Why Your Sleep Schedule Sucks (And How To Fix It!)

so the first thing that i kind of want to talk a little bit about in terms of to talk a little bit about in terms of sleep is i don't know if you all know sleep is i don't know if you all know this but we have a lot of information this but we have a lot of information about sleep right about sleep right so so if we look kind of statistically if we look kind of statistically this is this is this the level of scientific advancement this the level of scientific advancement in the world is at an all-time high at in the world is at an all-time high at least least you know most people can sort of assume you know most people can sort of assume that i don't know about the sumerians that i don't know about the sumerians and some of these ancient civilizations and some of these ancient civilizations that may have gone to space and whatnot that may have gone to space and whatnot but generally speaking we can assume but generally speaking we can assume that our scientific that our scientific our level of understanding our level of understanding scientifically of sleep is at an scientifically of sleep is at an all-time high all-time high we also tend to have access to science we also tend to have access to science at an unprecedented level right so now at an unprecedented level right so now we have for example lots of people like we have for example lots of people like myself myself who understand some degree of science who understand some degree of science i.e or clinicians and we show up on i.e or clinicians and we show up on twitch or youtube or whatever like tick twitch or youtube or whatever like tick tock instagram whatever and we will like tock instagram whatever and we will like teach people about the science right so teach people about the science right so so not only is like not only do we know so not only is like not only do we know the most about sleep that we've ever the most about sleep that we've ever known known but the ability for you to access that

but the ability for you to access that information information is also at an all-time high is also at an all-time high so this kind of begs the question so this kind of begs the question if this is the most we've ever known if this is the most we've ever known about sleep and access to information about sleep and access to information about sleep is an all-time time high about sleep is an all-time time high why is everyone struggling with sleep why is everyone struggling with sleep right it's kind of weird like there's right it's kind of weird like there's something fundamentally wrong with the something fundamentally wrong with the way that we approach sleep way that we approach sleep so the first thing that i'm going to so the first thing that i'm going to kind of do is like talk a little bit kind of do is like talk a little bit about what how people approach sleep so about what how people approach sleep so the first thing that happens is someone the first thing that happens is someone says says i have trouble with sleep right so we're i have trouble with sleep right so we're going to actually flash to a subreddit going to actually flash to a subreddit post that kind of triggered this which post that kind of triggered this which is a great post is a great post dr k i need to sleep help okay dear dr k dr k i need to sleep help okay dear dr k i was wondering if you could make a i was wondering if you could make a stream video about topics around sleep stream video about topics around sleep insomnia sleep disorders depression and insomnia sleep disorders depression and sleep reasons why people have difficulty sleep reasons why people have difficulty sleeping etc i believe many peop many sleeping etc i believe many peop many struggle with sleeping especially my struggle with sleeping especially my fellow gamers advice is much needed fellow gamers advice is much needed personal experience i don't allow myself personal experience i don't allow myself to sleep even though i'm tired and to sleep even though i'm tired and exhausted i take a long time to actually

exhausted i take a long time to actually fall asleep i wake up multiple times at fall asleep i wake up multiple times at night and the overall sleep experience night and the overall sleep experience does not feel like quality sleep and i does not feel like quality sleep and i don't feel rested at all when i wake up don't feel rested at all when i wake up i also have a hard time getting out of i also have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning i struggle with bed in the morning i struggle with depression and ptsd and them seeing a depression and ptsd and them seeing a therapist would love any advice so therapist would love any advice so beautiful post we get requests like this beautiful post we get requests like this all the time people are constantly all the time people are constantly asking us about sleep and so the other asking us about sleep and so the other thing that tends to happen is if you thing that tends to happen is if you look at like people who disseminate look at like people who disseminate information sleep is a hot topic so a information sleep is a hot topic so a lot of people are talking about it right lot of people are talking about it right so you'll tend to have i've sort of so you'll tend to have i've sort of noticed that like you'll have experts in noticed that like you'll have experts in sleep so you'll have some kind of sleep so you'll have some kind of scientists like probably a phd scientists like probably a phd who is an expert in sleep or who is an expert in sleep or neuroscience or something like that neuroscience or something like that right so they really understand the right so they really understand the science and then what they'll tend to do science and then what they'll tend to do is they'll offer recommendations so look is they'll offer recommendations so look at this they'll look at studies and at this they'll look at studies and stuff and they'll say like oh like stuff and they'll say like oh like there's a study that shows this and like there's a study that shows this and like this is what we understand about the this is what we understand about the brain and neuroscience and circadian brain and neuroscience and circadian rhythms and stuff like that and then rhythms and stuff like that and then they'll make recommendations they'll make recommendations and so despite the fact that their

and so despite the fact that their science is really solid in their science is really solid in their recommendations appear to be really good recommendations appear to be really good we see still seem to have a societal we see still seem to have a societal sleep problem and why is that okay sleep problem and why is that okay and so i think the the problem here is and so i think the the problem here is that if you look at a lot of people who that if you look at a lot of people who are scientists are scientists they have very little clinical they have very little clinical experience so the majority of people who experience so the majority of people who are scientists who will offer sleep are scientists who will offer sleep recommendations have not worked with recommendations have not worked with like actual humans around their problems like actual humans around their problems that's not actually part of their job that's not actually part of their job right their part their job is to do a right their part their job is to do a clinical trial where we offer an clinical trial where we offer an intervention we're going to take 10 000 intervention we're going to take 10 000 people we're going to split them into a people we're going to split them into a control group and a normal group and 5 control group and a normal group and 5 000 people we're going to give let's say 000 people we're going to give let's say some kind of supplement or herb and 5 some kind of supplement or herb and 5 000 people we're going to do 000 people we're going to do give them a sugar pill and what we're give them a sugar pill and what we're going to detect is that on average the going to detect is that on average the people who take the herb or the people who take the herb or the supplement do better than the people who supplement do better than the people who take the placebo and so they conclude take the placebo and so they conclude that on average this herb or supplement that on average this herb or supplement results in like an improvement in sleep results in like an improvement in sleep but let's remember that out of those 5 but let's remember that out of those 5 000 people let's say 2 000 people got

000 people let's say 2 000 people got better with the placebo and 3 000 people better with the placebo and 3 000 people got better with the herb got better with the herb let's remember for a moment that like 2 let's remember for a moment that like 2 000 people got better with the placebo 000 people got better with the placebo and 2 000 people didn't get better at and 2 000 people didn't get better at all all so really all you're talking about is a so really all you're talking about is a thousand people in the middle that got thousand people in the middle that got better from the the herb right so if you better from the the herb right so if you really think about it really think about it only 20 percent the the effect size or only 20 percent the the effect size or what's called the number needed to treat what's called the number needed to treat for your medication is like you have to for your medication is like you have to treat five people on average to get treat five people on average to get actually that may be the incorrect actually that may be the incorrect calculation but calculation but there's this concept of number needed to there's this concept of number needed to treat where when we look at science we treat where when we look at science we look at populations and what we end up look at populations and what we end up with is sort of like even though this with is sort of like even though this study is successful and someone can say study is successful and someone can say very scientifically that this works very scientifically that this works better than placebo there's actually better than placebo there's actually like 4 000 people in that study who did like 4 000 people in that study who did not benefit from it and this is the way not benefit from it and this is the way that science proceeds right so then that science proceeds right so then we'll do clinical trials on for example we'll do clinical trials on for example cbt for insomnia cognitive behavioral cbt for insomnia cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and that appears to therapy for insomnia and that appears to work for sleep people will develop apps

work for sleep people will develop apps and study like these kinds of things and and study like these kinds of things and we study yoga and we study this and we we study yoga and we study this and we study that and we study this kind of study that and we study this kind of thing and we found this kind of thing and we found this kind of correlation and so all of our science correlation and so all of our science sort of is like very generalized and sort of is like very generalized and looking at populations and so this is looking at populations and so this is the reason why people have difficulty the reason why people have difficulty sleeping because the question is if you sleeping because the question is if you are having difficulty sleeping should are having difficulty sleeping should you adjust your diet because there's a you adjust your diet because there's a study that shows that diet is helpful study that shows that diet is helpful for sleep should you take this for sleep should you take this particular supplement because there's particular supplement because there's studies that shows that this is helpful studies that shows that this is helpful for sleep should you see a psychologist for sleep should you see a psychologist and do cognitive behavioral therapy for and do cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia because the study shows that insomnia because the study shows that that works that works and there's no specificity of and there's no specificity of recommendations right so this is the recommendations right so this is the downside of that i've sort of noticed downside of that i've sort of noticed right i'm not trying to criticize anyone right i'm not trying to criticize anyone i think they're offering good i think they're offering good information but when it comes to why we information but when it comes to why we have so much information about all the have so much information about all the stuff that's effective for sleep when it stuff that's effective for sleep when it translates to an actual human being or translates to an actual human being or you it doesn't seem to translate very you it doesn't seem to translate very well right well right and that there's a good reason for that

and that there's a good reason for that and that's because the scientists tend and that's because the scientists tend not to be clinicians not to be clinicians on the flip side we have clinicians on the flip side we have clinicians right so we have medical doctors we may right so we have medical doctors we may have psychologists that work with people have psychologists that work with people individuals and then they'll sort of individuals and then they'll sort of make recommendations do cbt things like make recommendations do cbt things like that and if we have all these clinicians that and if we have all these clinicians why is it sleep cured like don't we have why is it sleep cured like don't we have all these people who are on the front all these people who are on the front lines like clinicians like myself that lines like clinicians like myself that are working with people every day and are working with people every day and and and shouldn't that fix it and this is the shouldn't that fix it and this is the problem is that clinicians tend to be problem is that clinicians tend to be taught pathology right so if you go to a taught pathology right so if you go to a medical doctor and you say i have medical doctor and you say i have trouble with sleep what they will do is trouble with sleep what they will do is try to diagnose you with something and try to diagnose you with something and if there's something pathological that if there's something pathological that they can fix they'll help you right so they can fix they'll help you right so if you have sleep apnea for example they if you have sleep apnea for example they will give you a cpap machine a con a will give you a cpap machine a con a continuous positive airway pressure continuous positive airway pressure machine that prevents you from becoming machine that prevents you from becoming apnic and then you're you'll be fine so apnic and then you're you'll be fine so if you're in the ten percent of the if you're in the ten percent of the population that has a clear diagnosis population that has a clear diagnosis i.e something is really busted with you i.e something is really busted with you they'll they may be able to fix that so

they'll they may be able to fix that so other examples of this could be like other examples of this could be like hyperthyroidism for example so it leads hyperthyroidism for example so it leads to insomnia so if your thyroid is out of to insomnia so if your thyroid is out of whack or you have sleep apnea a medical whack or you have sleep apnea a medical doctor can fix that but medical doctors doctor can fix that but medical doctors are individualized and pathology focused are individualized and pathology focused and and phds or scientists tend to be and and phds or scientists tend to be like understanding the science but can't like understanding the science but can't tailor their recommendations to an tailor their recommendations to an individual person because they're not individual person because they're not like really diagnosticians right they're like really diagnosticians right they're not clinicians they're not taught in not clinicians they're not taught in that skill and this is the basic problem that skill and this is the basic problem that i see with sleep that i see with sleep is that we have a bunch of information is that we have a bunch of information but all of the people who can but all of the people who can individualize your recommendations are individualize your recommendations are focusing on pathology and all of the focusing on pathology and all of the people who have access to the really people who have access to the really high quality scientific information that high quality scientific information that is not pathological in nature i.e is not pathological in nature i.e supplements herbs things like that don't supplements herbs things like that don't really have a very solid training in in really have a very solid training in in like diagnostics and sort of teasing like diagnostics and sort of teasing apart what is going on with an apart what is going on with an individual which is why we get these individual which is why we get these super generic recommendations right so super generic recommendations right so you'll get like these these like people

you'll get like these these like people that go on podcasts and stuff and that go on podcasts and stuff and there's nothing against them and they'll there's nothing against them and they'll say okay here are five things you can do say okay here are five things you can do for your sleep there's data to support for your sleep there's data to support all five of these things and then like all five of these things and then like you'd think that if those actually you'd think that if those actually worked then like sleep would be cured worked then like sleep would be cured for everyone right like those five for everyone right like those five things like it every problem would be things like it every problem would be solved but the truth is the problem solved but the truth is the problem isn't solved and why is that it's isn't solved and why is that it's because there's a lack of diagnostic because there's a lack of diagnostic specificity okay specificity okay y'all with me there so let's start with y'all with me there so let's start with this this okay okay okay so here's how we're gonna approach okay so here's how we're gonna approach this and this is why it's gonna be this and this is why it's gonna be complicated all right chat complicated all right chat so what we're gonna do so what we're gonna do okay there we go there we go okay there we go there we go okay so let's start from the top okay why is sleep a problem okay why is sleep a problem so remember kind of like i said so we've so remember kind of like i said so we've got phds over here got phds over here and they're really good at the science and they're really good at the science right but they don't know how to provide right but they don't know how to provide personalized recommendations personalized recommendations this could also be

this could also be um i mean maybe some of them do i don't um i mean maybe some of them do i don't know that maybe that's a little bit know that maybe that's a little bit unfair actually and i think about it the unfair actually and i think about it the problem is that on a podcast you're not problem is that on a podcast you're not going to get a personalized going to get a personalized recommendation right on a youtube video recommendation right on a youtube video you're not going to get a personalized you're not going to get a personalized recommendation unless it's dr k which recommendation unless it's dr k which we'll get to in a second we'll get to in a second um so then then we've got mds over here um so then then we've got mds over here that are really good at personalized that are really good at personalized stuff but what we're really trained in stuff but what we're really trained in is pathology and so the fact that like our whole society has insomnia and difficulty society has insomnia and difficulty sleeping has to do with the fact that like this is where we're getting their our is where we're getting their our information so what's kind of in the information so what's kind of in the middle here and this is what i think is middle here and this is what i think is like really really missing from western like really really missing from western science and what i really appreciate science and what i really appreciate about my eastern education is like about my eastern education is like basics of how sleep works basics of how sleep works so what we're going to start with today so what we're going to start with today is like understand like how does sleep is like understand like how does sleep work and so an industry that has done a work and so an industry that has done a really good job of this really good job of this that is like for example the fitness that is like for example the fitness industry or like the bodybuilding industry or like the bodybuilding industry right so like what's happened

industry right so like what's happened in this industry you have a lot of in this industry you have a lot of people walking around who like are in people walking around who like are in shape and they know how to get [ __ ] get shape and they know how to get [ __ ] get in shape they're healthy they're they're in shape they're healthy they're they're fit and why is that it's because there's fit and why is that it's because there's a lot of like basic information about a lot of like basic information about how to get physically healthy in terms how to get physically healthy in terms of like building muscle mass and working of like building muscle mass and working out and stuff like that there's a lot of out and stuff like that there's a lot of information about the basics of fitness information about the basics of fitness that is not coming from phds and not that is not coming from phds and not coming from mds like if you go to a coming from mds like if you go to a doctor's office and you say can you help doctor's office and you say can you help me get in shape like it's a basic me get in shape like it's a basic function of the human body like the function of the human body like the doctor is going to be like doctor is going to be like kind of but not really right they can kind of but not really right they can assess you for diabetes and maybe start assess you for diabetes and maybe start you on anti-diabetes medication maybe you on anti-diabetes medication maybe they can like give you an inhaler if they can like give you an inhaler if you've got asthma they can focus on the you've got asthma they can focus on the pathology but they're not going to like pathology but they're not going to like help you figure out how to work out help you figure out how to work out right right and then on the flip side you've got and then on the flip side you've got phds that you know they'll give you good phds that you know they'll give you good information too they'll say you can use information too they'll say you can use this supplement this supplement and then you'll build muscle mass better and then you'll build muscle mass better there's this kind of thing that you can there's this kind of thing that you can do there's this kind of thing that you do there's this kind of thing that you can do but once again they're not going can do but once again they're not going to give you personalized recommendations to give you personalized recommendations they're not going to give you like a

they're not going to give you like a workout plan right because that's workout plan right because that's something that a personal trainer does something that a personal trainer does so the main thing that i think is really so the main thing that i think is really missing is like the basics of like how missing is like the basics of like how sleep works sleep works so where does insomnia actually come so where does insomnia actually come from right like why do people have from right like why do people have difficulty sleeping what are the factors difficulty sleeping what are the factors that lead to people like that lead to people like what makes it easy for you to sleep what what makes it easy for you to sleep what does your body and physiology and brain does your body and physiology and brain rely on to go to sleep how does your rely on to go to sleep how does your body know when you should go to sleep body know when you should go to sleep what are the signals that make you what are the signals that make you sleepy what are the signals that keep sleepy what are the signals that keep you awake and these kinds of fundamental you awake and these kinds of fundamental things things because we don't understand them we because we don't understand them we can't tailor our treatment to them can't tailor our treatment to them because we don't like we just treat because we don't like we just treat insomnia like one word okay so let's insomnia like one word okay so let's start by looking at insomnia and start by looking at insomnia and unpacking it unpacking it because there are three there are because there are three there are different problems when it comes to i different problems when it comes to i have trouble sleeping so the first have trouble sleeping so the first problem that we have is a lack of problem that we have is a lack of specificity with our jargon specificity with our jargon so if we talk to people who have so if we talk to people who have insomnia insomnia what we find is they're people who have

