually do fall asleep with the television on, 22:03 and they say, "Hey, it helps me fall asleep," 22:05 but what we typically find is that their sleep 22:07 is not very restorative. 22:09 They're not actually getting into that really 22:11 deep quality sleep that they need to feel rejuvenated 22:15 the next day. 22:16 And beyond that, a lot of us tend to eat pretty late. 22:21 And so, that also can affect the ability to fall asleep, 22:25 and also getting quality sleep as well. 22:29 If we eat too late, that actually makes it so our body 22:34 is still working when it's supposed to be shutting down 22:37 resting for the night. 22:38 And so, the quality of our sleep is going to be really poor. 22:42 On top of that, melatonin which is released when it gets 22:45 darker outside, that actually increases the body's 22:51 insulin resistance. 22:52 So what that means is, if melatonin is being released 22:57 because it's now dark outside, and you just ate, 22:59 our body is going to have a harder time dealing with 23:02 the blood sugar, and we're going to tend to actually have 23:05 blood sugar spikes much higher and have more difficult time 23:10 managing our blood sugar control, which can predispose us 23:13 to diabetes, increased inflammation, etc. 23:17 I just want to add, one of the reasons that eating late 23:19 at night impairs sleep is because eating naturally causes 23:23 insulin levels to rise. 23:25 And insulin and melatonin have a very respectful relationship. 23:29 When one is talking, the other is quiet. 23:32 So if we eat too close to bedtime and insulin rises, 23:35 we're not going to get healthy levels of melatonin. 23:38 And we just learned, that's not going to be good. 23:42 When we eat and what we eat can affect our sleep. 23:45 And one of the ways is through the gut microbiome. 23:48 Do you remember the gut microbiome 23:49 from a previous program? 23:51 This community of microbes that lives in our gut 23:54 actually contributes to the quality of our sleep. 23:57 Researchers are proposing that our gut bugs 23:59 may play a critical role in sleep disorders. 24:02 It seems like one thing leads to another with these two. 24:05 Sleep deprivation leads to a dysfunction of gut microbiota, 24:09 and the gut community influences sleep quality. 24:12 It kind of sounds crazy that you can improve quality of sleep 24:16 by supporting healthier gut microbiome or support a 24:19 healthier gut by getting better sleep. 24:22 But it's true. 24:24 Lack of good sleep can affect our gut, 24:26 our emotions being out of control can affect our gut. 24:29 And so all these things can give us a hit to our gut, 24:31 which then gives us a hit to our immune system. 24:34 So those are the main things I think about 24:36 when I think about our immune system. 24:38 - Even sleep. - Yeah, even sleep. 24:40 Even sleep plays a role too, yeah. 24:43 When you sleep... 24:45 You know, we get invited to talks, these resorts, 24:49 and retreats, and spas; so we give talks. 24:53 We don't get invited often the second time because we say, 24:56 "The most important spa is not the spa. 24:59 The most important is your bedroom." 25:01 Those seven to eight hours, if you're getting restorative 25:05 deep sleep, it's literally the most important 25:09 time of day for you. 25:10 It's more important than your wakefulness. 25:12 What do you do in wakefulness? Go to Instagram? 25:14 Well, sleep, you're cleansing the brain. 25:16 You're cleansing the inflammatory byproducts. 25:18 You're cleansing all the waste, and you're fortifying memory. 25:24 Study after study shows that even a couple hours of 25:26 bad sleep, a couple of days of bad sleep, 25:29 significantly reduces your attention, 25:31 your focus, and your memory. 25:33 So the sleep period, that sleep period is cleansing. 25:36 So what kind of sleep? 25:38 Deep restorative sleep. 25:40 The point here is if you don't sleep, you prematurely age. 25:45 No question. 25:46 So sleep is huge. 25:48 Sleep is huge. 25:51 Yet we dismiss it, 25:52 brag about not getting enough, 25:54 make jokes about those who get to sleep early. 25:57 But sleep expert Matthew Walker says that sleep is the single 26:00 most effective thing you can do to reset your brain 26:04 and body health every day. 26:06 He calls it the elixir of life, the Swiss Army Knife of health. 26:10 The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. 26:13 It's true; short sleep predicts all-cause mortality. 26:17 We need to think about not just the quantity, 26:20 but also the quality of sleep. 26:22 We are suffering from our lack of both. 26:25 And it's time for that to change. 26:27 Invest in your sleep. 26:29 It is an investment in your tomorrow. 26:32 Yeah, it's going to cost you something, 26:34 but you will reap back exponential kickbacks. 26:37 Not a facet of our health that sleep does not impact. 26:42 You were made to sleep. |
Revised 2025-04-07