Day 30: Sleep is a Superfood
Sleep and Juice Feasting, The Five Stages of Sleep, Beauty Sleep, 29 Secrets to a Good Night’s Sleep, Sleep Technologies
Welcome to Day 30!
At this point in the Feast, we often realize a shift in our sleeping patterns and the quality of sleep. Juice Feasting tends to have an adaptogenic effect on sleep behavior. Those of us who are sleeping too much (due to a greater need to recover or heal) find ourselves sleeping less; conversely, those who are not sleeping enough sleep more, and more deeply with vivid dreams. David did a Coaching Insights session on this topic:
Many Americans do not sleep well because of the toxic nature of their diets, and deficiencies which naturally result over time. We are also – most of us – chronically dehydrated, which is the main reason we have a difficulty getting going in the morning – lethargy due to dehydration.
What does a Juice Feast do for us? We Cleanse, Rebuild, Rehydrate, and Alkalize. All of this contributes in significant ways to the betterment of our rest, and therefore our rejuvenation. Sleeping problems are a sign of underlying health challenges and stress, and as good sleep returns we experience the results of better health and realize an important factor in long-term physical and mental health. If you are having trouble sleeping, these files in combination with your Juice Feast may be the beginning of your improvements in your night life!
Sleep can be divided into five distinct stages
Stages 1-4 consist of non-rapid-eye-movement sleep and account from 66-80% of sleep time; during a normal night of sleep, these are usually followed by the rapid-eye-movement (REM) stage of sleeping (stage 5):
“The gateway to sleep”, this stage can last up to 10 minutes. It is short lived and has theta waves, which are thought to help reduce mental fatigue by restoring sodium/potassium balances in the brain.
Lasting anywhere from 10-20 minutes, or 45-55% of total sleep depending on where you read, in stage two you lose awareness to external stimuli.
The beginning of Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), which includes stage 4; 3-8% of total sleep time. Here we start to see delta waves, with Growth Hormone secretion and deep dreamless sleep.
Slow wave sleep; 10-15% of total sleep time. Delta waves, Growth Hormone secretion and deep dreamless sleep. You have now entered the deepest part of your sleep and this is a close as humans get to becoming a hibernating bear. Experts have found that the body’s recovery processes peak during these stages, metabolic activity is at its lowest and the hormonal system increases the release of growth hormone. After about 30-40 minutes at stage four you will retrace stages three and two, but instead of returning to stage one you will move into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
REM sleep, predominant in the final third of a sleep period. Dreaming occurs here. A lot happens during REM sleep. Blood flow, pulse, breathing, temperature and blood pressure all rise and your eyes move rapidly as if scanning the environment (fortunately your eyelids remain closed, as it would look a little strange if your eyes were wide open). During this stage dreams often occur, beta brain waves reappear (reflecting an active brain) but the body remains motionless due to the motor cortex blocking neurological activity at the brain stem. This is a very useful mechanism as it prevents us from acting out our dreams.
The cycle of sleep stages is repeated between 4-6 times a night. As the cycles are repeated, the duration of stages three and four decreases while REM increases.
Non-REM and REM Sleep
Non-REM sleep is an anabolic state marked by physiological processes of growth and rejuvenation of the organism’s immune, nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems.
REM sleep appears to help with the consolidation of spatial (recording information about one’s environment and its spatial orientation) and procedural memory (long-term memory of skills and procedures, e.g. riding a bike), while slow-wave sleep helps with the consolidation of declarative memories, as evidenced by the study excerpted above.
The Optimum Sleep Environment
Dark (see notes below on darkness and melatonin)
Quiet
Comfortable (you may feel comfortable in bed, but can you be more comfortable? A better pillow, softer sheets, more room to flip around etc.)
Low Lighting Before Bed (see notes below on melatonin)
Cool temperatures: Your body temperature tracks your circadian rhythm, so as night begins, your body temp falls and it reaches a minimum right after you go to bed. If you are in an environment where you can’t lose body heat, for instance if it’s hot and humid, you won’t sleep well.
Melatonin
Melatonin is the hormone in the brain that initiates sleep and it stimulates immune system cells, increasing their function in all areas of the body.
Melatonin functions as an anti-oxidant in cells and in general is a defender against oxidation (and oxidation is a precursor for cancer).
Optimizing melatonin release: low light (avoid bright light) two hours before bedtime – it is the intensity of light, not the duration of exposure, that has the suppressive effects on melatonin release. This means TURN OFF THE TV and COMPUTER TWO HOURS BEFORE BED. If you are learning, use an e-reader such as a Kindle without an LCD screen, or listen to audio talks and books. Or read a paper book.
Q: Should you take melatonin supplementally?
A: Not unless all your other sleep practices are in check, including using the brain-mind entrainment technology we will talk about below. If they are and you still find your sleep is not satisfying, then perhaps melatonin supplementation is appropriate. It is best to improve melatonin production through healthy and wise sleep practices.
What About PowerNapping?
PowerNapping is excellent. A midday snooze reverses information overload.
Dr. Claudio Stampi’s research has showed that afternoon siestas were chock-full of slow-wave sleep, the type that appears to be most important for recharging the body/mind. The key to napping efficiently, Stampi says, is to get in phase and ride these waves of sleepiness and alertness, so no time is wasted merely trying to get to sleep. In other words, try to PowerNap when you are actually feeling ready for a break or a nap.