what we find is they're people who have trouble falling asleep trouble falling asleep okay okay this is completely different so the this is completely different so the mechanisms of falling asleep are mechanisms of falling asleep are completely different from the mechanisms completely different from the mechanisms of staying asleep right so some people like and i know it sounds kind of weird but you guys get sounds kind of weird but you guys get that falling asleep like if i have that falling asleep like if i have narcolepsy i have no problem staying narcolepsy i have no problem staying asleep like the problem is that i fall asleep like the problem is that i fall asleep way too easily completely asleep way too easily completely different paths so both of these people different paths so both of these people will say i get bad sleep but there's no will say i get bad sleep but there's no specificity in terms of like what's your specificity in terms of like what's your problem do you have a problem falling problem do you have a problem falling asleep or staying asleep because as asleep or staying asleep because as we'll get into there are different we'll get into there are different mechanisms and if this is your problem mechanisms and if this is your problem your solutions are going to be different your solutions are going to be different than if this is your problem okay than if this is your problem okay so next thing is that people have so next thing is that people have difficulty waking up and this too is another like it's a completely different thing right i have completely different thing right i have no problem falling asleep i have no no problem falling asleep i have no problem staying asleep i have probably problem staying asleep i have probably uh some problem waking up and so people uh some problem waking up and so people will say my sleep sucks well why is it will say my sleep sucks well why is it well it's because i heart it's hard for

well it's because i heart it's hard for me to wake up in the morning and i feel me to wake up in the morning and i feel tired in the morning well okay so then tired in the morning well okay so then that's you guys get how that's like a that's you guys get how that's like a completely different thing than like completely different thing than like like someone who has anxiety like someone who has anxiety who is awake for three hours like who is awake for three hours like worrying about tomorrow that person's worrying about tomorrow that person's solution is going to be completely solution is going to be completely different from the person who can fall different from the person who can fall asleep on time and just has a lot of asleep on time and just has a lot of trouble waking up in the morning now the trouble waking up in the morning now the two may be related because if you sleep two may be related because if you sleep three hours late then you're gonna have three hours late then you're gonna have trouble waking up at 7am because you trouble waking up at 7am because you fell asleep late so i can we cannot fell asleep late so i can we cannot understand why things get tangled but understand why things get tangled but let's start by understanding there are let's start by understanding there are different mechanisms at play when it different mechanisms at play when it comes to insomnia comes to insomnia the the next thing that i'm going to say the the next thing that i'm going to say is i'm tired during the day or in the morning so so you might ask what does that have to do you might ask what does that have to do with kind of insomnia right so if i ask with kind of insomnia right so if i ask people people how do you know that your sleep is bad how do you know that your sleep is bad if i start with that question if i start with that question what most people will do is they'll say what most people will do is they'll say well i feel tired in the morning or well i feel tired in the morning or during the day during the day so this is the tricky thing about sleep

so this is the tricky thing about sleep so there's a huge problem with sleep so there's a huge problem with sleep misperception misperception there's a ton of data that shows that there's a ton of data that shows that human beings are very very bad at human beings are very very bad at judging their sleep judging their sleep and why is that is because you're not and why is that is because you're not conscious conscious so people will say for example that i've so people will say for example that i've only slept three hours last night people only slept three hours last night people say that kind of crap all the time how say that kind of crap all the time how do they know they only slept three hours do they know they only slept three hours do you guys realize if you only slept do you guys realize if you only slept three hours a night like how torturous three hours a night like how torturous it would be to be like bored for five it would be to be like bored for five hours in the middle of the night like hours in the middle of the night like doing absolutely nothing doing absolutely nothing it's so bad like sleep misperception is it's so bad like sleep misperception is like a huge problem so this is another like a huge problem so this is another interesting thing right so like there's interesting thing right so like there's a fantastic medication called a fantastic medication called a clever medication i should say a clever medication i should say so there's a there's a medication called so there's a there's a medication called zolpidem which is also known as the zolpidem which is also known as the trade name in the u.s is called ambien trade name in the u.s is called ambien and like this is like a wonder drug for and like this is like a wonder drug for sleep sleep so if you look at the clinical trials so if you look at the clinical trials for an ambient or zolpidem essentially for an ambient or zolpidem essentially what it does is increases it only what it does is increases it only improves sleep by 30 minutes improves sleep by 30 minutes that's all it does it gives people 30

that's all it does it gives people 30 more minutes of sleep more minutes of sleep okay that's it okay that's it and people think it it cures their and people think it it cures their insomnia and why is that is because it insomnia and why is that is because it targets misperception targets misperception so the real thing that's opened and so the real thing that's opened and assaulted it only increases their sleep assaulted it only increases their sleep by 30 minutes it gives you half an hour by 30 minutes it gives you half an hour extra sleep but what it really helps extra sleep but what it really helps people do is fall asleep people do is fall asleep and it gives them the perception and it gives them the perception that they slept well that they slept well this is really what it improves this is really what it improves but the actual amount of sleep that you but the actual amount of sleep that you get from an ambient result is very low get from an ambient result is very low right right and so like it alters sleep and so like it alters sleep misperception misperception so if we kind of look at insomnia and we so if we kind of look at insomnia and we try to ask people the question okay like try to ask people the question okay like why do you think you are having bad why do you think you are having bad sleep the first thing we need to sleep the first thing we need to understand is that misperception is a understand is that misperception is a huge problem and people tend to like huge problem and people tend to like poorly diagnose like their own sleeping poorly diagnose like their own sleeping problems and that sort of makes sense problems and that sort of makes sense because because you're not conscious right so you don't you're not conscious right so you don't really know what's going on during sleep really know what's going on during sleep and so what people will do is they will

and so what people will do is they will reverse engineer their sleeping reverse engineer their sleeping diagnosis diagnosis based on what they are aware of which is based on what they are aware of which is like tiredness during the day right like tiredness during the day right and so this is another reason why for and so this is another reason why for example sleep apnea is so difficult to example sleep apnea is so difficult to diagnose diagnose because sleep apnea is like this period because sleep apnea is like this period of time where you stop breathing during of time where you stop breathing during sleep and it happens like 10 times a sleep and it happens like 10 times a night 30 times a night things like that night 30 times a night things like that and people don't realize they never and people don't realize they never realize all they know is that they're realize all they know is that they're tired during the day and by the way 10 tired during the day and by the way 10 of the population has sleep apnea so of the population has sleep apnea so then what happens is you go to a sleep then what happens is you go to a sleep study and then like you measure your study and then like you measure your ethnic episodes you sleep in a ethnic episodes you sleep in a laboratory where you're being constantly laboratory where you're being constantly monitored they monitor every single monitored they monitor every single breath that you take over the course of breath that you take over the course of the night and then they diagnose you the night and then they diagnose you with sleep apnea with sleep apnea okay okay so when we talk about insomnia we're so when we talk about insomnia we're talking about a number of discrete talking about a number of discrete processes processes and what people tend to do is they like and what people tend to do is they like believe that believe that you know they have difficulty sleeping you know they have difficulty sleeping because of like poor data from the next because of like poor data from the next day or they are aware of some of these day or they are aware of some of these things like people are aware of this

things like people are aware of this stuff right so if i wake up or i'm stuff right so if i wake up or i'm tossing and turning all night i have a tossing and turning all night i have a vague sense vague sense of what tossing and turning all night is of what tossing and turning all night is but what we'll really discover is it's but what we'll really discover is it's not really all night not really all night so just take a step back from that so just take a step back from that but these are kind of three discreet but these are kind of three discreet things that are four discrete things things that are four discrete things that people will say when they say i that people will say when they say i have trouble my sleep sucks okay have trouble my sleep sucks okay so the first thing that we have to try so the first thing that we have to try to do is sort of recognize that there to do is sort of recognize that there are four discrete things that have four are four discrete things that have four discrete processes which we'll have in discrete processes which we'll have in turn four discrete solutions turn four discrete solutions okay okay next thing is let's think a little bit about so if we want to understand what are the want to understand what are the components of sleep components of sleep if we want to understand how to tackle if we want to understand how to tackle these problems we have to understand these problems we have to understand like what sleep is like what sleep is why we sleep and like how the body knows why we sleep and like how the body knows how to fall asleep okay how to fall asleep okay so so why is this important so like i want you why is this important so like i want you all to just think about this for a all to just think about this for a second right so if we want to optimize second right so if we want to optimize something in our body something in our body we have to understand like how it works

we have to understand like how it works and why it has evolved the way that it and why it has evolved the way that it has and once we understand like what how has and once we understand like what how the body works the body works then we can start to make very targeted then we can start to make very targeted changes to optimize things in the changes to optimize things in the direction that we want to so once again direction that we want to so once again i'm going to use a fitness analogy right i'm going to use a fitness analogy right so once we understand okay the body so once we understand okay the body craves carbohydrates because they're craves carbohydrates because they're calorie dense calorie dense and back when we evolved like there were and back when we evolved like there were survival benefits to eating calorie survival benefits to eating calorie dense food okay now that i understand dense food okay now that i understand this basic principle i understand like this basic principle i understand like what i need to alter in order to like what i need to alter in order to like work in line with my body so i'm gonna work in line with my body so i'm gonna need to eat like complex carbohydrates need to eat like complex carbohydrates that in higher fiber diets to help me that in higher fiber diets to help me feel full feel full and if i eat high fiber foods that help and if i eat high fiber foods that help me feel full it will counteract some of me feel full it will counteract some of the caloric craving that i have so we the caloric craving that i have so we can start to leverage our understanding can start to leverage our understanding of like biology and physiology and diet of like biology and physiology and diet and fitness to optimize our physical and fitness to optimize our physical health no one does this with sleep right health no one does this with sleep right like no one explains like what are the

like no one explains like what are the basics of like why we sleep okay basics of like why we sleep okay so let's go over the basics of why we so let's go over the basics of why we sleep and once we understand like why we sleep and once we understand like why we sleep and how we sleep we'll start to sleep and how we sleep we'll start to see where these four problems arise okay see where these four problems arise okay so the first thing to understand is that so the first thing to understand is that sleep is really really important sleep is really really important and it's highly adaptable and it's highly adaptable this is why it's such a problem so if we this is why it's such a problem so if we look at for example your heartbeat okay look at for example your heartbeat okay or your respiratory rate your heartbeat or your respiratory rate your heartbeat and your respiratory rate are not like and your respiratory rate are not like that adaptable so the goal of the heart that adaptable so the goal of the heart is to continuously pump blood like all is to continuously pump blood like all the time we don't need to adapt it it's the time we don't need to adapt it it's not like we want to stop pumping blood not like we want to stop pumping blood for a couple hours and then like pump for a couple hours and then like pump extra blood later like sure you can extra blood later like sure you can increase your heart rate from let's say increase your heart rate from let's say you have a resting heart rate of like you have a resting heart rate of like 70. you can go up to like 110 or 120 70. you can go up to like 110 or 120 push come to shop but you're never gonna push come to shop but you're never gonna go up to a thousand like you'll die if go up to a thousand like you'll die if you do that and you're never gonna drop you do that and you're never gonna drop down to like 20 right like if you do down to like 20 right like if you do then you're bradycardic and you can have then you're bradycardic and you can have all kinds of problems all kinds of problems sleep is a little bit different though sleep is a little bit different though so if we think about you know let's say

so if we think about you know let's say i'm walking around in the jungle i'm walking around in the jungle and i see a tiger and i see a tiger and then like and then like i want to be able to control my sleep i want to be able to control my sleep right so like if a tiger finds me at two right so like if a tiger finds me at two in the morning i need the ability to in the morning i need the ability to like stay awake like stay awake despite the fact that i'm tired despite the fact that i'm tired otherwise i'll get eaten and similarly otherwise i'll get eaten and similarly like i i need to be able to adjust my like i i need to be able to adjust my sleep schedule i need to be able to stay sleep schedule i need to be able to stay up all night like let's say i'm a woman up all night like let's say i'm a woman giving birth giving birth and if i'm in the middle of the labor and if i'm in the middle of the labor process and it's midnight it's not like process and it's midnight it's not like my body's like okay well now that it's my body's like okay well now that it's midnight let me shut off let me just go midnight let me shut off let me just go to sleep and just pause the labor to sleep and just pause the labor problem no like you need to stay up all problem no like you need to stay up all night and like finish the process of night and like finish the process of labor right so there are all kinds of labor right so there are all kinds of situations which sleep needs to be situations which sleep needs to be highly adaptable and this is why it highly adaptable and this is why it changes so easily right it's really easy changes so easily right it's really easy to screw up your sleep schedule because to screw up your sleep schedule because sleep by nature is highly adaptable our sleep by nature is highly adaptable our body is designed to be able to adjust body is designed to be able to adjust our sleep schedule based on our needs so our sleep schedule based on our needs so other good examples of this are like jet other good examples of this are like jet lag right so our body doesn't have a lag right so our body doesn't have a fixed clock our body has a clock that

fixed clock our body has a clock that adapts to things like sunlight adapts to things like sunlight this will become really really important this will become really really important later so that's how like you know we later so that's how like you know we start off jet lag when our internal start off jet lag when our internal circadian rhythm is out of proportion to circadian rhythm is out of proportion to day time and night time but our body day time and night time but our body fundamentally a lot of its triggers and fundamentally a lot of its triggers and cues about when we should sleep and when cues about when we should sleep and when we should be awake have to do with like we should be awake have to do with like light and darkness right and so this has light and darkness right and so this has to do with like this has even been to do with like this has even been evolved over like you know farming and evolved over like you know farming and stuff like that like humans tend to be stuff like that like humans tend to be more awake at certain times of the day more awake at certain times of the day less awake at other times a day it's all less awake at other times a day it's all biological in nature but it's it's biological in nature but it's it's adaptable adaptable so so um um so here's kind of what what i'm gonna do so here's kind of what what i'm gonna do i'm gonna draw something i'm gonna draw something okay so this is like our sleep so this okay so this is like our sleep so this is like is like so this is our this is let's say a night so this is our this is let's say a night of sleep of sleep and then if you have problems falling and then if you have problems falling asleep there's like an obstacle here so asleep there's like an obstacle here so our body has a very natural tendency to our body has a very natural tendency to start at point a and go to point z right start at point a and go to point z right that's what it wants to do it wants to

that's what it wants to do it wants to sleep for eight hours a day and it's got sleep for eight hours a day and it's got like a like a this is a natural this is a natural tendency towards stuff tendency towards stuff and then there are some kinds of and then there are some kinds of problems that can cause an obstacle to problems that can cause an obstacle to our body's desire to sleep so this is our body's desire to sleep so this is falling asleep falling asleep so we'll talk about what these factors so we'll talk about what these factors are are and then they're staying asleep and then they're staying asleep so there are things that will disrupt us so there are things that will disrupt us in the middle of our sleep and then in the middle of our sleep and then there's even like waking up there's even like waking up right so like there are difficulties right so like there are difficulties with waking up where our body naturally with waking up where our body naturally wants to end the sleep it's not like you wants to end the sleep it's not like you have to have to turn stop sleeping turn stop sleeping intentionally right after you sleep for intentionally right after you sleep for a while your body's like we're done time a while your body's like we're done time to wake up so there are natural to wake up so there are natural mechanisms that involve waking up their mechanisms that involve waking up their natural mechanisms that involve staying natural mechanisms that involve staying asleep in their natural mechanisms that asleep in their natural mechanisms that involve falling asleep and if we involve falling asleep and if we understand what those are we will start understand what those are we will start to gain power over these different to gain power over these different problems okay now just to kind of point problems okay now just to kind of point out like this is the problem with sort out like this is the problem with sort of like the sleep wellness industry for of like the sleep wellness industry for lack of a better term lack of a better term is that what does the sleep wellness

is that what does the sleep wellness industry do it just like drives stuff industry do it just like drives stuff this way it's like here take this this way it's like here take this supplement supplement here take this herb here take this herb here use this app here use this app it has no it has no cognizance cognizance of like these different physiologic of like these different physiologic neuroscientific mechanisms they're just neuroscientific mechanisms they're just like hey do this thing like hey do this thing hey do cbt for sleep hey do cbt for sleep and i'm not saying that this stuff isn't and i'm not saying that this stuff isn't effective i'm just saying it's just like effective i'm just saying it's just like you're just adding crap into this this you're just adding crap into this this like cycle which is going to cause like cycle which is going to cause problems so medical doctors are guilty problems so medical doctors are guilty of this too oh i'm having trouble with of this too oh i'm having trouble with insomnia if i'm a psychiatrist i'm like insomnia if i'm a psychiatrist i'm like here take some trazadone here take some trazadone or here pop an ambien or here pop an ambien and i'm not really addressing the and i'm not really addressing the underlying mechanisms with any underlying mechanisms with any specificity so come this morning i am specificity so come this morning i am tired tired why because i have this crap floating in why because i have this crap floating in my system my system right right so like trazado like floats around and so like trazado like floats around and gives people a sense of daytime gives people a sense of daytime tiredness

and this is the next problem with sleep is that all the things that we do over is that all the things that we do over here here that allow us to basically overcome and that allow us to basically overcome and ignore all of these factors create side ignore all of these factors create side effects in the morning so i'll hit on this again but so what are the solutions that but so what are the solutions that people use we use substances right people use we use substances right whether it's a whether it's a chemical whether it's a whether it's a chemical like whether it's a prescribed drug or a like whether it's a prescribed drug or a supplement or whatever we just decide supplement or whatever we just decide like instead of fixing any of this crap like instead of fixing any of this crap in the middle in the middle what we're just gonna do is like i'm what we're just gonna do is like i'm gonna pop a pill i'm gonna take a gonna pop a pill i'm gonna take a supplement i'm gonna take a little i'm supplement i'm gonna take a little i'm gonna take me some magnesium right gonna take me some magnesium right because sometimes that helps with because sometimes that helps with insomnia i'm gonna take me some valerian insomnia i'm gonna take me some valerian root or some apogenin or like some root or some apogenin or like some kavakava or like there's all kinds of kavakava or like there's all kinds of stuff out there right i mean just take stuff out there right i mean just take me some of this stuff me some of this stuff and then instead of fixing the problem and then instead of fixing the problem we have that stuff floating around in we have that stuff floating around in our system and then we're tired the next our system and then we're tired the next day this is also true of marijuana right day this is also true of marijuana right so like people say oh i use marijuana to so like people say oh i use marijuana to help me sleep because i can't sleep help me sleep because i can't sleep without it well then what happens like

