Sleep is fundamental to our overall health and well-being, yet many of us struggle to get the quality and quantity of rest we need. In this article, I’m going to highlight the insights and expertise of Tara Youngblood, a renowned sleep expert who recently appeared on my podcast, to uncover the secrets to unlocking better sleep and improving your daily life.
If you want to watch or listen to the podcast, you can go here:
Sleep is a complex physiological process that is crucial to our physical and mental health. During sleep, our bodies undergo a series of restorative and rejuvenating processes, from tissue repair to memory consolidation. Tara, the co-founder of Chili Technology, has dedicated her career to understanding the science behind sleep and developing innovative solutions to help people get the rest they need. In most cases, people’s minds quiet down, and the core body temperature drops a couple of degrees just prior to sleep.
The consequences of poor sleep can be far-reaching, affecting our cognitive function, mood, and overall well-being. Inadequate sleep has been linked to a range of health issues, including increased risk of chronic diseases, weakened immune system, and impaired mental health. Tara emphasizes the importance of prioritizing sleep and understanding its profound impact on our daily lives.
One of the key insights Tara shares is the importance of understanding each individual’s unique sleep needs and challenges. When a person has trouble sleeping, the cause has to be identified. Sleep disorders like insomnia can pose challenges but are better understood now than they were just 10 years ago. Lifestyle factors that disrupt sleep are also better understood, and simple things like meal timing, decreasing caffeine, and limiting blue light are being shown to impact sleep. Identifying the root causes of our sleep issues and developing personalized strategies to overcome them is a crucial starting place.
The environment in which we sleep plays a crucial role in the quality of our rest. What this means is that we need to understand how our room’s temperature, lighting, and noise levels can affect our sleep. By creating a sleep-conducive space, we can set the stage for a more restful and rejuvenating night’s sleep. Changing the environment isn’t always possible, so we can use tools like white noise (fans), earplugs, and sleep masks to change how our bodies interact.
Becoming a creature of sleep habit is also very important. Too many of my clients stay up late and sleep in on weekends, which resets the circadian rhythms in the body—essentially, these are our internal body clocks. A few hours of sleep change on a Friday and Saturday night equates to traveling a couple of time zones. When Monday morning rolls around, getting up at an earlier time means you are getting over jet lag.
But this is only part of it. In addition to establishing a regular sleep schedule, Tara advises implementing relaxation techniques and incorporating physical activity into daily routines. By cultivating these habits, we can train our bodies to better respond to sleep and wake cycle cues.
In the digital age, technology has become both a blessing and a curse when it comes to sleep. We can leverage technology to enhance our sleep quality, from using sleep-tracking devices to incorporating temperature-regulating solutions, which is what Tara invented. She created a water-cool mattress topper that I’ve been using for about three years and absolutely love.
https://sleep.me/product/dock-pro-sleep-system
One of the biggest myths is that alcohol makes you sleep better. Alcohol raises the body’s metabolism, which increases the temperature. This prevents deeper sleep, and if you have ever tracked your sleep on an Oura Ring or Whoop, you will notice that even one drink can change your sleep profile significantly. Also, some people think that reading can help you sleep, but research suggests that it depends on what you read. Stimulating news articles on a device with blue light can stimulate cortisol and adrenaline, whereas a novel on a paper book can have the opposite effect.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to sleep. Even when using something like a cooling sheet, everyone has no set temperature. Experimenting is key here, and Tara suggests thinking back to childhood, as a lot of our patterns are formed around the ages of 6-8. If you really don’t know where to start, think back to where you were when you were younger, and if you slept well, then try and recreate some of the environmental factors that you had then.
Deep restorative sleep is vital to preventing chronic diseases and cognitive decline. Sleep is going to be at the foundation of your habits to add healthspan to a long lifespan. Sometimes, you need a coach to help set you on the right path.
If you want to discuss your specific situation with me, please contact me via the Contact Us page. We’ll see if we can make ‘your lifestyle your medicine.’
Over the last 10 years Ed has been building a YouTube library to help people manage their own pain or movement limitations and increase performance through exercise. He regularly adds videos so be sure to subscribe and visit regularly
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