gwunspoken

Harnessing Restful Nights: Overcoming the Modern Sleep Crisis

• Garry • Season 8 • Episode 1

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What if your late-night Netflix habit is secretly sabotaging your health and happiness? Join me in the first episode of season eight of gwunspoken, where we peel back the layers of our modern sleep crisis. I share my personal journey of battling through days on minimal rest, feeling moody and forgetful, and uncover the often-overlooked impact of sleep on our cognitive function and overall well-being. Supported by research, we dive into practical strategies designed to reclaim the restful nights we all crave. From establishing a consistent bedtime routine to creating a soothing wind-down ritual, these small changes could transform not just your sleep but your life.

Our conversation doesn't stop at identifying the problem; we move forward with actionable insights to improve sleep quality. Ever wonder why some nights leave you feeling on top of the world the next day? We'll analyse those golden moments of true rest and discuss how to cultivate habits that enhance your energy, mood, and interactions. By reflecting on our personal experiences and tweaking a few simple routines, it's possible to harness the power of sleep for better health and daily performance. Join me as we continue to uncover more strategies for achieving rejuvenating rest in our upcoming episodes.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to another edition of GW Unspoken, where we discuss stuff we don't typically talk about but probably should. We're up to the podcast series on sleep it's the real MVP of health and we're here with season eight and episode one, and I can't wait to discuss some of the ideas around sleep, because this is probably one of my major ones that I need to work on and have worked on for a while, and I know some people out there who are listening will say, yep, out of you know those big four. You talk about Gary, around movement, around sleep, lack of technology and nutrition. Sleep's one that I find really hard, so I want to talk today about why we're all really chronically tired. So have you ever felt like you're in a constant state of exhaustion and no matter how much you sleep, you wake up feeling like you got hit by a bus, and you know what? You are not alone with this. Sleep is being stolen from us and, the worst part, we are often the accomplices in our own downfall. So today we're going to talk about the great sleep heist and how we can take back. You know what is ours, or I want to pitch you this, picture this for yourself. It's midnight, you should be sleeping, but instead you're binge watching your favorite show. You're telling yourself, oh, just one more episode, just one more, you tell yourself. And suddenly the sun is peeking through your blinds, your llama is screaming at you like an angry toddler. Does that sound familiar? That, my friend, is a modern day sleep crisis in action. You ask our teens. They are completely addicted to the Netflix series out there. It's short, it's sharp, it's on supply, it's easy to get to, it's convenient, and they're addicted to those episodes.

Speaker 1:

I remember a time in my 20s when I prided myself on functioning with just five hours of sleep and I was convinced I could thrive on caffeine, adrenaline and especially willpower. But you know what the reality was. I was moody, I was forgetful, I was constantly craving junk food, like when I'm bored that that's what happens and I was definitely impatient with the people around me. My brain was in survival mode and my body was certainly paying the price, especially when I was trying to train at the same time. The worst part I didn't even realize how exhausted I truly was until I started prioritizing what sleep could actually feel like, or make me feel like the next day and a bit of research here according to CDC, like one in three adults don't get enough sleep. Now a bit of research here. According to CDC, one in three adults don't get enough sleep. You'll probably see some of these ads on TV now talking about the promotion of sleep.

Speaker 1:

Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to anxiety, depression yes, wait for it weight gain, memory loss and even shorter lifespans. I mean, you picture it you go to bed, you're supposed to have eight hours of sleep a night. That's 30. If you live to 90, that's 30 years. You should be sleeping. We're having actually less lifespans because we're up and our brains are literally cooked.

Speaker 1:

Studies are showing now that sleep deprivation can just be as dangerous as being drunk behind the wheel. Another study from Harvard Medical School they found that even losing just one hour of sleep a night over time can lead to significant cognitive decline, and so that impact is huge. That means poor reaction times, impaired decision making, an increased risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. We talked about memory loss. When you go to sleep, what happens is your brain prioritizes neural pathways that you need, but all the things that you've used your brain for that you don't need, it does a cleanse. It gets rid of them and that's what actually helps you increase your memory for the things you need to remember or use your neural pathways for. So you picture now if you have a teen, or if you're listening to this, and you are a teen and you're supposed to remember things, and especially math. Math is developmental and you're not getting enough sleep and you can't bank on those fundamental skills to move forward because you can't use your memory. That can have a massive impact over time. So what's the solution? It's actually time to reclaim our sleep and here's how. So here's four ideas for you out there and you might have better ideas and please text them in. There's a place we can text in.

