Homework Spotlight: Making Quality Sleep A Priority

I have grown keenly aware of the importance of quality sleep.  I have a mild addiction to my Oura ring and the information it provides regarding sleep quality.  One trend that Oura revealed is that eating too close to going to bed does negatively impact my REM and deep sleep. I try to guess what my sleep score will be based on how I feel upon waking before checking out Oura’s assessment.

In April 2019 making quality sleep a priority was reinforced after enjoying the 3-part series from The Drive podcast by Peter Attia, MD with researcher Matthew Walker.

#47 – Matthew Walker, Ph.D., on sleep – Part I of III: Dangers of poor sleep, Alzheimer’s risk, mental health, memory consolidation, and more

#48 – Matthew Walker, Ph.D., on sleep – Part II of III: Heart disease, cancer, sexual function, and the causes of sleep disruption (and tips to correct it)

#49 – Matthew Walker, Ph.D., on sleep – Part III of III: The penetrating effects of poor sleep from metabolism to performance to genetics, and the impact of caffeine, alcohol, THC, and CBD on sleep

The main tools in my “sleep toolkit” are:

A sleep mask.

Unimi makes a nice, lightweight and inexpensive sleep mask that is contoured and does not touch your eyelids or eye lashes. You would be amazed at how much light is in your environment once you experience using a sleep mask. I can attest that it completely blocks out light.  This mask is comfortable and does not move even though I move around during the night.  In addition to wearing the mask at bedtime, I often use it when flying if I want to take a nap.  I purchased mine from Amazon and it came with a small mesh carrying bag.  I tried a few sleep masks and this one is my favorite.

Reishi at bedtime.

I use Four Sigmatic Reishi elixir tea or Ancient Apothecary Fermented Reishi capsules 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.  Both of these products work for me however I think the tea works best.  Read more about The Benefits of Reishi

Full spectrum CBD.

My first foray into CDB was using it to calm my dog during thunder storms.  It works great for Ginger as long as I can give it to her before the anxiety sets in!  This lead to curiosity regarding the possibility of it being useful for this human.  Seeing nothing in the ingredients of Charlotte’s Web Hemp Extract Oil for Adult Dogs (PAWS) that would prohibit me from ingesting it, I gave it a try when I wanted to make sure I got a good night sleep.  It did help and I eventually bought my own (smile).  I subsequently learned a lot about choosing a CBD supplement on BioHackers Lab podcast episode 97: What to Look for When Buying CBD Oil.

May you sleep well.

More To Come…..

The Oura Ring Wearable Device

Back in April, I pre-ordered a 2nd generation Oura Ring.  My deviced finally arrived in the middle of November and I have been wearing it daily ever since.  It is helping me gauge factors related to sleep quality and the information being provided is incredibly fascinating.

Like Best, Next Time – The Quote Of The Day Show

The Quote Of The Day Show podcast offers daily excerpts from motivational speakers.  I recently listened to episode 453 which features a 12 minute listen from Pamela Jett.  She describes her Like Best, Next Time approach to assessing situations in the workplace.  I believe that this approach would be very useful as a guide to reflect upon my day.  What did I like best?  What will I do differently tomorrow?  The practice of speaking positively to myself when I miss the mark helps me stay optimistic and engaged.  Speaking to myself positively when I get thing right helps me get things “mo’ righter” tomorrow; keeps me moving forward.  Level up!

“Accept All Compliments with a Thank You”

More to come…..

Observations Round 2.1 – Direction Over Speed

Am I moving forward, in the right direction?  Yes.  However, my velocity when measured in terms of fat loss has slowed.  So what.  I am training my mind to look for the opportunities.  And I am training myself to get real…..and keep it real.

Homework Spotlight: Dr. Ben Bikman

I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to and reading information from Ben Bikman, PhD, a scientist and professor at Brigham Young University with a primary focus on better understanding chronic modern-day diseases, with special emphasis on the origins and consequences of obesity and diabetes. His research covers a lot of information on brown and white fat, as well as my favorite hormone insulin. 

Ketogeek Podcast with The Fat Emperor

The Ketogeek Fahad Ahmad recently interviewed chemical engineer turned health expert Ivor Cummins. Ivor has a way of making complex topics very accessible and this interview is worth the time investment.

Breaking Down The Science

The Break Nutrition website reads “Break Nutrition is about replacing diet and more broadly lifestyle myths with up to date information suitable for taking you from theory to practice.”  This website is another information bonanza!

They also host the Break Nutrition podcast on the website or in the iTunes app where mind blowing discussions (my mind at least) on the science of nutrition.

Truly fascinating.

More to come…..

STEM-Talk Episode 41: Dr. David Diamond

Another great listen from STEM-Talk .  Dr. Diamond’s interview is very accessible (not too “sciencey”) and informative.  Check out the links in the podcast show notes to hear more from Dr. Diamond.

Dr. Aseem Malhotra

Dr. Aseem Malhorta (biography) is a London-based cardiologist, writer, researcher and advocate for exposing the damaging role of excess sugar in our diets.  Invest some time exploring his compelling and informative point of view.

STEM-Talk Episode 37: Gary Taubes

This STEM-Talk episode is lengthy but truly worth the listen if you are interested in gaining perspective about the history of scientific research, history of sugar and sugar in the diet. I will never forget when I read his 2002 article.