without it well then what happens like the next morning so marijuana does the next morning so marijuana does different things so it affects so we different things so it affects so we have you know have you know our sleep cycles our sleep cycles right so we've got like you know right so we've got like you know different phases of sleep and then we different phases of sleep and then we have rem sleep have rem sleep and basically early on in the night and basically early on in the night we'll have like a lot of let's say phase we'll have like a lot of let's say phase one to two sleep and then you know this one to two sleep and then you know this is let's say phase three to four and is let's say phase three to four and then we've got some rem sleep over here then we've got some rem sleep over here so let's say here's like so let's say here's like early night and then as the night goes early night and then as the night goes on we've got sleep uh phase one to two on we've got sleep uh phase one to two and then we enter phase three to four and then we enter phase three to four i'm a little bit rusty on this and then i'm a little bit rusty on this and then we have more rem sleep we have more rem sleep right so we have different phases of right so we have different phases of sleep so our our brain does different sleep so our our brain does different things and so hour one of sleep looks things and so hour one of sleep looks like this like this and hour seven of sleep looks like this and hour seven of sleep looks like this so that the the natural change our sleep so that the the natural change our sleep cycle like evolves over the course of cycle like evolves over the course of the night the night and what that means is if i use and what that means is if i use marijuana or alcohol like if i drink marijuana or alcohol like if i drink alcohol i will pass out right so alcohol alcohol i will pass out right so alcohol will overcome this step no problem

will overcome this step no problem marijuana will overcome the step of marijuana will overcome the step of falling asleep the problem is then it falling asleep the problem is then it messes with this stuff and we get like messes with this stuff and we get like non-restful sleep non-restful sleep and we even talk about it in our lingo and we even talk about it in our lingo right we say okay i drink alcohol to right we say okay i drink alcohol to help me pass out help me pass out it's not a natural falling asleep it's not a natural falling asleep process it's bypassing this step process it's bypassing this step artificially with chemicals which artificially with chemicals which results in a an alteration so like when results in a an alteration so like when you drink alcohol for example it you drink alcohol for example it decreases the amount of rem sleep that decreases the amount of rem sleep that you have it decreases the amount of late you have it decreases the amount of late stage sleep that you have and so you stage sleep that you have and so you result in non-restful sleep and then you result in non-restful sleep and then you wake up in the morning wake up in the morning tired tired and then what do you do and then what do you do right so if you use pot or alcohol to right so if you use pot or alcohol to sleep at night what do you do then you sleep at night what do you do then you drink coffee drink coffee stimulants stimulants right right and then once i start pounding the and then once i start pounding the coffee coffee when nighttime comes around i have when nighttime comes around i have trouble falling asleep because i've got trouble falling asleep because i've got this artificial stimulant floating this artificial stimulant floating around in my system preventing me from around in my system preventing me from sleeping sleeping and then what do i do

and then what do i do right so right so can't fall asleep oh yeah marijuana sweet marijuana marijuana poor quality sleep wake up tired coffee and this is the cycle coffee and this is the cycle and so then people are kind of screwed and so then people are kind of screwed because now you have a potentially because now you have a potentially marijuana dependence or a caffeine marijuana dependence or a caffeine dependence and without either one you're dependence and without either one you're kind of like you can't function right kind of like you can't function right so i this is where like i think if you so i this is where like i think if you want to really conquer sleep want to really conquer sleep and be good at it you can't just take a and be good at it you can't just take a supplement you can't just go to cbt for supplement you can't just go to cbt for insomnia unfortunately like sure those insomnia unfortunately like sure those things can help things can help like cpap and sleep apnea is the one like cpap and sleep apnea is the one thing that i'd say is like or maybe thing that i'd say is like or maybe hyperthyroidism stuff too but there are hyperthyroidism stuff too but there are definitely things that you can do and definitely things that you can do and like absolutely like supplements can like absolutely like supplements can help like doing cbt for insomnia can help like doing cbt for insomnia can help there's overwhelming data that does help there's overwhelming data that does this but in my experience this but in my experience so i've helped like

so i've helped like a bunch of people like really just sleep a bunch of people like really just sleep like babies like babies and i'd say that in eighty percent of and i'd say that in eighty percent of the people i've done it without a single the people i've done it without a single damn medication damn medication uh maybe i'll use it at the beginning uh maybe i'll use it at the beginning because there are other things going on because there are other things going on but for like 80 of people it's about but for like 80 of people it's about understanding how sleep happens understanding how sleep happens and then understanding okay what is the and then understanding okay what is the problem that is interfering with your problem that is interfering with your sleep and then targeting that thing sleep and then targeting that thing specifically because if you use specifically because if you use something else like an herb a supplement something else like an herb a supplement or a medication or a medication that's going to cause side effects that's going to cause side effects because that's just how like stuff that because that's just how like stuff that you stick in your body works you stick in your body works right like things will create right like things will create physiologic changes if you ingest them physiologic changes if you ingest them okay okay so i'm not blaming people who use so i'm not blaming people who use substances to help them fall asleep hell substances to help them fall asleep hell i sometimes prescribe substances to i sometimes prescribe substances to people to help them fall asleep people to help them fall asleep including marijuana i've done that including marijuana i've done that before right but what i'm saying is that before right but what i'm saying is that a sustained healthy a sustained healthy way to get restful sleep way to get restful sleep comes with like understanding sleep comes with like understanding sleep first

first and then targeting what your specific and then targeting what your specific like problem with sleep is and it feels like problem with sleep is and it feels just so much better it's just tricky just so much better it's just tricky because no blog post from the sleep because no blog post from the sleep nutrition supplement industry is gonna nutrition supplement industry is gonna explain this stuff right because it's explain this stuff right because it's against their business model like against their business model like they're just trying to sell this thing they're just trying to sell this thing and i'm not even blaming them because and i'm not even blaming them because they can be scientific about it they're they can be scientific about it they're like sleep is a huge problem let me go like sleep is a huge problem let me go look at what science has to offer and look at what science has to offer and they see oh this herb works let's start they see oh this herb works let's start selling this herb which is totally fine selling this herb which is totally fine like there's a there's a value to that like there's a there's a value to that but in my experience as a clinician but in my experience as a clinician this stuff is ultimately way more this stuff is ultimately way more valuable okay valuable okay so next question so now that we so next question so now that we understand the sleep cycle okay so understand the sleep cycle okay so there's like there's like we start you know at night time we start you know at night time and then we wake up ideally in the am and then we wake up ideally in the am there's falling asleep staying asleep there's falling asleep staying asleep waking up right these are our three waking up right these are our three obstacles so let's start with this obstacles so let's start with this okay okay how does the body like let's just talk how does the body like let's just talk about sleep for a second how does the about sleep for a second how does the body know like

body know like what how does sleep work so imagine that what how does sleep work so imagine that i'm an alien i'm an alien or you're like you have a five-year-old or you're like you have a five-year-old kid who comes to you and says kid who comes to you and says you know person can you please tell me you know person can you please tell me how does the body know like how does the how does the body know like how does the body know when to go to sleep what do body know when to go to sleep what do y'all think what are the factors y'all think what are the factors that determine when we go to sleep right okay so good so one person is saying adenosine saying adenosine excellent excellent so so let's talk about adenosine for a second let's talk about adenosine for a second oh hold on hold on melatonin hold on oh hold on hold on melatonin hold on hold on melatonin exhaustion darkness or light very good okay temperature okay so people are saying stress so people are saying stress excellent a lot of good stuff here

excellent a lot of good stuff here okay so so remember for all the all five okay so so remember for all the all five heads out there that are like uh like heads out there that are like uh like endogenous body clock circadian rhythm endogenous body clock circadian rhythm like melatonin light sensitivity like melatonin light sensitivity remember we're talking to an alien remember we're talking to an alien you're not allowed to use science you're not allowed to use science because that's not a thing like let's because that's not a thing like let's understand sleep on a basic level what understand sleep on a basic level what the does that even mean the does that even mean no science no science tell me like on a basic level tell me like on a basic level how how does sleep work how how does sleep work how does the body know when i'm supposed how does the body know when i'm supposed to go to sleep to go to sleep okay okay we'll get to the science don't worry we'll get to the science don't worry about it but for now we want to about it but for now we want to understand on a very simple level understand on a very simple level you're tired you're tired okay okay okay so let's talk about a couple of okay so let's talk about a couple of these things okay so how does the body these things okay so how does the body know it's tired right it's okay people are saying routine routine we'll get to these no it's not low blood sugar see there's the science again nope happens to be

the science again nope happens to be wrong fatigue that is a synonym for wrong fatigue that is a synonym for tired right okay so now here comes the tired right okay so now here comes the so like let's just think about this so like let's just think about this right so can you sleep for 24 hours a right so can you sleep for 24 hours a day day science is coming don't worry chat science is coming don't worry chat but let's start with basics but let's start with basics generally speaking no right so if generally speaking no right so if there's some kind of illness and we'll there's some kind of illness and we'll talk about illness at the end talk about illness at the end you've done that i'm sure you've done that i'm sure right so then we'll even talk a little right so then we'll even talk a little bit about how you've been able to do bit about how you've been able to do that because generally speak people that because generally speak people don't sleep for 24 hours a day right don't sleep for 24 hours a day right generally speak generally speak speaking people will stay awake for speaking people will stay awake for about 16 hours a day about 16 hours a day and they'll sleep for about and they'll sleep for about eight hours a day on average okay so eight hours a day on average okay so there may be variations there are there may be variations there are absolutely times where i've slept 20 absolutely times where i've slept 20 hours hours and so but the the basic idea is that and so but the the basic idea is that you know if i wake up at like 10 in the you know if i wake up at like 10 in the morning like morning like it's really hard for me to sleep eight it's really hard for me to sleep eight hours at 3 p.m like for most people you hours at 3 p.m like for most people you may be able to do it because your system may be able to do it because your system is all messed up totally fine or there is all messed up totally fine or there could be an illness going on but could be an illness going on but generally speaking like our body kind of

generally speaking like our body kind of wakes up after like somewhere between wakes up after like somewhere between like seven and ten hours like seven and ten hours right and we get tired pretty naturally right and we get tired pretty naturally somewhere around 16 hours and so even if somewhere around 16 hours and so even if you talk to people who have really super you talk to people who have really super messed up sleep schedules this tends to messed up sleep schedules this tends to be like pretty consistent maybe it'll be be like pretty consistent maybe it'll be like 12 to 20. like 12 to 20. right so they may stay up for 20 hours right so they may stay up for 20 hours then pass out for 10 and their sleep then pass out for 10 and their sleep like schedule is constantly like like schedule is constantly like changing so one day i'm gonna wake up at changing so one day i'm gonna wake up at 10 a.m and the next day i wake up at 10 a.m and the next day i wake up at noon noon and the next day i wake up at 2 p.m and the next day i wake up at 2 p.m and then i'm going to sleep at like and then i'm going to sleep at like let's say 4 in the morning let's say 4 in the morning and the next day i wake up go to sleep and the next day i wake up go to sleep at 6 in the morning at 6 in the morning next day i go to sleep at six in the next day i go to sleep at six in the morning morning right like but if you talk to people right like but if you talk to people this is what you'll see there'll be this is what you'll see there'll be still be some degree of consistency still be some degree of consistency okay okay so the the general thing to understand so the the general thing to understand is that our body and this is where is that our body and this is where science comes in so now we're gonna uh science comes in so now we're gonna uh you know unlock the science so like you know unlock the science so like we're just gonna simplify things with we're just gonna simplify things with adenosine adenosine so basically as we are awake our body so basically as we are awake our body our brain builds up this chemical called our brain builds up this chemical called adenosine which is a waste product

adenosine which is a waste product product it's kind of this is an product it's kind of this is an oversimplification that's not really oversimplification that's not really true in some ways but true in some ways but um you know comes from atp because we um you know comes from atp because we recycle atp and stuff all the time recycle atp and stuff all the time uh and so atp is our major um uh and so atp is our major um energy source which stands for adenosine energy source which stands for adenosine triphosphate right so we've got a couple triphosphate right so we've got a couple of phosphates on there each time we bust of phosphates on there each time we bust off a phosphate fate we release energy off a phosphate fate we release energy so oh yeah look at that some of that so oh yeah look at that some of that sweet sweet energy sweet sweet energy that comes out right and so this is like that comes out right and so this is like where our body gets energy is we take an where our body gets energy is we take an adenosine triphosphate we turn it into adenosine triphosphate we turn it into adenosine diphosphate and we get some adenosine diphosphate and we get some energy in the process so as we are awake energy in the process so as we are awake and active we're going to be building up and active we're going to be building up adenosine adenosine and then as we sleep and rest we're and then as we sleep and rest we're going to decrease adenosine going to decrease adenosine okay okay so this is just a broad corollary that so this is just a broad corollary that i'm drawing but there are other i'm drawing but there are other metabolic waste products so over the metabolic waste products so over the course of like let's say a 24-hour day course of like let's say a 24-hour day oh god my handwriting's so bad

oh god my handwriting's so bad this is something you all got gotta this is something you all got gotta understand okay we're gonna have waste understand okay we're gonna have waste products that build up for the first 16 products that build up for the first 16 hours hours so these are metabolic waste products right like adenosine and then when we sleep and then when we sleep we're going to go ahead and kind of we're going to go ahead and kind of bring those back down right so bring those back down right so and and so then at the end when we wake up over so then at the end when we wake up over here we're like back to here we're like back to our baseline right so zero waste our baseline right so zero waste okay now when people don't get good okay now when people don't get good sleep what we'll end up doing is you may sleep what we'll end up doing is you may sleep so for example if you have a sleep so for example if you have a problem with your sleep like let's say problem with your sleep like let's say you use like marijuana or alcohol what you use like marijuana or alcohol what you'll end up with is this even though you'll end up with is this even though you're sleeping eight hours you're sleeping eight hours the quality of your sleep in terms of the quality of your sleep in terms of and i also don't know if this is really and i also don't know if this is really metabolic waste products that gets metabolic waste products that gets altered but whatever altered but whatever crap gets created right so when you wake crap gets created right so when you wake up you're actually going to be like up you're actually going to be like you're going to feel cruddy because you're going to feel cruddy because you're like waking up over here

you're like waking up over here right so this is why like using some right so this is why like using some some kinds of supplements or even some kinds of supplements or even medications can be unhealthy y'all with medications can be unhealthy y'all with us so the first thing that we're going us so the first thing that we're going to pay attention to is adenosine or just to pay attention to is adenosine or just like metabolic waste that our body like metabolic waste that our body builds up builds up how else does our brain know our body how else does our brain know our body know when it is time to go to sleep know when it is time to go to sleep right so this is the use science chads right so this is the use science chads over here we're going to just talk about over here we're going to just talk about darkness and light right so like our darkness and light right so like our body has a thing called a circadian body has a thing called a circadian rhythm rhythm and light is a huge huge part of like and light is a huge huge part of like our body's physiology of sleeping and our body's physiology of sleeping and wakefulness so let's step away from wakefulness so let's step away from humans because humans are going to get humans because humans are going to get complicated by all kinds of things but complicated by all kinds of things but we can look at other mammals right we we can look at other mammals right we look like monkeys which are genetically look like monkeys which are genetically like 99 similar to us they're they have like 99 similar to us they're they have a heart just like we do they have a a heart just like we do they have a brain just like we do they have you know brain just like we do they have you know lungs just like we do they have kidneys lungs just like we do they have kidneys just like we do and so like you know how just like we do and so like you know how does a monkey's sleep cycle work well it does a monkey's sleep cycle work well it has a lot to do with light has a lot to do with light so when our our so when our our body so our body

body so our body adopts a healthy sleep schedule using adopts a healthy sleep schedule using light as a signal okay so this is where light as a signal okay so this is where melatonin comes in melatonin comes in so when there is light melatonin so when there is light melatonin production shuts off okay and when there production shuts off okay and when there is darkness is darkness melatonin production goes up melatonin production goes up and melatonin melatonin primes us for and melatonin melatonin primes us for sleep okay and then melatonin in turn sleep okay and then melatonin in turn helps us sleep helps us sleep so why is this a problem nowadays so now so why is this a problem nowadays so now what people do is they supplement what people do is they supplement melatonin instead of having our body melatonin instead of having our body create it we're going to start taking it create it we're going to start taking it before bed and then melatonin has been before bed and then melatonin has been clinically effective to clinically effective to improve sleep right help people sleep improve sleep right help people sleep but why is melatonin being shut off in but why is melatonin being shut off in the first place why do we need to the first place why do we need to supplement it why aren't we getting supplement it why aren't we getting enough of our own and it turns out that enough of our own and it turns out that blue light blue light or the wavelength that's emitted by or the wavelength that's emitted by screens screens shuts off melatonin production shuts off melatonin production so essentially because we're using so essentially because we're using screens screens we are

we are we stop melatonin production and so we stop melatonin production and so therefore we're popping a pill therefore we're popping a pill pop a melatonin we try to balance it out pop a melatonin we try to balance it out and then hopefully we sleep and then hopefully we sleep so here's something i'm going to tell so here's something i'm going to tell you all as a physician okay you all as a physician okay nothing that we human beings do to try nothing that we human beings do to try to to any any time we try to artificially do any any time we try to artificially do the body's job we're worse at it so i'll the body's job we're worse at it so i'll give you guys just an example give you guys just an example so the body has this mechanism of so the body has this mechanism of homeostasis homeostasis okay okay and homeostasis is like maintaining a and homeostasis is like maintaining a balance so like let's look at balance so like let's look at homeostasis of blood pressure for homeostasis of blood pressure for example example so like our body has all kinds of very so like our body has all kinds of very sophisticated mechanisms to keep your sophisticated mechanisms to keep your blood pressure at 120 over 80. and then blood pressure at 120 over 80. and then along comes modern medicine which we along comes modern medicine which we sort of have to do and we'll give people sort of have to do and we'll give people like anti-hypertensives so people's like anti-hypertensives so people's blood pressure is too high blood pressure is too high so people have hypertension which is so people have hypertension which is elevated blood pressure elevated blood pressure so if my blood pressure is let's say so if my blood pressure is let's say 170 over 100 then

