Sleep: Foundation of Wellbeing
I’ve been sleeping more lately. I’m also learning a lot in an intensive and fascinating somatic coaching course. More on the course later.
As I recover from a cold on the cusp of an overseas vacation, I’m practicing “exquisite self-care” so I can enjoy my trip.
For me, that means carving out time for extra rest and sleep. After listening to a fascinating podcast on the science of sleep, I understand that sleep is critically important—even more than yoga, nature walks, healthy food and a calm spirit—all of which I prioritize.
In a special six-part series of the Huberman Lab podcast, UC Berkeley neuroscientist and psychologist Matthew Walker spoke about his and others’ research on all things sleep-related. The bottom line? Sleep is the basis of our physical and mental health. Simply put, without it, we die.
Author of Why We Sleep and host of his own podcast, Walker cites studies showing that sleep deprivation over a sustained period resulted in:
Poor memory and learning capacity
Impaired thinking ability
Increased irritability and bad moods
Reduced immune response and more colds
Higher risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and premature death
Keys to Getting More and Better Sleep
It’s not just how long we sleep; four factors or “macros” contribute to good sleep (QQRT, for short), Walker says:
The Quantity of sleep we get -- 7-9 hours for the average adult
The Quality or efficiency of sleep, meaning not interrupted by long periods of wakefulness
The Regularity or consistency of your sleep—whether you go to sleep and wake up at basically the same time every day, give or take 30 minutes
The Timing of sleep—for this factor you need to figure out your “chronotype”— whether you’re falling asleep and waking up in alignment with your body’s natural circadian rhythm.
The five chronotypes are:
Extreme Morning Type (8-8:30 p.m. bedtime)
Morning Type (9:30-10 p.m. bedtime)
Neutral Type (11-11:30 p.m. bedtime)
Evening Type (midnight-1 a.m. bedtime) and
Extreme Evening Type (2-3 a.m. bedtime)
To verify your chronotype, take an online quiz.
There’s too much great info in this podcast series to share here. You can learn practical tools for getting better sleep and improving your memory, learning and emotions, as well as how caffeine, alcohol, cannabis, prescription drugs and supplements affect sleep. The final session (#6) is devoted to dreams including lucid dreaming.
The Huberman Lab Podcast indexes each episode in its show notes, making it easy to go directly to the topics you’re most interested in. I highly recommend listening to the series which began April 3, 2024.
Other sleep tips from The New York Times:
5 Experts’ Sleep Tips
A Simple Technique to Calm a Busy Mind
Sleep Better at Any Age
Wirecutter Hacks for Better Sleep