Speaker 1:

Listen to these episodes and I'd love to address some of those, but number one is set a bedtime routine and stick to it. I know people have sport and often have a, maybe a report, you whatever, but try and stick to your bedtime as much you can. You know, just like kids, adults thrive on routine. So having a set bedtime and wake-up time can help regulate the body's cardinian rhythm, which is essentially your internal body clock. You know, when your sleep schedule is all over the place, your body struggles to know when to release melatonin, which is the sleep hormone and that leads to restless nights. Researchers now found that maintaining a consistent sleep schedule cannot only improve both the quality and the duration of sleep, but it also makes you feel energized and alert throughout the next day. Think about that. You know how many times have you gone to bed and you've actually fallen, stressed out, but you don't have that routine because you have a late night and you get up early or you wake up during the night.

Speaker 1:

That leads me to the second one Create a wind-down routine. So not only a bedtime routine of time, but maybe a routine to slow your mind and your body down. You can't go from full-on speed productivity to immediate sleep or deep sleep. Your body needs time to transition. So maybe creating a relaxation bedtime routine That'll send signals to your brain that, boy, it's now time to sleep. Reading a book is a great one stretching, deep, breathing, light meditation. If you're not sure on that, there's apps out there like Smiling Mind, which is great. To actually set them for you. You can put them on your phone beside your bed, phone upside down, and just listen to it. It actually slows your nervous system down.

Speaker 1:

Studies have shown now that engaging in those relaxation activities before bed reduces that stress hormone, cortisol, and therefore it makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep for the duration of your seven to nine-hour sleep. Here's another one and this is not rocket science, we all know this one You've got to ditch your screens before bed because we know that that blue light that's emitted from the screens and that's the phones, tvs, tablets, all those things they interfere with that melatonin production which we talked about before, so that natural sleep hormone gets affected when that blue light's on and therefore the production of it's delayed, which means it's significantly hard to fall asleep. I think there's a study from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. It says that they found that the blue light exposure before bed reduces melatonin by up to 85%. You wonder why our teens can't get to sleep when they're on their devices or their games. Avoid screens at least an hour before bed I mean for those people doing research reports and that you can use blue light blocking glasses if it's unavoidable. But what's your priority? Try and find a time where you can just go nah an hour before bed.

Speaker 1:

Phones are in this area. As a family bang, it's time to slow things down. And the last one I've got here is, you know, optimise your sleep environment. I know we went through a massive electricity bill, which was nearly two grand last term, because our kids were turning up the air con during the night and going to bed in their white fox hoodie and track pants and snug up the bed and I'm like oi, who's going to put the air con up? And they go oh Dad, it's just so much more comfortable. I get that, but we've got to find a balance of where we can put on during the day and then we've got the solar working for us and then maybe at nighttime with the fans, because it's been really hot and muggy here in North Brisbane. We can't afford those bills.

Speaker 1:

But what they're saying is for optimizing your sleep environment. Nice, cool, dark and quiet environments. Blackout curtains can block out the light. White noise machines can sometimes drown out disruptive sounds. Another thing is your mattress and pillow. They matter. They also matter. So sleeping on an old, unsupported mattress that can lead to aches and frequent wakes during the night. So why not invest in a high-quality mattress? I know it's money, but your sleeping position and your full-night sleep can be a complete game changer for your mood. And look if we're sleeping for a third of our lives. Again, if we live to 90, it means 30 years we'll be sleeping. So why would we invest in something that's actually supportive for ourselves? All right, so Season 8, nutrition. Sorry, we're talking about the sleep part of the innate code I want you to think about now your journal entries.

Speaker 1:

So here they are Again. I recommend you write these down. It makes a difference when you write things down. Something happens in your brain, your heart and your hands when you actually write. So here's your three. Number one write down and track your actual number of sleep hours tonight and compare it to how you feel in the morning. So how does that compare to nights when you actually get more or less sleep, and write them down.

Speaker 1:

Number two identify three habits that are negatively impacting your sleep and brainstorm small, realistic changes you can make to address them. I know one girl at school said to me hey, so I broke my phone and I actually couldn't use it, and so first couple of nights I couldn't get to sleep as well. I actually picked up a book. I actually don't like reading, but I got invested into this one book. I actually love it and you're actually right, it made me sleep and I wasn't actually looking for my next dopamine ding on the phone, so try a book. Often when we're not used to reading, it's actually a game changer.

Speaker 1:

Find out an area of your interest. So find those three habits that are negative impacting your sleep and brainstorm small, realistic changes you can do. And the last one is reflect on the last time you felt truly rested, like how did you feel the next day? How did you act with yourself? How much energy did you have? How was your diet? How was your mood towards others? What did you do differently that night, and how can you incorporate those habits into a daily routine? I want to thank you for joining us for GW Unspoken for season eight. We're talking about sleep and we'll look forward to our next episode when we talk about sleep in more depth. Thank you,