170 over 100 then along comes dr k who prescribes you an along comes dr k who prescribes you an anti hypertensive medicine anti hypertensive medicine and what do you guys think the side and what do you guys think the side effect effect of of antihypertensive medicines are antihypertensive medicines are how do these people wind up in the how do these people wind up in the hospital when i give them hospital when i give them antihypertensives do you all know what happens when i try to fix their blood pressure by lowering it blood pressure by lowering it with an ace inhibitor with an ace inhibitor they pass out they pass out excellent and why do they pass out excellent and why do they pass out because their blood pressure is too low because their blood pressure is too low so instead of winding up at 120 over 80 so instead of winding up at 120 over 80 like they end up at like 100 over 60 and like they end up at like 100 over 60 and then they pass out right so like generally speaking when we look at popping pills look at popping pills and administering medicine we do not get and administering medicine we do not get anywhere near the sophistication of what anywhere near the sophistication of what the human body is able to achieve on its the human body is able to achieve on its own own okay okay and so this is why we end up with this and so this is why we end up with this crap crap because like when you use like let's say

because like when you use like let's say you use a substance you use a substance like marijuana or alcohol you're taking like marijuana or alcohol you're taking a gigantic hammer to this sophisticated a gigantic hammer to this sophisticated circuit that is your brain you're just circuit that is your brain you're just smacking it over the head and this is smacking it over the head and this is why you pass out right it's even in our why you pass out right it's even in our language there's no there's no like language there's no there's no like sophistication to it it's just like wham sophistication to it it's just like wham and then you wake up the next morning and then you wake up the next morning and you're tired because you just took a and you're tired because you just took a hammer to your system and then you need hammer to your system and then you need caffeine and then you feel jittery caffeine and then you feel jittery right and then you can't fall asleep right and then you can't fall asleep it's just it's terrible like trying to it's just it's terrible like trying to you know it's kind of like i work in you know it's kind of like i work in addiction medicine and sometimes people addiction medicine and sometimes people will speed ball will speed ball and the speed ball is when you use and the speed ball is when you use cocaine and heroin at the same time to cocaine and heroin at the same time to balance out each other's effects but i balance out each other's effects but i can tell you that people who use speed can tell you that people who use speed balls are like not balls are like not as as good as people who like just let their good as people who like just let their body sort of naturally equilibrate to body sort of naturally equilibrate to how they should be feeling okay how they should be feeling okay right right so so we we will try to supplement stuff which we we will try to supplement stuff which is fine and then we have like all these is fine and then we have like all these these um you know studies that show that

these um you know studies that show that melatonin helps which is true but let's melatonin helps which is true but let's start to understand light and darkness start to understand light and darkness okay okay so like our our first thing is so like our our first thing is metabolism so what drives sleep metabolism drives sleep second thing is light sleep second thing is light drive sleep okay what else drive sleep okay what else drives sleep so we're going to talk drives sleep so we're going to talk about physiology and now all of you scientific people get to say stuff okay so someone said stress stuff okay so someone said stress okay so okay so let's see if people have watched dr k's let's see if people have watched dr k's guide does anyone remember from dr k's guide does anyone remember from dr k's guide how stress interferes with sleep guide how stress interferes with sleep who knows the answer how does cortisol mess with sleep you all remember this is a tough one you you all remember this is a tough one you got to know you got to know a little bit got to know you got to know a little bit of neuroscience here

increased alertness very good right so alertness right so alertness and and that damn thing the reticular that damn thing the reticular activating formation so let's understand this okay bunches of details and about this in dr k's guide details and about this in dr k's guide but we're going to do a quick quick but we're going to do a quick quick rundown okay rundown okay so so let's try to understand like why why let's try to understand like why why what did stress used to be when we what did stress used to be when we evolved so let's say i'm a monkey and evolved so let's say i'm a monkey and like what does stress look like in my like what does stress look like in my life right so like i see a predator life right so like i see a predator there's a snake oh crap there was a there's a snake oh crap there was a python python on the tree that was next to me on the tree that was next to me so i'm gonna move away from it and then so i'm gonna move away from it and then i'm gonna i'm gonna sleep at some point i'm gonna i'm gonna sleep at some point so so when i see the python my my body is when i see the python my my body is gonna release two chemicals i'm gonna release two chemicals i'm oversimplifying stuff okay oversimplifying stuff okay so i'm gonna release adrenaline which so i'm gonna release adrenaline which gives me a short burst of energy like gives me a short burst of energy like wakes me the f up and then i'm gonna wakes me the f up and then i'm gonna release cortisol which has an a uh release cortisol which has an a uh appear appear a duration of action of four to 24 hours

a duration of action of four to 24 hours okay so then my body secretes cortisol okay so then my body secretes cortisol my adrenal glands my adrenal glands and then for the next four to 24 hours i and then for the next four to 24 hours i have this hormone that's gonna float have this hormone that's gonna float around in my body and it's a hormone so around in my body and it's a hormone so it travels through the bloodstream and it travels through the bloodstream and affects every single one of my organs by affects every single one of my organs by the way that's what makes it a hormone the way that's what makes it a hormone is that it affects everything so it's is that it affects everything so it's gonna affect my blood pressure it's gonna affect my blood pressure it's gonna affect my sense of hunger it's gonna affect my sense of hunger it's gonna make me feel less hungry it's gonna make me feel less hungry it's gonna affect my immune system it's gonna gonna affect my immune system it's gonna affect my liver it's gonna route blood affect my liver it's gonna route blood away from my liver away from my liver it is also going to affect this part of it is also going to affect this part of my brain called the reticular activating my brain called the reticular activating formation which is the part of my brain formation which is the part of my brain that helps me sleep that helps me sleep and what does it tell to my reticular and what does it tell to my reticular activating formation activating formation what is it it says hey you need to wake what is it it says hey you need to wake up very very very easily because if we up very very very easily because if we hear a twig snap it could be the python hear a twig snap it could be the python if we smell something that smells like a if we smell something that smells like a python i need to be able to wake up so python i need to be able to wake up so generally speaking it's hard to wake me generally speaking it's hard to wake me up when i'm sleeping but when cortisol up when i'm sleeping but when cortisol is floating around in my system it's is floating around in my system it's very easy to wake up while sleeping oh very easy to wake up while sleeping oh interesting dr k are you suggesting for

interesting dr k are you suggesting for a moment hold on a second does this mean a moment hold on a second does this mean that interrupted sleep may have more to do with stress and cortisol than let's say waking up in the cortisol than let's say waking up in the morning oh maybe maybe that could be morning oh maybe maybe that could be true maybe they're actually discreet true maybe they're actually discreet physiologic and neuroscientific physiologic and neuroscientific mechanisms that are responsible for each mechanisms that are responsible for each of these three things and if we target of these three things and if we target each of those mechanisms and understand each of those mechanisms and understand what turns them on and then we go back what turns them on and then we go back to the root of how they're being turned to the root of how they're being turned on and then we actually end up turning on and then we actually end up turning them off we will fix your sleep problem them off we will fix your sleep problem weird right i know it's kind of bizarre weird right i know it's kind of bizarre but maybe if you have trouble sleeping but maybe if you have trouble sleeping because you're stressed out all the time because you're stressed out all the time dealing with your stress dealing with your stress in in during your waking hours will actually during your waking hours will actually naturally resolve your sleep problem naturally resolve your sleep problem it's weird it's weird weird maybe you don't actually need to weird maybe you don't actually need to take a supplement maybe what you need to take a supplement maybe what you need to do do is deal with the stress that is do do is deal with the stress that is activating your brain and telling it to activating your brain and telling it to not go to sleep not go to sleep interesting interesting maybe i don't interesting interesting maybe i don't know though

know though we'll see we'll see okay so that's just one example so if okay so that's just one example so if you have stress and you have a high you have stress and you have a high level of cortisol floating around so level of cortisol floating around so here's a good example of modern things here's a good example of modern things okay so let's say okay so let's say i'm i'm failing out of school right my future this is not something that is a temporary thing so our stress system temporary thing so our stress system evolved to deal with like short-term evolved to deal with like short-term threats like python right it's not like threats like python right it's not like on the 30th of the month the python is on the 30th of the month the python is going to show up so i'm dreading it for going to show up so i'm dreading it for the next 29 days the next 29 days oh my god i got an f on my first test oh my god i got an f on my first test and for the next three months no matter and for the next three months no matter how hard i study i can't get an a in the how hard i study i can't get an a in the class my future cortisol level class my future cortisol level constantly high constantly high alertness level constantly high alertness level constantly high irritable uh hunger is all messed up

right digestion is messed up because remember cortisol reroutes blood because remember cortisol reroutes blood away from your gi system and liver away from your gi system and liver and my sleep is messed up my future and my sleep is messed up my future which you're stressed about every single which you're stressed about every single day when you go to class or don't go to day when you go to class or don't go to class your cortisol level goes up class your cortisol level goes up and then you can't sleep because your and then you can't sleep because your reticular activating formation of reticular activating formation of cortisol is like hey cortisol is like hey better sleep lightly because we're gonna better sleep lightly because we're gonna get screwed because our system our our get screwed because our system our our biological machinery cannot biological machinery cannot differentiate between a tiger in the differentiate between a tiger in the woods and failing out of school like it woods and failing out of school like it just doesn't have the sophistication to just doesn't have the sophistication to do that do that and then what happens is oh my sleep and then what happens is oh my sleep sucks sucks let me let me take let me let me take let me take this herb and that'll fix it let me take this herb and that'll fix it right right and then you wake up the next day and and then you wake up the next day and you're tired because you've got the herb you're tired because you've got the herb floating around in your system gg floating around in your system gg okay okay so so stress is absolutely a big part of it

stress is absolutely a big part of it the other physiologic hormone by the way the other physiologic hormone by the way there's a lot more complexity than this there's a lot more complexity than this okay i'm just using this to illustrate a okay i'm just using this to illustrate a point point the other hormone that we're going to the other hormone that we're going to talk about is insulin so if i were to talk about is insulin so if i were to ask y'all ask y'all what makes you sleepy right because if what makes you sleepy right because if we want to understand how to go to sleep we want to understand how to go to sleep let's start with this okay there's stuff let's start with this okay there's stuff about metabolism and light and cortisol about metabolism and light and cortisol and okay so what keeps you awake stress and okay so what keeps you awake stress keeps me awake excellent next question keeps me awake excellent next question is what makes you sleepy excellent this is the right answer a burrito makes you sleepy burrito makes you sleepy right right no no no no no no so this is what we call the food coma so so this is what we call the food coma so let's understand ourselves like what is let's understand ourselves like what is going on with the food coma it's like 2 going on with the food coma it's like 2 p.m p.m i haven't eaten all day i haven't eaten all day and i have a gigantic burrito because and i have a gigantic burrito because i'm starving and then it's like i'm starving and then it's like and it's hard to stay awake and it's hard to stay awake and then i drink a cup of coffee to make and then i drink a cup of coffee to make it through the end of work it through the end of work and then nighttime rolls around and i and then nighttime rolls around and i have difficulty sleeping where did that have difficulty sleeping where did that all begin it began with the burrito

all begin it began with the burrito okay but not just the burrito because okay but not just the burrito because eating a burrito is not the only thing eating a burrito is not the only thing that correlates with an insulin spike that correlates with an insulin spike okay so this is what happens when you okay so this is what happens when you eat food you release a hormone called eat food you release a hormone called insulin insulin is an anabolic hormone insulin insulin is an anabolic hormone okay what anabolic hormone means is that okay what anabolic hormone means is that it's a hormone that activates like it it's a hormone that activates like it tells your body hey it's time to build tells your body hey it's time to build stuff so it's time to store away food stuff so it's time to store away food it's time to process calories it's time it's time to process calories it's time to build glycogen build fat build muscle to build glycogen build fat build muscle so we're going to go into like building so we're going to go into like building phase phase and when we go into building phase like and when we go into building phase like we get sleepy because our body does a we get sleepy because our body does a lot of tissue repair for example and lot of tissue repair for example and building stuff while we sleep so for building stuff while we sleep so for example we know that our brain grows example we know that our brain grows while we sleep we know that muscles grow while we sleep we know that muscles grow while we sleep so if you want to be a while we sleep so if you want to be a good bodybuilder you need lots and lots good bodybuilder you need lots and lots of sleep because that's when your body of sleep because that's when your body like builds stuff right we're inactive like builds stuff right we're inactive we're not expending energy we're we're not expending energy we're building things building things so anabolic sort of having an anabolic

so anabolic sort of having an anabolic embolic metabolism or an anabolic mode embolic metabolism or an anabolic mode will be pro sleep will be pro sleep so what tends to happen is is when we so what tends to happen is is when we eat a burrito eat a burrito we will release insulin we will release insulin and insulin in turn will make us sleepy and insulin in turn will make us sleepy so so in the first couple weeks of medical in the first couple weeks of medical school i was super stressed out for school i was super stressed out for reasons that aren't important and i was reasons that aren't important and i was having trouble sleeping so i decided having trouble sleeping so i decided that i was going to do that i was going to do something called burrito chemistry and so what i did is before i went to bed i would eat a is before i went to bed i would eat a gigantic burrito gigantic burrito and then i would listen to biochemistry and then i would listen to biochemistry lectures because biochemistry lectures lectures because biochemistry lectures were so hard to stay awake during right were so hard to stay awake during right so i don't know if you're like me but so i don't know if you're like me but biochemistry lectures are like hard for biochemistry lectures are like hard for me to stay awake during and so that me to stay awake during and so that combination would like knock me out combination would like knock me out the cool thing the cool thing is that like by the next morning my body is that like by the next morning my body has digested the burrito has digested the burrito and it's not like biochemistry lectures and it's not like biochemistry lectures have any side effect if anything maybe i have any side effect if anything maybe i absorb some biochemistry in my sleep and

absorb some biochemistry in my sleep and so when i wake up the next morning i'm so when i wake up the next morning i'm actually like feeling okay actually like feeling okay right there's no herb floating around in right there's no herb floating around in my system there's no tracidone floating my system there's no tracidone floating around in my system i like feel pretty around in my system i like feel pretty good good so we can actually use physiology so we can actually use physiology and especially insulin and the kinds of and especially insulin and the kinds of foods that we eat and when we eat them foods that we eat and when we eat them and how we eat them to help us go to and how we eat them to help us go to sleep sleep so once again the insulin thing though so once again the insulin thing though is not going to affect us is not going to affect us here here or here the insulin thing will affect us or here the insulin thing will affect us here so burrito chemistry here so burrito chemistry targets this targets this you all get that you all get that stress stress reduction targets the first part too but in different ways because there's it's not different ways because there's it's not just one thing stress has multiple just one thing stress has multiple effects on your body right effects on your body right okay okay so so this'll all come together don't worry this'll all come together don't worry about it all right so about it all right so um

okay so this is these are kind of like three so this is these are kind of like three things that we're going to talk a little things that we're going to talk a little bit about metabolism light and bit about metabolism light and physiology as like mechanisms that will physiology as like mechanisms that will affect the three dimensions affect the three dimensions that we are talking about falling asleep that we are talking about falling asleep or four dimensions falling asleep or four dimensions falling asleep staying asleep trouble waking up and staying asleep trouble waking up and feeling tired during the day okay feeling tired during the day okay now so so we can also see that now so so we can also see that technology acts here technology acts here right um sleep cycles are going to be sort of here as well here as well in terms of like metabolism so what i in terms of like metabolism so what i mean by that is that you know mean by that is that you know like if i wake up at noon it's going to like if i wake up at noon it's going to be hard for me to go to sleep at 9 00 be hard for me to go to sleep at 9 00 p.m you all get that and that's p.m you all get that and that's essentially like due to our internal essentially like due to our internal metabolism metabolism okay okay so we've talked a little bit about um we've talked a little bit about these three dimensions so let's go back to our three dimensions so let's go back to our diagram and now we're going to start diagram and now we're going to start talking

a couple of other things okay so we're gonna talk about medical stuff gonna talk about medical stuff so here's our sleep diagram so here's so here's our sleep diagram so here's you know you know hour zero let's say hour ten hour zero let's say hour ten right so we have obstacles to falling right so we have obstacles to falling asleep obstacles to staying asleep asleep obstacles to staying asleep obstacles to obstacles to um um waking up waking up okay those are all discreet and we'll okay those are all discreet and we'll get to solutions in a second get to solutions in a second the next thing that we have to talk a the next thing that we have to talk a little bit about is illness so little bit about is illness so if you have an if you have an illness this line no longer applies what illness this line no longer applies what we're dealing with is a slightly we're dealing with is a slightly different line different line so like if we think about correcting an so like if we think about correcting an illness there's like something so if we illness there's like something so if we haven't let's say i'm hyperthyroid okay haven't let's say i'm hyperthyroid okay what's to happen is what's to happen is when i'm hyperthyroid when i'm hyperthyroid these things are going to be altered by these things are going to be altered by something fundamental so our like level something fundamental so our like level of thyroid hormone like creates a of thyroid hormone like creates a completely different scenario so the completely different scenario so the normal things the normal physiologic normal things the normal physiologic stuff may be insufficient so i can even

stuff may be insufficient so i can even correct this problem i can do correct this problem i can do psychotherapy around my stress and i can psychotherapy around my stress and i can manage like waking up well but if i'm manage like waking up well but if i'm hyperthyroid all the stuff that would hyperthyroid all the stuff that would normally fix my problems may not fix my normally fix my problems may not fix my problem because there's a underlying problem because there's a underlying physiological state which is completely physiological state which is completely different so for example burrito different so for example burrito chemistry is not going to help me wake chemistry is not going to help me wake up feeling rested if i have sleep apnea up feeling rested if i have sleep apnea do you all get that so the thing about do you all get that so the thing about illness is that illness like illness is that illness like fundamentally alters things and then fundamentally alters things and then this has to be fixed in order for the this has to be fixed in order for the other stuff to like you know other stuff to like you know start working properly do you all get start working properly do you all get that so let's talk a little bit about that so let's talk a little bit about the conditions that lead to um the conditions that lead to um altered neurochemistry altered altered neurochemistry altered physiology that just sort of like in physiology that just sort of like in which normal sleep no longer applies which normal sleep no longer applies right because everything we've talked right because everything we've talked about so far is just like normal sleep about so far is just like normal sleep and how it works and what are the and how it works and what are the drivers for sleep so the first thing is drivers for sleep so the first thing is mental illness so this is the cool thing mental illness so this is the cool thing i mean it's not cool but it's i mean it's not cool but it's interesting intellectually

interesting intellectually so this is an interesting observation so this is an interesting observation that i made that i'm sure lots of other that i made that i'm sure lots of other people made but i don't know why they people made but i don't know why they don't teach us this explicitly don't teach us this explicitly so the common denominator for every so the common denominator for every psychiatric illness psychiatric illness depression anxiety depression anxiety psychosis psychosis ocd is impaired sleep ocd is impaired sleep the one symptom the one symptom that all people who have a psychiatric that all people who have a psychiatric diagnosis that may be a little bit of an diagnosis that may be a little bit of an over generalization i'm sure there's over generalization i'm sure there's something out there that doesn't apply something out there that doesn't apply um like maladaptive daydreaming or um like maladaptive daydreaming or something but generally speaking if you something but generally speaking if you look at the common denominator for all look at the common denominator for all mental illnesses it is impaired sleep and so this is when i got curious about sleep and this is by the way how i sleep and this is by the way how i developed all this crap because i i developed all this crap because i i thought to myself i was like oh like thought to myself i was like oh like that's kind of interesting i wonder if that's kind of interesting i wonder if if this is the common denominator if i if this is the common denominator if i get really really good at helping people get really really good at helping people with their sleep i wonder if like i with their sleep i wonder if like i would help all of my patients instead of would help all of my patients instead of learning depression treatment anxiety learning depression treatment anxiety instead of becoming an expert in instead of becoming an expert in depression treatment an expert in depression treatment an expert in anxiety treatment an expert in ocd anxiety treatment an expert in ocd treatment i wonder if i just become an

treatment i wonder if i just become an expert in sleep can i actually help expert in sleep can i actually help everyone that i see and i think the everyone that i see and i think the answer is basically yes so we know that answer is basically yes so we know that depression leads to sleep impairment we depression leads to sleep impairment we know that anxiety leads to sleep know that anxiety leads to sleep impairment impairment we know that you know ptsd leads to we know that you know ptsd leads to sleep impairment okay and the other sleep impairment okay and the other really interesting thing uh so other really interesting thing uh so other causes are going to be like causes are going to be like hyperthyroidism so there's all kinds of hyperthyroidism so there's all kinds of causes right so i i'm not going to cover them all so for example there's this all so for example there's this condition called condition called uh uh familial familial fatal insomnia i've seen one patient fatal insomnia i've seen one patient with this it is terrifying with this it is terrifying so this is a genetic condition so this is a genetic condition that is almost like a prion disease that is almost like a prion disease um so you inherit some kind of protein um so you inherit some kind of protein that later in life prevents you from that later in life prevents you from sleeping and then you can't sleep like sleeping and then you can't sleep like you literally cannot sleep so some you literally cannot sleep so some fundamental circuit in your brain that fundamental circuit in your brain that lets you fall asleep fails and then you lets you fall asleep fails and then you start to become like psychotic start to become like psychotic delusional and eventually you die it's a

delusional and eventually you die it's a terrifying condition terrifying condition we're not really covering all of the we're not really covering all of the physiologic causes of sleep because physiologic causes of sleep because they're exceedingly rare so we're just they're exceedingly rare so we're just covering the big ones so the top of the covering the big ones so the top of the list list is mental illness hyperthyroidism sleep apnea right and there are other things also acid reflux there are also circadian rhythm disorders so these are things like um shift work disorder so these are people who work night shifts right also medical residents and shifts right also medical residents and doctors uh there's like you know doctors uh there's like you know basically something that is what is it basically something that is what is it late shift i forget the name this is basically like night owls people have a night owl night owls people have a night owl circadian rhythm circadian rhythm there's like circadian rhythm like nos there's like circadian rhythm like nos there's a bunch of these diagnoses but

there's a bunch of these diagnoses but essentially these are diagnoses where we essentially these are diagnoses where we have an internal biological clock have an internal biological clock which tells us when to wake up and when which tells us when to wake up and when to go to sleep which by the way is to go to sleep which by the way is influenced by all the things that we influenced by all the things that we already discussed already discussed like light and metabolism that somehow like light and metabolism that somehow gets shifted off gets shifted off and so those are and so those are unique diseases which have their own unique diseases which have their own treatments treatments my point is that you know if you have my point is that you know if you have and the interesting thing is that these and the interesting thing is that these map on to particular areas right so map on to particular areas right so generally speaking generally speaking speaking people with anxiety have speaking people with anxiety have difficulty falling asleep difficulty falling asleep people with depression suffer from early people with depression suffer from early morning awakening morning awakening so in the case of depression so in the case of depression we see something very interesting which we see something very interesting which is even if you go to sleep late like if is even if you go to sleep late like if i have trouble falling asleep and i go i have trouble falling asleep and i go to sleep at midnight i wake up at 4 00 to sleep at midnight i wake up at 4 00 a.m every day and i feel super depressed a.m every day and i feel super depressed and my mind is racing and my mind is racing right so these discrete processes ptsd right so these discrete processes ptsd tends to happen here tends to happen here have difficulty staying asleep why is have difficulty staying asleep why is that because they have nightmares that because they have nightmares right so we even have some medications

right so we even have some medications like prosocian like prosocian um which will stop nightmares and help um which will stop nightmares and help pts people with ptsd sleep through the pts people with ptsd sleep through the night so people with ptsd don't night so people with ptsd don't necessarily have troubles falling asleep necessarily have troubles falling asleep or waking up but or they're even if they or waking up but or they're even if they have trouble waking up the reason they have trouble waking up the reason they have trouble waking up is because their have trouble waking up is because their sleep is disturbed in the middle of the sleep is disturbed in the middle of the night right so we can even see amongst night right so we can even see amongst mental illnesses mental illnesses not all of the insomnia is the same like not all of the insomnia is the same like there are discrete different there are discrete different sources of insomnia that particular sources of insomnia that particular mental illnesses will target and damage mental illnesses will target and damage which results in these three buckets which results in these three buckets so hyperthyroidism for example will have so hyperthyroidism for example will have uh will act here uh will act here and here and here really really um but we'll see like a lot of times um but we'll see like a lot of times people will have difficulties falling people will have difficulties falling asleep if they're hypothyroid sleep asleep if they're hypothyroid sleep apnea apnea sort of sort of is noticed here but is really a problem over here okay this is really where sleep apnea okay this is really where sleep apnea acts

acts so once again we've got like tons of so once again we've got like tons of evidence that insomnia is not all the evidence that insomnia is not all the same so if you're listening to your same so if you're listening to your favorite wellness podcast and they're favorite wellness podcast and they're like oh this thing helps with sleep like like oh this thing helps with sleep like i think the reason that everyone is i think the reason that everyone is still having sleep problems despite the still having sleep problems despite the fact that we have a thousand wellness fact that we have a thousand wellness podcast is because i don't hear anyone podcast is because i don't hear anyone talking this specifically about sleep talking this specifically about sleep and that's like why the problem is and that's like why the problem is persisting fundamentally persisting fundamentally so if we have reflux for example reflux so if we have reflux for example reflux acts here in here acts here in here so people can have trouble falling so people can have trouble falling asleep if they have reflux so just to asleep if they have reflux so just to understand this a little bit so reflux understand this a little bit so reflux is when is when you have stomach acid which normally you have stomach acid which normally belongs in the stomach and the stomach belongs in the stomach and the stomach is a high acidic environment so it's is a high acidic environment so it's protected against the high acid our protected against the high acid our esophagus which is the pipe that esophagus which is the pipe that connects our mouth to our stomach connects our mouth to our stomach shouldn't have stomach acid in it shouldn't have stomach acid in it stomach acid will damage it stomach acid will damage it so when we have reflux we have a lazy so when we have reflux we have a lazy valve valve or lazy flap that allows acid to leak or lazy flap that allows acid to leak from our stomach into our esophagus from our stomach into our esophagus then the esophagus starts taking acid

then the esophagus starts taking acid damage every round damage every round as it starts taking acid damage you're as it starts taking acid damage you're like being injured and it releases all like being injured and it releases all kinds of inflammatory chemicals bumps up kinds of inflammatory chemicals bumps up your cortisol level and causes all kinds your cortisol level and causes all kinds of problems right so re like reflux can of problems right so re like reflux can actually cause this as well so this is actually cause this as well so this is the kind of thing where as long as the kind of thing where as long as you've got reflux going on i mean you you've got reflux going on i mean you can can cut out caffeine all you want to but as cut out caffeine all you want to but as long as you've got that reflux signal long as you've got that reflux signal you can deal with your internal worries you can deal with your internal worries about how your life is never going to go about how your life is never going to go anywhere or whatever you do deal with anywhere or whatever you do deal with all that crap but as long as the reflux all that crap but as long as the reflux is creating a physiologic like you know is creating a physiologic like you know you're sitting in a pool of acid your you're sitting in a pool of acid your esophagus is sitting in a pool of acid esophagus is sitting in a pool of acid that's going to create a physiologic that's going to create a physiologic effect which will will make it hard for effect which will will make it hard for you to sleep okay you to sleep okay so the key thing here is that different so the key thing here is that different kinds of illnesses are going to alter kinds of illnesses are going to alter the general trajectory that you're the general trajectory that you're working with right that's why we call it working with right that's why we call it a pathology because it changes the game a pathology because it changes the game and so playing a normal strategy of and so playing a normal strategy of trying to use burrito chemistry trying to use burrito chemistry or you know leveraging like having a or you know leveraging like having a healthy like light

healthy like light kind of balance kind of balance will result in what won't work properly will result in what won't work properly because there's some other confounding because there's some other confounding factor factor okay so let's talk a little bit about okay so let's talk a little bit about solutions for sleep solutions for sleep okay how we doing so far chat you all doing okay okay we're like one hour in we're like one hour in so we're going to pause we can actually so we're going to pause we can actually stop we can do solutions later okay we can absolutely do recap before we jump into solutions we jump into solutions let's do a recap excellent excellent let's do a recap excellent excellent thank you okay thank you okay so let's start from the top so let's start from the top okay the first thing okay the first thing is despite is despite an increase in the amount of science an increase in the amount of science and an increase in the dissemination of and an increase in the dissemination of scientific information scientific information why is insomnia such a problem so i why is insomnia such a problem so i believe it is generally a problem believe it is generally a problem because because scientific studies look at populations

scientific studies look at populations and do not and do not recommend like individualized recommend like individualized treatments for insomnia right treatments for insomnia right so like you can have all these general so like you can have all these general recommendations do this for sleep do recommendations do this for sleep do that for sleep and we're about to get to that for sleep and we're about to get to those but the key thing to understand is those but the key thing to understand is that insomnia is not that insomnia is not homogeneous it is not one thing it is a homogeneous it is not one thing it is a constellation of different things and if constellation of different things and if you want to conquer your insomnia what you want to conquer your insomnia what you need to do is you need to do is start to figure out first what kind of start to figure out first what kind of insomnia you have because each one has a insomnia you have because each one has a different solution different solution so we talk about why people have trouble so we talk about why people have trouble sleeping or what their perception is sleeping or what their perception is they say my sleep sucks what that means they say my sleep sucks what that means they could be talking about one of four they could be talking about one of four things things number one they have difficulty falling number one they have difficulty falling asleep they're staying awake they go to asleep they're staying awake they go to bed on time they're tossing and turning bed on time they're tossing and turning and they're not able to fall asleep and they're not able to fall asleep number two number two even if they do fall asleep they're even if they do fall asleep they're tossing and turning all night they wake tossing and turning all night they wake up in the middle of the night they don't up in the middle of the night they don't feel like they get restful sleep feel like they get restful sleep overnight so when they wake up in the overnight so when they wake up in the morning morning they feel unrested they feel unrested number three i have difficulty waking up number three i have difficulty waking up so this could be related to number two

so this could be related to number two or related to number one right if i or related to number one right if i toss and turn for two hours and i don't toss and turn for two hours and i don't actually go to sleep on time let's say i actually go to sleep on time let's say i go to bed at 10 p.m and i have to wake go to bed at 10 p.m and i have to wake up at 6 a.m but for the first two hours up at 6 a.m but for the first two hours i'm tossing and turning then i'm gonna i'm tossing and turning then i'm gonna wake up tired or if i do go to bed at 10 wake up tired or if i do go to bed at 10 at 10 pm but if i'm tossing turning all at 10 pm but if i'm tossing turning all night i'm going to wake up feeling tired night i'm going to wake up feeling tired some people have difficulty just waking some people have difficulty just waking up even if they do go to bed on time and up even if they do go to bed on time and even if it does appear that they sleep even if it does appear that they sleep pretty well pretty well the fourth reason that people say that the fourth reason that people say that their sleep sucks is because they're their sleep sucks is because they're tired during the day or in the morning tired during the day or in the morning okay okay and the key thing here and the key thing here is that if we want to conquer insomnia is that if we want to conquer insomnia we have to know which one is our problem we have to know which one is our problem because each of these involves different because each of these involves different mechanisms and if we fix those mechanisms and if we fix those mechanisms we can fix our sleep mechanisms we can fix our sleep okay okay so then we got to this so then we got to this diagram which is sort of like you know diagram which is sort of like you know uh okay hold on a second let me actually uh okay hold on a second let me actually right so right so the solutions that society tends to

the solutions that society tends to offer us tend to be like instead of offer us tend to be like instead of focusing on falling asleep staying focusing on falling asleep staying asleep or difficulty waking up and asleep or difficulty waking up and offering us a tailored solution what we offering us a tailored solution what we tend to do is recommend things just tend to do is recommend things just blanket right take this herb blanket right take this herb smoke marijuana drink alcohol do cbt for smoke marijuana drink alcohol do cbt for insomnia take this medication that is insomnia take this medication that is prescribed by a physician prescribed by a physician and all of these things don't account and all of these things don't account for any of the specificity of what is for any of the specificity of what is causing our sleep problem we're just causing our sleep problem we're just taking a huge hammer to the problem taking a huge hammer to the problem which in turn means that we wake up which in turn means that we wake up tired in the morning because we're not tired in the morning because we're not dealing with the root of the problem dealing with the root of the problem then we enter into this cycle where i then we enter into this cycle where i wake up tired so i need marijuana to wake up tired so i need marijuana to fall asleep and then i pass out and then fall asleep and then i pass out and then i get low quality sleep i wake up tired i get low quality sleep i wake up tired then i have to drink coffee and since i then i have to drink coffee and since i drink a bunch of coffee i can't fall drink a bunch of coffee i can't fall asleep since i can't fall asleep i need asleep since i can't fall asleep i need more marijuana more marijuana right so we end up in this vicious cycle right so we end up in this vicious cycle where like our solutions become our where like our solutions become our problems so in order to understand this i think the

in order to understand this i think the the key solution is like let's the key solution is like let's understand like how sleep works like understand like how sleep works like what are the basics of sleep what are the basics of sleep what helps us fall asleep why do we fall what helps us fall asleep why do we fall asleep why do we get sleepy why do we asleep why do we get sleepy why do we have difficulty waking up what have difficulty waking up what determines when we wake up because think determines when we wake up because think about that for a second it's really about that for a second it's really interesting right you don't need interesting right you don't need anything to wake you up like if you go anything to wake you up like if you go to sleep now to sleep now you will wake up at some point right so you will wake up at some point right so there's some internal mechanism that there's some internal mechanism that causes you to wake up what are the causes you to wake up what are the mechanisms that cause you to wake up mechanisms that cause you to wake up what are the mechanisms that cause you what are the mechanisms that cause you to go to sleep so we talked about a to go to sleep so we talked about a couple of those couple of those metabolism right so over the course of metabolism right so over the course of the day we build up metabolic waste the day we build up metabolic waste products when we go to sleep we clear products when we go to sleep we clear those metabolic waste products when we those metabolic waste products when we clear those metabolic waste products we clear those metabolic waste products we tend to wake up tend to wake up okay this is why if you for example if i okay this is why if you for example if i have a 36 hour shift as a doctor i'm not have a 36 hour shift as a doctor i'm not gonna wake up in eight hours i will be gonna wake up in eight hours i will be sleep deprived and it'll take my body sleep deprived and it'll take my body longer to clear those metabolic waste longer to clear those metabolic waste products so instead of sleeping for products so instead of sleeping for eight hours i will sleep for 12 hours

eight hours i will sleep for 12 hours and there are other different things and there are other different things that you have to make up for the sleep that you have to make up for the sleep debt over the next couple of days so debt over the next couple of days so i'll sleep like 10 hours a day for the i'll sleep like 10 hours a day for the next three days instead of sleeping next three days instead of sleeping 16 hours at a stretch right so there are 16 hours at a stretch right so there are all kinds of complicated mechanisms all kinds of complicated mechanisms which we're not going to go into right which we're not going to go into right here but here but so metabolism is one big reason why we so metabolism is one big reason why we get tired get tired and why we wake up light is another huge and why we wake up light is another huge reason so our body has been evolved to reason so our body has been evolved to be very sensitive to light in terms of be very sensitive to light in terms of telling us when to go to sleep and when telling us when to go to sleep and when to wake up so even if we think about jet to wake up so even if we think about jet lag how does jet lag get corrected think lag how does jet lag get corrected think about that for a second right so i have about that for a second right so i have a circadian rhythm which wants me to go a circadian rhythm which wants me to go to sleep at a particular time and wake to sleep at a particular time and wake up at a particular time how does the up at a particular time how does the circadian rhythm adjust how does it know circadian rhythm adjust how does it know how to adjust it uses light right so how to adjust it uses light right so light is a huge part of our ability to light is a huge part of our ability to sleep sleep third thing is we have all kinds of third thing is we have all kinds of physiologic mechanisms which we're just physiologic mechanisms which we're just going to use too just to going to use too just to illustrate this example one is cortisol illustrate this example one is cortisol so when we get stressed out so when we get stressed out we release cortisol cortisol goes to our

we release cortisol cortisol goes to our brain and turns on this part of our brain and turns on this part of our brain called the reticular activating brain called the reticular activating formation which then tells us that we formation which then tells us that we need to sleep very very lightly or sleep need to sleep very very lightly or sleep less because we're in danger and so if less because we're in danger and so if you're in a chronic state of stress your you're in a chronic state of stress your body is literally going to be telling body is literally going to be telling you to wake the f up all the time and you to wake the f up all the time and sleep very lightly so any kind of noise sleep very lightly so any kind of noise will wake you up if you have a high will wake you up if you have a high level of cortisol in your system level of cortisol in your system so in order to fix that problem you have so in order to fix that problem you have to deal with the underlying stress and to deal with the underlying stress and then you'll be able to sleep better the then you'll be able to sleep better the other thing that we talked a little bit other thing that we talked a little bit about is insulin so when we eat food about is insulin so when we eat food we secrete insulin and when we secrete we secrete insulin and when we secrete insulin it makes us sleepy insulin it makes us sleepy okay okay so so then we've talked about mental illness then we've talked about mental illness that all of these mechanisms are fine that all of these mechanisms are fine and good but this is in a normal healthy and good but this is in a normal healthy functioning human being functioning human being if you throw on some kind of mental or if you throw on some kind of mental or physiologic illness you're playing a physiologic illness you're playing a completely different game with a completely different game with a completely different set of rules so if completely different set of rules so if you want any of that other stuff to work you want any of that other stuff to work you have to move back to the baseline by you have to move back to the baseline by treating that illness so that could mean treating that illness so that could mean treating the ptsd could mean treating

treating the ptsd could mean treating depression it could mean getting a sleep depression it could mean getting a sleep a cpap for for sleep sleep apnea you a cpap for for sleep sleep apnea you know there are all kinds of other stuff know there are all kinds of other stuff could mean getting your acid reflux could mean getting your acid reflux treated you know get get yourself a ppi treated you know get get yourself a ppi and we'll talk about that kind of stuff and we'll talk about that kind of stuff which is a proton pump inhibitor which which is a proton pump inhibitor which is a treatment for acid reflux is a treatment for acid reflux um um and so that's where we are so far okay and so that's where we are so far okay so now we're going to talk about so now we're going to talk about solutions so the first thing that you should do we're going to start with uh let me see we're going to start with uh let me see okay let's start with general solutions okay let's start with general solutions and then we'll get to specifics okay and then we'll get to specifics okay first thing you should do is get a first thing you should do is get a medical evaluation and why should you start with this you should start with this because if you should start with this because if any of these things is going on and any of these things is going on and you're not aware of it like the rest of you're not aware of it like the rest of the stuff may not work right this could the stuff may not work right this could be a really simple fix if there's be a really simple fix if there's actually some kind of pathology going on actually some kind of pathology going on like if you can correct your thyroid like if you can correct your thyroid level and like easy done finished right level and like easy done finished right so this may be the biggest bang for your

so this may be the biggest bang for your buck buck okay okay next thing you should do next thing you should do is diagnose your sleeping problem and i don't mean like give yourself a medical diagnosis give yourself a medical diagnosis so maybe isolate is a better word so maybe isolate is a better word so this is where you can use something so this is where you can use something like a sleep diary and try to figure out like a sleep diary and try to figure out okay what is actually my sleeping okay what is actually my sleeping problem is my problem that i have problem is my problem that i have difficulty falling asleep is my problem difficulty falling asleep is my problem that i have difficulty staying asleep is that i have difficulty staying asleep is my problem that i have difficulty waking my problem that i have difficulty waking up is my problem that i feel tired up is my problem that i feel tired during the day during the day and be a little bit careful and be and be a little bit careful and be critical and this is where you want to critical and this is where you want to like measure stuff right so people will like measure stuff right so people will say oh my problem is that i get three say oh my problem is that i get three hours of sleep a night but if you hours of sleep a night but if you actually use a sleep diary what you will actually use a sleep diary what you will discover you will uncover the sleep discover you will uncover the sleep misperception which is that you actually misperception which is that you actually fall asleep around 11 fall asleep around 11 and then you may have opened your eyes and then you may have opened your eyes briefly at like two in the morning and briefly at like two in the morning and then you actually get out of bed at then you actually get out of bed at seven and you may discover that

seven and you may discover that you're actually sleeping a normal amount you're actually sleeping a normal amount and then that should trigger something and then that should trigger something really interesting because now you know really interesting because now you know okay so there's something else going on okay so there's something else going on i'm actually sleeping eight hours a day i'm actually sleeping eight hours a day so components of a sleep diary which so components of a sleep diary which will try to put together something some will try to put together something some kind of like worksheet or something for kind of like worksheet or something for y'all y'all but what time do you fall asleep how rested do you feel on a scale of one to ten on a scale of one to ten right so do this every day for a month right so do this every day for a month other things you can do is like how um other things you can do is like how um yeah so other things that i would add is yeah so other things that i would add is like what is your technology use um what what was was your your bedtime

bedtime routine caffeine alcohol alcohol marijuana intake like that day marijuana intake like that day right so like what did you do in the right so like what did you do in the four hours before bed um any particular sources of stress that any particular sources of stress that day day right so you should start like right so you should start like collecting data over time collecting data over time there are other things that we'll we'll there are other things that we'll we'll add to the sleep diary we'll try to put add to the sleep diary we'll try to put something together for y'all that's something together for y'all that's pretty comprehensive but you want to pretty comprehensive but you want to check this stuff every single day right check this stuff every single day right you can even you can even include some stuff about dreams if you include some stuff about dreams if you want to but we'll get to that in a want to but we'll get to that in a second second so you th this is where you need to so you th this is where you need to collect really really high quality collect really really high quality information information so that you can make a targeted so that you can make a targeted intervention that will work for you intervention that will work for you okay so sleep diary is really important

next thing okay so now just general solutions so the first thing is time solutions so the first thing is time outdoors outdoors so every day you should spend at least so every day you should spend at least one hour outside if you can one hour outside if you can okay so like this is the biggest problem okay so like this is the biggest problem that i see with the gaming generation is that i see with the gaming generation is like we live in a cube like we live in a cube right especially if we're like really right especially if we're like really hardcore gamers or like it doesn't you hardcore gamers or like it doesn't you don't have to be a hardcore gamer don't have to be a hardcore gamer especially during coven we wake up especially during coven we wake up we stay indoors we stay indoors we we let's say we shower let's say i'm like a let's say we shower let's say i'm like a generally healthy person during covet generally healthy person during covet right i wake up i shower i eat some right i wake up i shower i eat some breakfast i sit down i work for eight breakfast i sit down i work for eight hours remotely hours remotely i take a break i take a break i watch some tv while i have a late i watch some tv while i have a late lunch lunch right because like i'm not gonna just right because like i'm not gonna just sit there and eat my food i'm gonna have sit there and eat my food i'm gonna have some kind of technology while i'm doing some kind of technology while i'm doing it i'm going to like watch something or it i'm going to like watch something or listen to something or whatever listen to something or whatever and then i'm going to like log on with and then i'm going to like log on with my friends and i'm going to game for a my friends and i'm going to game for a couple of hours and i'm going to wrap up couple of hours and i'm going to wrap up the day with some netflix the day with some netflix and then watch youtube videos on my and then watch youtube videos on my phone before i go to sleep

phone before i go to sleep right so i've just been in this damn right so i've just been in this damn cube the whole time so i have no outdoor cube the whole time so i have no outdoor stuff so then what what does that mean stuff so then what what does that mean for my sleep for my sleep how does my body know that it's bedtime how does my body know that it's bedtime it has no idea it has no idea how does it know when it's a daytime it how does it know when it's a daytime it has no idea has no idea it's not seeing any horizons which is it's not seeing any horizons which is really important really important actually for your eyes and stuff like actually for your eyes and stuff like that too it's not getting exposed to a that too it's not getting exposed to a large amount of light large amount of light right it's just the same damn right it's just the same damn even walls even walls even windows maybe you get a little bit even windows maybe you get a little bit of light of light even light from our computer screen so even light from our computer screen so it's getting the same stimulus it's getting the same stimulus all day long all day long and all night long there isn't a and all night long there isn't a difference in the kind of stimulus it difference in the kind of stimulus it gets so it gets it it gets confused from gets so it gets it it gets confused from a circadian rhythm a circadian rhythm so i know it's kind of weird but go so i know it's kind of weird but go outside and at dusk at dusk if you can this is ideal this is huge

if you can this is ideal this is huge okay okay so this will start using a lot of good so this will start using a lot of good like light like light information information like your body you'll be sending all like your body you'll be sending all kinds of signals to your body and there kinds of signals to your body and there are all kinds of mechanisms i haven't are all kinds of mechanisms i haven't even touched on so for example you will even touched on so for example you will produce produce vitamin d vitamin d which in turn will decrease your which in turn will decrease your depression depression which in turn which in turn will move you in this direction cool we are creatures of habit our brain likes habit who here has to concentrate likes habit who here has to concentrate every time they brush their teeth no you every time they brush their teeth no you don't need to concentrate anymore your don't need to concentrate anymore your brain is formed a habit brain is formed a habit help your habit work for you okay so help your habit work for you okay so develop a bedtime routine so for two develop a bedtime routine so for two hours before bed no screens

hours before bed no screens this is so hard oh my god dr k this is so hard oh my god dr k how am i supposed to not use a screen how am i supposed to not use a screen before bed it's impossible before bed it's impossible couple of really good rules no phones in couple of really good rules no phones in bed also applies to tablets switches laptops just no phones in bed right that's hard dr k right that's hard dr k i understand that it's hard it's just i understand that it's hard it's just you need to decide you need to decide what do you prefer what do you prefer do you would you rather have your phone do you would you rather have your phone in bed or would you rather have a good in bed or would you rather have a good night's sleep you have a choice night's sleep you have a choice i'm not saying you have to do it i'm i'm not saying you have to do it i'm just saying if you want a good night's just saying if you want a good night's sleep you start with no phones in bed sleep you start with no phones in bed this is where i'm going to help you all this is where i'm going to help you all out a little bit i'm not going to just out a little bit i'm not going to just leave you with that decision all on your leave you with that decision all on your own so i think this is where the biggest own so i think this is where the biggest challenge that we face challenge that we face is that for the two hours before bed we is that for the two hours before bed we don't know what to do don't know what to do right it's like if i'm not on my phone right it's like if i'm not on my phone because if you think about like when do

because if you think about like when do you pull out your phone you pull out you pull out your phone you pull out your phone during periods of boredom or your phone during periods of boredom or transitions when there's nothing else transitions when there's nothing else going on you pull out your phone if going on you pull out your phone if you're in a transition point you pull you're in a transition point you pull out your phone if you're waiting for out your phone if you're waiting for your friend to pick you up and they're your friend to pick you up and they're gonna be there in five minutes and gonna be there in five minutes and you're ready what are you gonna do in you're ready what are you gonna do in those five minutes you're going to pull those five minutes you're going to pull out your damn phone out your damn phone right you're not going to sit there right you're not going to sit there you're going to pull out your phone you're going to pull out your phone toilets transitions toilets transitions right that's when we use our phone right that's when we use our phone the problem is that once you start the problem is that once you start scrolling it's going to inhibit your scrolling it's going to inhibit your melatonin production melatonin production right so screens right so screens inhibit melatonin inhibit melatonin and are also going to and are also going to activate mental function so this is what i want you all to understand about your brain understand about your brain you know how you don't cook food and put you know how you don't cook food and put it straight into the fridge what do you it straight into the fridge what do you do with food before you stick it in the do with food before you stick it in the fridge fridge you got to let it come to room temp you you got to let it come to room temp you got to let it cool down got to let it cool down so your brain needs a cool down time so so your brain needs a cool down time so that doesn't mean be inactive that means

that doesn't mean be inactive that means don't do some kind of hyper stimulating don't do some kind of hyper stimulating dopaminergic activity let it come to dopaminergic activity let it come to room temperature before you you put it room temperature before you you put it to sleep that's what you need to do with to sleep that's what you need to do with your brain okay your brain okay so screens are really really problematic so screens are really really problematic because the reason they're so damn because the reason they're so damn addictive and this is the way that addictive and this is the way that they're designed they're designed is to stimulate the brain and keep it is to stimulate the brain and keep it engaged so it's the very opposite it's engaged so it's the very opposite it's like the you know the the like the you know the the like all these apps and stuff are like like all these apps and stuff are like microwaves for your brain like they're microwaves for your brain like they're just gonna heat it up just gonna heat it up like if you if you browse reddit for like if you if you browse reddit for example or twitter like they're gonna example or twitter like they're gonna there's gonna be a lot of like sexist there's gonna be a lot of like sexist like political meme-ish like political meme-ish anti-blizzard anti-ea anti-work anti-blizzard anti-ea anti-work anti-like climate change anti-liberal anti-like climate change anti-liberal antifa like so there's gonna be some antifa like so there's gonna be some kind of crap that's gonna amp you up kind of crap that's gonna amp you up right i'm not trying to place a value right i'm not trying to place a value judgment on any of it i'm not saying any judgment on any of it i'm not saying any of it is right or wrong that's for other of it is right or wrong that's for other people to decide i'm ignorant to that people to decide i'm ignorant to that stuff all i'm saying is that all that stuff all i'm saying is that all that stuff is gonna have you stuff is gonna have you like being

activated okay okay so so this is why you need to stay away from this is why you need to stay away from screens so then the question is okay dr screens so then the question is okay dr k what should i do instead of k what should i do instead of the screens and this is beautiful this the screens and this is beautiful this is like the most op move is like the most op move all of the crap that you should be doing all of the crap that you should be doing anyway anyway right so if you procrastinate to do right so if you procrastinate to do things because you're xyz that is the things because you're xyz that is the stuff that you should do for two hours stuff that you should do for two hours before bed so i like to the best one to before bed so i like to the best one to start with for me is grocery shopping i start with for me is grocery shopping i will go grocery shopping at like 9 p.m will go grocery shopping at like 9 p.m at night at night okay so it gets me out of the house i'm okay so it gets me out of the house i'm away from a screen i do my grocery away from a screen i do my grocery shopping then i've got groceries for shopping then i've got groceries for tomorrow so that's a win tomorrow so that's a win i also clean before bed really fantastic i also clean before bed really fantastic cleans out the mind cleans out the mind should the should the this is in dr k's guide which in turn this is in dr k's guide which in turn will reduce your stress will reduce your stress reduce your anxiety reduce your anxiety and target falling asleep and target falling asleep easy champ easy champ right so cleaning and you have the bonus

right so cleaning and you have the bonus of like having a you know clean dishes of like having a you know clean dishes you have the bonus of like not having a you have the bonus of like not having a messy place so we're gonna take this goal that you have set for yourself have set for yourself and it's very hard for you to do and and it's very hard for you to do and we're gonna leverage that goal to help we're gonna leverage that goal to help you sleep every single day you sleep every single day okay you can also do things like sort okay you can also do things like sort through the mail through the mail i do all kinds of like random stuff okay i do all kinds of like random stuff okay exercise yoga exercise yoga meditation okay and then some people say but i thought you weren't supposed to exercise thought you weren't supposed to exercise before bed before bed and that's where like yeah generally and that's where like yeah generally speaking if you look at population speaking if you look at population studies it is more advantageous to studies it is more advantageous to exercise earlier in the day for the exercise earlier in the day for the average person average person but if you're like me you can exercise but if you're like me you can exercise for before bed and then like if you do for before bed and then like if you do like two hours before bed you feel super like two hours before bed you feel super tired and like really good at night and tired and like really good at night and it's very easy to sleep

it's very easy to sleep okay you can also do something like take okay you can also do something like take a bath so there's some physiologic stuff a bath so there's some physiologic stuff here here where i'm just trying to figure out if i want to go into this to go into this so when you take a hot bath you get a so when you take a hot bath you get a lot of vasodila peripheral vasodilation and then after the bath you get alterations i'm not going to go into more detail but not here but there's a lot that goes on not here but there's a lot that goes on there right so you can use like there right so you can use like physiology there too physiology there too okay other advantage other things that okay other advantage other things that you can do so if you're bored right so you can do so if you're bored right so i'd say audio stuff is totally fine i'd say audio stuff is totally fine physical books totally fine physical books totally fine be careful about what you read but be careful about what you read but generally speaking like i'll listen to

generally speaking like i'll listen to like spirituality lectures and podcasts like spirituality lectures and podcasts and like stuff that's like interesting and like stuff that's like interesting and that like i'm glad the next day that and that like i'm glad the next day that i learned something but it's not so i learned something but it's not so intellectually stimulating like i would intellectually stimulating like i would not read like a horror novel before bed not read like a horror novel before bed right unless that works for you i mean right unless that works for you i mean it may work for you it may work for you but you can like all that stuff that you but you can like all that stuff that you want to learn like you know you want to want to learn like you know you want to read more nonfiction you want to like read more nonfiction you want to like learn more about stoicism get yourself learn more about stoicism get yourself an audio book and just listen to it in an audio book and just listen to it in bed okay bed okay um we'll talk a little bit about um we'll talk a little bit about meditation in a second meditation in a second and then uh and then uh last thing is food last thing is food okay okay so here's our tip for eating so here is the diet that i would so here is the diet that i would recommend for the average person who recommend for the average person who wants to use that insulin spike in their wants to use that insulin spike in their favor favor so i'd say start so i'd say start breakfast breakfast with something like oatmeal with something like oatmeal high fiber high fiber high satiety

low calorie food food okay okay so if you don't do this so if you don't do this you will have a huge lunch okay so we don't want a huge lunch we want some kind of high fiber high want some kind of high fiber high satiety like satiety like pile of stuff in your stomach so that pile of stuff in your stomach so that you feel kind of full you feel kind of full you need to eat a pre-emptive lunch you need to eat a pre-emptive lunch so if you wait so if you wait too long too long this calorie deficit which you've this calorie deficit which you've already built up already built up is going to cause you to crave really is going to cause you to crave really unhealthy food so you want to have like unhealthy food so you want to have like a gigantic pile of oatmeal at like 8 a.m a gigantic pile of oatmeal at like 8 a.m with berries with berries and then you want to fix yourself some and then you want to fix yourself some kind of like sandwich or something like kind of like sandwich or something like even before you get hungry like 11 30 even before you get hungry like 11 30 eat a sandwich or something not too eat a sandwich or something not too calorie dense calorie dense but you want to avoid being super super but you want to avoid being super super hungry at 11 30 hungry at 11 30 or at noon actually so you got to eat or at noon actually so you got to eat early okay early okay then what's going to happen when evening

then what's going to happen when evening rolls around like when 6 pm rolls around like when 6 pm 7 p.m rolls around you're gonna be 7 p.m rolls around you're gonna be famished because you're like kind of famished because you're like kind of calorie deficit for the day and then i calorie deficit for the day and then i want you to eat whatever the hell you want you to eat whatever the hell you want want so go to town on the burrito so go to town on the burrito okay okay hit that food coma veg out for a little hit that food coma veg out for a little bit go through your bedtime routine and bit go through your bedtime routine and then just pass the [ __ ] out then just pass the [ __ ] out okay this is really really really okay this is really really really important okay important okay so there's an important point so a lot so there's an important point so a lot of people say i do bodybuilding what of people say i do bodybuilding what about this what about gaining weight about this what about gaining weight it takes about three days to reset your it takes about three days to reset your sleep schedule so all this stuff you can sleep schedule so all this stuff you can start to adjust these things but to start to adjust these things but to reset your sleep schedule all it takes reset your sleep schedule all it takes is three days is three days generally speaking so it's okay to do generally speaking so it's okay to do this for three days and then you can this for three days and then you can adopt healthier eating habits afterward adopt healthier eating habits afterward because then you've got other stuff because then you've got other stuff going for you right now your circadian going for you right now your circadian rhythm after three days your circadian rhythm after three days your circadian rhythm is adjusted it's gonna be easy rhythm is adjusted it's gonna be easy for you to fall asleep at 10 pm so you for you to fall asleep at 10 pm so you don't need the burrito to get you into

don't need the burrito to get you into the coma right at that point this stuff the coma right at that point this stuff will be enough will be enough okay so these are general tips for sleep other things to remember so last point that i'll kind of share is so last point that i'll kind of share is that generally speaking it is easier to that generally speaking it is easier to wake up when you're tired than it is to wake up when you're tired than it is to go to bed when you're not go to bed when you're not okay okay so so this may not apply to some of y'all so this may not apply to some of y'all so if you have a problem with this phase if you have a problem with this phase of sleep maybe this is not true for you of sleep maybe this is not true for you but generally speaking i think like but generally speaking i think like physiologically it's like easier to wake physiologically it's like easier to wake up in the middle of the night if your up in the middle of the night if your house is on fire than it is to like go house is on fire than it is to like go to sleep you know to sleep you know if you're if you're fully awake fully awake so our we have more mechanisms that can so our we have more mechanisms that can increase wakefulness than we do that can increase wakefulness than we do that can increase sleepiness so if you want to reset your sleep schedule what it takes is three days schedule what it takes is three days of waking up on time

and if you guys just want one tip bit of if you guys just want one tip bit of advice being advice being a zombie a zombie you will be a zombie don't drink you will be a zombie don't drink caffeine you're just gonna be a zombie caffeine you're just gonna be a zombie all day long you're gonna feel terrible all day long you're gonna feel terrible you're not gonna be able to do anything you're not gonna be able to do anything you're gonna be unproductive you're you're gonna be unproductive you're going to be kind of moody irritable like going to be kind of moody irritable like it's just going to feel like you're it's just going to feel like you're you're like lagging in real life you're like lagging in real life you're like playing real life on ping you're like playing real life on ping that's what it's going to feel like that's what it's going to feel like and then sleep will feel like a relief next day you're gonna wake up you're gonna be a zombie you're gonna do you're gonna be a zombie you're gonna do that three days in a row that three days in a row by the end of it you'll feel amazing by the end of it you'll feel amazing you'll have detox off of caffeine you may have even detoxed off with some of that dopamine too of that dopamine too and your sleep your circadian rhythm and your sleep your circadian rhythm will be reset and then you'll be like

will be reset and then you'll be like golden golden okay you just have to understand that okay you just have to understand that you have to like you're gonna be a you have to like you're gonna be a zombie for a while okay zombie for a while okay so at this point we're an hour and a so at this point we're an hour and a half in and i have not even gotten to half in and i have not even gotten to the three specifics so i think we're the three specifics so i think we're gonna save that for another day gonna save that for another day so what we'll have maybe next time is so what we'll have maybe next time is specific strategies specific strategies for if you have trouble falling asleep right so how can we look at please today okay we can do it today that means that's all we're gonna do today i gotta that's all we're gonna do today i gotta i gotta check

so good okay okay finish today that's all we're going to do today then to do today then because i did what i normally do so because i did what i normally do so we're like this is like dude this is a we're like this is like dude this is a 90 minute lecture 90 minute lecture folks you all get that like we're folks you all get that like we're already 90 minutes in and by the way already 90 minutes in and by the way i've done like 12 hour seminars on sleep i've done like 12 hour seminars on sleep so there's just we're just scratching so there's just we're just scratching the surface like there's so much to the surface like there's so much to understand about this understand about this that's all that's all applicable too it's not just like applicable too it's not just like academic academic like here's what we like there's like like here's what we like there's like there's so many different things there's so many different things so one tip that i we haven't even talked so one tip that i we haven't even talked about which is huge about which is huge is you remember this this rem cycle is you remember this this rem cycle business right so you have you have sleep cycles where you start you have sleep cycles where you start here and then you end here here and then you end here so if you wake up here so if you wake up here you'll feel groggy you'll feel groggy but if you wake up here you'll feel

but if you wake up here you'll feel rested rested and this is if you for example sleep for and this is if you for example sleep for two hours and wake up here you will feel two hours and wake up here you will feel rested if you sleep for eight hours and rested if you sleep for eight hours and wake up here you'll feel groggy so wake up here you'll feel groggy so understanding where you are in your understanding where you are in your sleep cycle when you wake up is critical sleep cycle when you wake up is critical so this is why you know sometimes you so this is why you know sometimes you take a nap take a nap and like you wake up feeling way more and like you wake up feeling way more tired than when you went to bed and tired than when you went to bed and sometimes you take a nap and it's like sometimes you take a nap and it's like you feel amazing you feel amazing and you're like wait but why is that and you're like wait but why is that like i only slept for a half an hour or like i only slept for a half an hour or 45 minutes and i feel amazing and other 45 minutes and i feel amazing and other times it's like i slept for three hours times it's like i slept for three hours and i feel like a zombie like i don't and i feel like a zombie like i don't understand what's going on it's because understand what's going on it's because of when you wake up during this this of when you wake up during this this cycle and so even understanding things cycle and so even understanding things to that specificity will control to that specificity will control how easy it is to wake up because you how easy it is to wake up because you have to wake up at the right time of have to wake up at the right time of your sleep cycle

so the first thing to understand is that according to ayurveda which by is that according to ayurveda which by the way i know we've had some people who the way i know we've had some people who were were uh skeptical of irvada which is totally uh skeptical of irvada which is totally fine um i'm still amalgamating different fine um i'm still amalgamating different kinds of evidence that i will present to kinds of evidence that i will present to y'all and hopefully y'all will be y'all and hopefully y'all will be convinced i am um i'm i'm convinced that ayurveda is very i'm i'm convinced that ayurveda is very helpful from a clinical standpoint helpful from a clinical standpoint precisely because of things like this so precisely because of things like this so if you guys like think this is pretty if you guys like think this is pretty cool and no one else talks about it this cool and no one else talks about it this way way this kind of thinking essentially comes this kind of thinking essentially comes from ayurveda from ayurveda this idea that insomnia is not this idea that insomnia is not homogeneous and affects different people homogeneous and affects different people in different ways is like a in different ways is like a fundamentally ayurvedic concept and you fundamentally ayurvedic concept and you may say but that's a fundamentally human may say but that's a fundamentally human concept but that's not how western concept but that's not how western medicine really thinks about it right medicine really thinks about it right because because a medical doctor will diagnose you with a medical doctor will diagnose you with insomnia like they'll just diagnose you

insomnia like they'll just diagnose you with that and they'll kind of like be with that and they'll kind of like be done with it done with it right so falling asleep first of all to right so falling asleep first of all to understand from an ayurvedic perspective understand from an ayurvedic perspective is a bit the problem and if you guys is a bit the problem and if you guys don't understand what that means don't understand what that means go watch dr k's guide and go look at the go watch dr k's guide and go look at the ir by the stuff because there's like two ir by the stuff because there's like two or three hours about that okay or three hours about that okay so it's a fit then balance so pithas so it's a fit then balance so pithas their minds are very active their minds their minds are very active their minds are like fire they can't let things go are like fire they can't let things go they have trouble cooling down before we they have trouble cooling down before we put the food in the fridge put the food in the fridge right and so they have difficulty right and so they have difficulty falling asleep they will hold on falling asleep they will hold on oftentimes oftentimes to a few thoughts to a few thoughts and these thoughts prevent them from and these thoughts prevent them from sleeping sleeping okay okay so if you have trouble falling asleep so if you have trouble falling asleep first thing to understand is that it may first thing to understand is that it may be a fit the issue and if you balance be a fit the issue and if you balance your pitta it should get better we'll talk a little bit more about that in a second in a second second thing you should ask yourself is second thing you should ask yourself is if you're having trouble staying asleep if you're having trouble staying asleep here's the next question you should ask here's the next question you should ask yourself yourself have i been have i been awake for

awake for 16 hours 16 hours if the answer to that question is no if the answer to that question is no your goal tomorrow is to go to sleep at your goal tomorrow is to go to sleep at the same time and have that turn that the same time and have that turn that question into a yes question into a yes okay so okay so the solution to that is the solution to that is wake up earlier right because remember your metabolic substrates haven't built up to help you substrates haven't built up to help you fall asleep if you haven't been awake fall asleep if you haven't been awake for 16 hours so your answer is to wake for 16 hours so your answer is to wake up earlier up earlier by the way you may be a zombie by the way you may be a zombie gg just let your circadian rhythm gg just let your circadian rhythm balance after three days it's gonna be balance after three days it's gonna be tough right but this is what you're gonna need to do the good news is even after one to do the good news is even after one day you may start to feel a little bit day you may start to feel a little bit better okay better okay so the next thing to think a little bit so the next thing to think a little bit about about is your let me just make sure um okay yeah so next thing to think about is does your body

know it is time to sleep and you may ask me me dr k how does my body know whether it is dr k how does my body know whether it is time to sleep or not and this is where time to sleep or not and this is where like we talked about this right what are like we talked about this right what are the ways in which your body knows that the ways in which your body knows that it's been time to sleep so we've talked it's been time to sleep so we've talked about being awake for 16 hours about being awake for 16 hours what has your light exposure been like what has your light exposure been like have you been stuck in a room all day have you been stuck in a room all day because if the answer to that question because if the answer to that question is yes your body is really confused is yes your body is really confused what's your technology use like and if your body is like oh if you've been like sitting in a room without been like sitting in a room without windows for the last windows for the last 16 hours and there's been a constant 16 hours and there's been a constant stream of like computer monitor light or stream of like computer monitor light or tv screen light on you then your body tv screen light on you then your body has no idea it's time to sleep and it's has no idea it's time to sleep and it's gonna get confused it's gonna be hard to gonna get confused it's gonna be hard to fall asleep okay

do you have stress do you have anxiety what are you stressed out about what are what are you stressed out about what are you anxious about this is where things you anxious about this is where things get a little bit complicated so you can get a little bit complicated so you can you know depending on how bad things are you know depending on how bad things are you can work with a therapist you can work with a therapist you can work with a coach you can work with a coach you can also just like you can also just like introspect introspect process process we touch on this all through the rest of we touch on this all through the rest of our stuff so there's a lot of stuff our stuff so there's a lot of stuff about this in dr k's guide but i can't about this in dr k's guide but i can't go into like how to fix stress or go into like how to fix stress or anxiety like anxiety like in five minutes right it's just not that in five minutes right it's just not that simple simple but the truth is that if you're having but the truth is that if you're having trouble falling asleep and you're in a trouble falling asleep and you're in a stressful state stressful state that has high cortisol that has high cortisol this is going to be activating your raf this is going to be activating your raf and is going to make it hard for you to and is going to make it hard for you to fall asleep and make you a light sleeper fall asleep and make you a light sleeper so you have to deal with this stuff so you have to deal with this stuff there are a couple of other specific there are a couple of other specific practices so the meditative rewind practices so the meditative rewind practice which is in the guide

practice which is in the guide is very effective for this yoga nidra is also very effective for this both is also very effective for this both those are in the guide we're going to those are in the guide we're going to teach you guys a different meditation teach you guys a different meditation today today okay okay so you have to deal with your stress and so you have to deal with your stress and anxiety and then the last thing anxiety and then the last thing is is diet optimization for this so remember diet optimization for this so remember since it's a bit the problem since it's a bit the problem what we really want to do is focus on what we really want to do is focus on like cooling kind of heavy like cooling kind of heavy foods so you know if you eat yogurt foods so you know if you eat yogurt with fruit drizzle maple syrup maple syrup before bed this should be your dessert before bed this should be your dessert right we're gonna get some good right we're gonna get some good protein in there protein in there some good antioxidants some good antioxidants get some vitamin c get some vitamin c get some get some [Music] [Music] other stuff fiber other stuff fiber right it's going to taste yummy because

right it's going to taste yummy because there's a little bit of maple syrup in there's a little bit of maple syrup in there now technically ayurveda says you there now technically ayurveda says you shouldn't mix fruit in yogurt you shouldn't mix fruit in yogurt you shouldn't mix dairy and and fruit but shouldn't mix dairy and and fruit but we'll step away for that for a second we'll step away for that for a second um and if eating them together causes um and if eating them together causes you a lot of indigestion and interferes you a lot of indigestion and interferes with your sleep then don't do it but i with your sleep then don't do it but i think this is like a really good kind of think this is like a really good kind of dietary thing that you can have it'll dietary thing that you can have it'll have like some density to it it'll be have like some density to it it'll be like somewhat satisfying and it'll like somewhat satisfying and it'll actually be quite healthy okay actually be quite healthy okay so so this is what to do if you have trouble this is what to do if you have trouble falling asleep okay so let's recap it's falling asleep okay so let's recap it's a bit then balance so your mind will be a bit then balance so your mind will be holding on to a few thoughts and keeping holding on to a few thoughts and keeping you from sleeping you from sleeping so there's so there's techniques and stuff around that as well techniques and stuff around that as well but you know the but you know the the main thing is going to be first of the main thing is going to be first of all have you been awake for 16 hours all have you been awake for 16 hours second thing is going to be to make sure second thing is going to be to make sure that your body knows that it's time to that your body knows that it's time to sleep and how does the body know that sleep and how does the body know that it's time to sleep it has to do with it's time to sleep it has to do with your light exposure for the day and your your light exposure for the day and your technology exposure for the day technology exposure for the day third thing to think a little bit about third thing to think a little bit about is just your stress and anxiety level

is just your stress and anxiety level and like as long as those are present and like as long as those are present you have to understand that that is you have to understand that that is going to lead to a clinical impact going to lead to a clinical impact physiologic impact on your sleep so you physiologic impact on your sleep so you can try to do all kinds of other stuff can try to do all kinds of other stuff take supplements or whatever but if you take supplements or whatever but if you really want to be like conquer insomnia really want to be like conquer insomnia and sleep like a baby this must be dealt and sleep like a baby this must be dealt with and oh my goodness dr k that means with and oh my goodness dr k that means that i can't fix it tonight yes that is that i can't fix it tonight yes that is correct unfortunately you cannot fix correct unfortunately you cannot fix sleep necessarily in one day sometimes sleep necessarily in one day sometimes it takes weeks if not months the upside it takes weeks if not months the upside is that once you learn how to do this is that once you learn how to do this and you process these problems you could and you process these problems you could be sleeping like a baby for the next be sleeping like a baby for the next five years five years right and this is like this is the right and this is like this is the problem with sort of like the problem with sort of like the the the supplement industry is like they're not supplement industry is like they're not gonna tell you that right like they're gonna tell you that right like they're like everyone out there is looking for like everyone out there is looking for an easy fix to sleep an easy fix to sleep and so the market provides them with the and so the market provides them with the illusion of an easy fix illusion of an easy fix that's scientifically backed for good that's scientifically backed for good reason reason and then people are just and then people are just like then the problem propagates right

like then the problem propagates right and it's because all we all want an easy and it's because all we all want an easy solution they're like i just want to solution they're like i just want to sleep tonight sleep tonight and the truth is that if you want to and the truth is that if you want to consistently have good sleep day after consistently have good sleep day after day after day after day it's not going day after day after day it's not going to be an easy fix to be an easy fix unless you've got sleep apnea in which unless you've got sleep apnea in which you guys get yourself a sleep ap you guys get yourself a sleep ap cpap it'll revolutionize your life cpap it'll revolutionize your life okay this is a vata imbalance right so restlessness about that problems this is also where we see things like ptsd manifest right so you're gonna get ptsd manifest right so you're gonna get nightmares so the other way to think about it is nightmares will not affect falling nightmares will not affect falling asleep or waking up but they will affect asleep or waking up but they will affect the sleep in the middle so there's like the sleep in the middle so there's like early sleep mid sleep late sleep early sleep mid sleep late sleep okay okay so key things to start with what's your

so key things to start with what's your caffeine intake caffeine intake also true for falling asleep especially also true for falling asleep especially if you have had caffeine if you have had caffeine um um so other vata things to be aware of is so other vata things to be aware of is technology use technology use so this isn't just technology used two so this isn't just technology used two hours before bed although that'll hours before bed although that'll definitely engage the melatonin circuits definitely engage the melatonin circuits and things like that and things like that but technology used throughout the day but technology used throughout the day so if you just overall reduce your so if you just overall reduce your technology use and this is especially technology use and this is especially phone usage in transition points it will phone usage in transition points it will help you sleep i know it sounds crazy help you sleep i know it sounds crazy um so this is another really important thing is routine before bed so you really want to not so the the how can i say this so for people who how can i say this so for people who have trouble falling asleep have trouble falling asleep sometimes what ends up happening is that sometimes what ends up happening is that they basically the fatigue

they basically the fatigue gets so bad that it overcomes gets so bad that it overcomes their inability to fall asleep their inability to fall asleep right and if you fall asleep that way right and if you fall asleep that way your sleep is going to be disturbed your sleep is going to be disturbed because your mind is not ready for sleep because your mind is not ready for sleep it's like it doesn't want to sleep but it's like it doesn't want to sleep but the fatigue overpowers it and then the fatigue overpowers it and then you're kind of like left with a very you're kind of like left with a very unrestful sleep afterward if that makes unrestful sleep afterward if that makes sense sense so what you want to do is is really be so what you want to do is is really be careful about the routine before bed in careful about the routine before bed in the cool down period because you want to the cool down period because you want to let your body prepare for a long period let your body prepare for a long period of rest so cool down period becomes of rest so cool down period becomes really really important a couple of really really important a couple of other tips here so weighted blanket can be super super op so sometimes vatas really really like weighted blankets if really really like weighted blankets if you also have anxiety so there have been you also have anxiety so there have been clinical studies that show that weighted clinical studies that show that weighted blankets will actually help people with blankets will actually help people with anxiety sleep better so if you want to anxiety sleep better so if you want to use some device or tool to help you use some device or tool to help you sleep stay asleep sleep stay asleep another interesting question that i'll

another interesting question that i'll sometimes ask people sometimes ask people when i'm deciding whether to recommend a when i'm deciding whether to recommend a weighted blanket is i will ask them weighted blanket is i will ask them when you were a baby did you need to be when you were a baby did you need to be tightly swaddled to sleep tightly swaddled to sleep and so they'll ask their parents and and so they'll ask their parents and what i've anecdotal but i've seen an what i've anecdotal but i've seen an anecdotal correlation with like how anecdotal correlation with like how swaddled you needed to be to sleep swaddled you needed to be to sleep properly and how much you'll respond to properly and how much you'll respond to a weighted blanket there's all kinds of a weighted blanket there's all kinds of physiologic mechanisms psychological physiologic mechanisms psychological mechanisms things like that that are mechanisms things like that that are involved with weighted blankets involved with weighted blankets um so you can even ask your parents did um so you can even ask your parents did i need to be like tightly swaddled or i need to be like tightly swaddled or what what uh uh okay okay so yeah so temperature control is also really important really important for the maintenance of sleep for the maintenance of sleep so you may need to adjust your so you may need to adjust your temperature temperature um um [Music] [Music] yeah another thing you can do to fall yeah another thing you can do to fall asleep so we mentioned a couple of these asleep so we mentioned a couple of these things like audio books and stuff like things like audio books and stuff like that that okay

okay so if you're tired in the morning this is a kapha imbalance okay so you want to use kapha alleviating so you want to use kapha alleviating diets right so you want to eat food that diets right so you want to eat food that is is light dry light dry and sour right the other way to kind of and sour right the other way to kind of think about that is if you eat lightly think about that is if you eat lightly the night before the night before we're gonna let's let's kind of reverse we're gonna let's let's kind of reverse the process and think about physiology the process and think about physiology so if i don't have a burrito before bed so if i don't have a burrito before bed what's gonna happen right so i'm so if i what's gonna happen right so i'm so if i have a burrito before bed have a burrito before bed let's just look at the burrito let's just look at the burrito if i eat a burrito my blood sugar so blood sugar is going to be white

is going to go up and then fall over the course of the and then fall over the course of the night okay night okay and then when i i'm going to make and then when i i'm going to make something called glycogen which is my something called glycogen which is my sugar stores sugar stores so my sugar stores will also like be high until i'm low right and so like at this point and so like at this point when i wake up let's say this is 8 a.m when i wake up let's say this is 8 a.m i'm gonna have a lot of glycogen i'm gonna have a lot of glycogen so i'm not going to be so i'm not going to be starving at all starving at all so if i eat lightly instead so if i eat lightly instead what's going to happen let's say i eat what's going to happen let's say i eat lightly lightly and then i don't have any insulin spike and then i don't have any insulin spike so let's take the non-burrito so let's take the non-burrito let's say light meal before bed my blood sugar basically stays the new blood the new glucose that i'm the new blood the new glucose that i'm adding to the system stays low adding to the system stays low and my my glycogen which is high is and my my glycogen which is high is going to decrease over the course of the

going to decrease over the course of the night night and then at 8 am i'm a hungry so it'll be easier to wake up hungry so it'll be easier to wake up if you eat lightly right so glycogen if you eat lightly right so glycogen stores last for about eight hours stores last for about eight hours and so eight hours after your and so eight hours after your glycogen starts being broken down you glycogen starts being broken down you will start to feel hungry and you want will start to feel hungry and you want to use that hunger to make help yourself to use that hunger to make help yourself wake up wake up so other tips that you want to do so other tips that you want to do okay so eat lightly ideally not at all ideally not at all before bed okay next thing that you want to do no blinds so try to sleep in a room that gets sunlight so i don't know if y'all gets sunlight so i don't know if y'all have ever had this annoying experience have ever had this annoying experience have you ever had like an experience have you ever had like an experience where the sun is right in your eyes when where the sun is right in your eyes when you're trying to sleep because of like you're trying to sleep because of like some place that you're sleeping it's some place that you're sleeping it's super super uncomfortable so no blinds

super super uncomfortable so no blinds let that sunlight hit you in the face let that sunlight hit you in the face and wake you up and wake you up son wakes you up let it wake you up that's what it's there for there for it's annoying in your eyes it's annoying in your eyes right and so it's kind of interesting right and so it's kind of interesting because just think about this for a because just think about this for a second second your eyes could have evolved to be your eyes could have evolved to be thicker thicker you all get that your eyes could have you all get that your eyes could have evolved to be blackout curtains that are evolved to be blackout curtains that are completely able to black out the sun but completely able to black out the sun but they evolved to be a certain degree of they evolved to be a certain degree of transparency so that your body knows transparency so that your body knows when to wake up when the sunlight is in when to wake up when the sunlight is in your eyes your eyes that's the way that they were made it's that's the way that they were made it's supposed to wake you up supposed to wake you up and so when the sunlight flashes in your and so when the sunlight flashes in your eyes eyes right you don't look at the sun just right you don't look at the sun just keep keep your eyes closed it'll keep keep your eyes closed it'll turn off melatonin production and you'll turn off melatonin production and you'll start to wake up start to wake up it's exactly like how it's supposed to it's exactly like how it's supposed to happen and if you use blackout curtains happen and if you use blackout curtains or you're in a room with no natural or you're in a room with no natural sunlight it's gonna be hard to wake up

so other thing is that other thing is that i know it's kind of kind of weird but i know it's kind of kind of weird but you want to try to wake up early which in turn means that you're you'll start to reduce your adenosine at let's say 9 pm which will in turn allow you to wake up which will in turn allow you to wake up very naturally because then your very naturally because then your metabolic like triggers are also going metabolic like triggers are also going to be active and they'll help you wake to be active and they'll help you wake up at like up at like five in the morning five in the morning other other tip other other tip this is a key key this is a key key key tip key tip if you are having trouble waking up in if you are having trouble waking up in the morning so let's say you have the morning so let's say you have trouble at 7am you don't need to sleep in you need to wake up earlier so try to wake up at 5am wake up earlier so try to wake up at 5am you will be amazed some percentage of you will be amazed some percentage of you will find it way easier to wake up you will find it way easier to wake up at 5 a.m than you will at 7 a.m so

at 5 a.m than you will at 7 a.m so there's circadian rhythm factors here there's also sleep cycle factors here right when i say sleep cycle factors i'm talking about this stuff where's the sleep cycle i'm yeah i'm yeah right so like 8 am right so like 8 am eight a.m maybe here eight a.m maybe here and like and like five a.m maybe here right between your five a.m maybe here right between your sleep cycles where it's easy to wake up sleep cycles where it's easy to wake up so i know it's kind of weird because so i know it's kind of weird because people were asking how do you wake up people were asking how do you wake up in between your cycles and some of it is in between your cycles and some of it is circadian circadian so it's like hard like it's very so it's like hard like it's very individualized individualized but oftentimes if you have trouble but oftentimes if you have trouble waking up in the morning the solution is waking up in the morning the solution is to not sleep in but actually try to wake to not sleep in but actually try to wake up earlier and you will be stunned at up earlier and you will be stunned at how easy it is to wake up at 5am instead how easy it is to wake up at 5am instead of 7am of 7am there's also a lot of evolutionary there's also a lot of evolutionary biology about this which is that

biology about this which is that so if we look at so if we look at like for example like for example visual acuity is highest for mammals for mammals at dawn at dawn and dusk and dusk and why is that it's because we're and why is that it's because we're designed to be awake so you have designed to be awake so you have millions or billions of your hundreds of millions or billions of your hundreds of millions of years of evolution that is millions of years of evolution that is trying to get you up at like five in the trying to get you up at like five in the morning around the time of dawn morning around the time of dawn and so i would adjust your psych like and so i would adjust your psych like like try to wake up even earlier like if like try to wake up even earlier like if you have if you if you keep on hitting you have if you if you keep on hitting the snooze button at 7 00 am try waking the snooze button at 7 00 am try waking up at five you'll be very very surprised up at five you'll be very very surprised okay okay um and so that's what i would recommend um and so that's what i would recommend for waking up for waking up okay okay if you have difficulty waking up if you have difficulty waking up all right to wrap up we're gonna do all right to wrap up we're gonna do a meditation a meditation um the reason we're gonna do this um the reason we're gonna do this meditation is

let me think about how to say this so there's gonna be a different kind of so there's gonna be a different kind of meditation but i want it to be something meditation but i want it to be something that can help you fall asleep and can be that can help you fall asleep and can be done easily if you wake up in the middle done easily if you wake up in the middle of the night so the first thing is we have three really really good meditations really really good meditations for sleep in dr k's guide we're not for sleep in dr k's guide we're not going to go into those today going to go into those today because they're there and that's why because they're there and that's why they're there they're there right so yoga nidra medical rewind i right so yoga nidra medical rewind i mean uh mean uh meditative rewind practice meditative rewind practice and catching the moment of sleep i think and catching the moment of sleep i think are three really really good meditations are three really really good meditations catching the moment of sleep meditation catching the moment of sleep meditation is really good for someone who has a is really good for someone who has a very inquisitive active mind very inquisitive active mind and needs to focus it before bed and needs to focus it before bed um um and and yoga nidra is like generally good for yoga nidra is like generally good for cool downing uh period and meditative cool downing uh period and meditative rewind practice is really really good rewind practice is really really good for people who have like accumulated a for people who have like accumulated a lot of emotion or had a rough day lot of emotion or had a rough day so what i'm gonna teach y'all today is so what i'm gonna teach y'all today is actually uh actually uh meditative practice

meditative practice let me think about how to let me think about how to say this say this around darkness okay around darkness okay so this is gonna fall into the category so this is gonna fall into the category of being like of being like meditations about the self too meditations about the self too meditations kind of around shunya meditations kind of around shunya but it's a meditation that you can do but it's a meditation that you can do basically in the dark basically in the dark and so essentially what we're going to and so essentially what we're going to do i'm going to walk you all through it do i'm going to walk you all through it but you can do this with your eyes open but you can do this with your eyes open if it's very dark outside or you can do if it's very dark outside or you can do it with your eyes closed it with your eyes closed and we're going to kind of notice and we're going to kind of notice the limit uh how can i say this we're actually going to notice the lack we're actually going to notice the lack of limit of limit of the darkness that we experience on of the darkness that we experience on the inside so if i close my eyes the inside so if i close my eyes i'm going to have a sense of space i'm going to have a sense of space which is determined by my physical body which is determined by my physical body but in my mind but in my mind i'm gonna have blackness i'm gonna have blackness but if you really pay attention but if you really pay attention it's gonna you're gonna think originally

it's gonna you're gonna think originally that the darkness is limited or that the that the darkness is limited or that the darkness starts somewhere or ends darkness starts somewhere or ends somewhere but really what you're going somewhere but really what you're going to do is start to realize that what you to do is start to realize that what you experience as darkness experience as darkness has no actual limits and it extends has no actual limits and it extends forever which is sort of terrifying and forever which is sort of terrifying and sort of cool and then who are you in sort of cool and then who are you in that business it's kind of hard to that business it's kind of hard to describe it y'all hopefully you'll get describe it y'all hopefully you'll get it okay it okay and so this is something that you can and so this is something that you can also kind of also kind of swim into swim into in the middle of the night if you wake in the middle of the night if you wake up up okay okay so so it it sounds terrifying but that's it it sounds terrifying but that's because you haven't experienced it it's because you haven't experienced it it's actually incredibly peaceful actually incredibly peaceful all right so we're going to start by all right so we're going to start by sitting up straight and closing our eyes sitting up straight and closing our eyes i gotta drink something also spill okay

for me i need to cool down i've been talking a lot i've been talking a lot for those of you who have been listening for those of you who have been listening maybe you're feeling kind of sluggish maybe you're feeling kind of sluggish so let the breath start so let the breath start by balancing where you are if you feel sluggish let the breath energize you big deep inhalation let it energize you [Music] [Music] and out

you may feel a little bit light-headed or energized or energized but certainly not sluggish but certainly not sluggish not weighed down and on the flip side if you feel like you need to calm down you need to calm down what we're going to do is what we're going to do is brief inhalation brief inhalation and really stretch out that exhalation and really stretch out that exhalation so breathe in so breathe in and breathe out another relatively quick inhalation slow slow exhalation

and now let your breath guide you it will turn you into the direction that it will turn you into the direction that you need to go you may notice a relatively even deep slow breath now slow breath now and so we're gonna sit in that for about and so we're gonna sit in that for about a minute if you feel like you might get distracted distracted you can just appreciate you can just appreciate how altering the breath artificially how altering the breath artificially leads to an equilibriation leads to an equilibriation or the relationship between your breath or the relationship between your breath and your mind

try to notice the nuances or subtleties the feeling of the breath as it is in in the feeling of the breath as it is in in you right now

you may kind of notice that visually you are seeing black and you may begin by being anchored to your body you may notice the limits of your body in space you may notice that the blackness that you see is on your eyelids alone and now start to move beyond your eyelids and notice that the black extends beyond them if you are anchored too much in the body then notice the edge of your knees

then notice the edge of your knees the top of your head the top of your head and notice how you can feel nothing and notice how you can feel nothing beyond that now follow that nothingness out as far as it'll go how small your body feels in the vast emptiness

and see how even within you within the limits of your body within the limits of your body there's blackness it's almost as if the border of your body between the void within you the void within you and the never-ending void outside of you

and begin to realize that they are one and the same that the quality of the emptiness within you you is the same as the quality of the is the same as the quality of the emptiness beyond your body and take all of your cares and worries your concerns and your fears your concerns and your fears your regrets and your anxieties and notice how tall how tiny they are how insignificant

how insignificant compared to the vast beyond and the well within you a deep deep well of blackness and notice yourself in this moment almost floating the energy suffusing your body

or time to work or time to wake up you can send it intention towards your conscious mind whatever it is conscious mind whatever it is and that when you break from this place and that when you break from this place which is already fading which is already fading notice how it's fading already notice how it's fading already that this lingering thought will be that this lingering thought will be there there and whatever intention you have set and whatever intention you have set yourself yourself will come to be

take a deep breath and return yourself to the and return yourself to the world or drift yourself to sleep world or drift yourself to sleep whatever you choose