A good PowerNap to reduce mental fatigue during the day lasts about 20-23 minutes.
If you can do a longer nap, studies found that longer 1-hour naps contained more than four times as much deep, or slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep than the half-hour naps.
If you wake up from your naps feeling groggy and are having trouble getting going, you are suffering from sleep inertia, which occurs as a result of waking during Slow Wave Sleep (SWS). Do some exercise or take a shower to get up and running, and next time sleep less (if it’s a short nap) or more (if it’s an SWS nap) to avoid waking up in the middle of SWS.
Develop patterns and nap when you are sleepy. Sleep in the same place, in the same position; try to use a low light location and to be comfortable.
Chris Carmichael has said that “naps were critical in [Lance Armstrong’s] overall training plan.” If it’s good enough for 6-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, it’s good enough for us HyperLearners.
Included in Today’s Sleep File Download:
+ SLEEP NEEDS: Juice Feasting and a Whole Foods Diet Improves Sleep Quality Dramatically
+ BEAUTY SLEEP
+ POLL: MOST AMERICAN ADULTS SLEEP POORLY
+ WHO IS THE NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION
+ THE FIVE STAGES OF SLEEP
+ 29 SECRETS TO A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP!!!
Included in Today’s Insomnia File Download:
This file has a great discussion about the underlying causes of insomnia, and very helpful nutritional suggestions for easing or eliminating this deficiency of sleep, including:
+ B-Complex
+ B6 – Dream Recall (Nutrition and Mental Illness-An Orthomolecular Approach)
+ Apple/Celery Juice before bed
+ Remain well-hydrated!
+ Refrain from eating solid foods 2-3 hours before bedtime
+ Glass of water with Lemon and MSM upon waking
+ Air filter or purifier
+ Juice Feasting
+ Orgasm
+ Amino Acid Tryptophan or 5-HTP
+ Before Bed: Mild yoga, hot bath, meditation, deep relaxation
Sleep Technologies and the Delta Brainwave Pattern: Inducing Deep Sleep with Music
Lastly, you will notice some audio listed at right that you can play when you lay down for bed which dramatically induces a deep sleep state. I use these tracks when I want to dive into deep sleep quickly, or am having challenges getting into a deep sleep pattern. They are very pleasant to listen to, and deliciously effective at dropping you into a delta brainwave pattern: the domain of restorative sleep.
See the resources and downloads for more great information! Sleep tight!
And see you in The Green Room on better sleep :)
Sleep is your superpower | Matt Walker.
Sleep is your life-support system and Mother Nature's best effort yet at immortality, says sleep scientist Matt Walker. In this deep dive into the science of slumber, Walker shares the wonderfully good things that happen when you get sleep -- and the alarmingly bad things that happen when you don't, for both your brain and body.
Review: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD
Theme Music: “The Midnight Special” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Vincent Van Gogh, “The Siesta”
Circadian Code to Extend Longevity | Satchin Panda | TEDxVeniceBeach
Matthew Walker Busts Sleep Myths | Why We Sleep
Why Is It Important to Sleep Early? Dr. Joseph Mercola explains that a good night sleep is absolutely essential to stay healthy. Learn simple tricks that will help you sleep better.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
Juicy Tips!
If you are having trouble getting to sleep on the Juice Feast, make sure that your last juice of the day is a simple Green Vegetable Juice with plenty of celery in it.
A Green Juice will be alkalinizing to your system, which is calming, and will make for an easier time being relaxed in the evening, and then drifting off to sleep. Take a walk in the early evening, and enjoy a warm shower before bed!
ALSO: Turn off your computer or TV waaay ahead of sleep time. Turn off ALL electronic devices with lit screens - even the smallest light wakes the pineal gland and perpetuates the no-sleep cycle. And have a clock where you can darken the face, or place your clock in another room. :)
Pzizz Sleep Technology: How it Works.
I coached the developer of Pzizz on a 90-Day Juice Feast. The Pzizz technology has been used successfully by hundreds of thousands worldwide. Very effective for taking power naps! - David Rainoshek, M.A.
Today’s Downloads
Sleep
by David Rainoshek, M.A.
My 26-page file on sleep to further deepen your appreciation of this miraculous and necessary human activity. Don’t be part of the Modern Great Unslept!
insomnia
by David Rainoshek, M.A.
This is a full introduction to Insomnia, and some key pointing-out instructions on how to move beyond insomnia, naturally. An excellent review even for people who do not encounter Insomnia!
Online Articles
Herbs and Advice for a Good Night’s Sleep by Brigitte Mars
Blissful sleep is that recharging, rejuvenating repose in which about one third of our lives are be spent. When resting, bone marrow and lymph nodes produce substances that aid the immune systems and much of the body’s repair work is done. Yet for many, sweet sleep can be elusive, leaving one exhausted and lacking clarity the next day. The best way to improve insomnia is to change the cause.
Study Adds to Links Between Sleep Loss and Diabetes (press release) by Mike Adams
We learn while we sleep – Link discovered between slow brain waves and learning success
The Joy of Less Sleep by Anthony Anderson, AKA Raw Model
One of the most obvious changes I experienced on my path to a 100% living foods diet was the very apparent reduction in the hours needed for sleep every night.
Snooze, You Win by Chris Carmicheal
Chris Carmicheal is quoted in the article, stating that naps were critical in [Lance Armstrong’s] overall training plan. The article goes on to provide tips on how to get the perfect nap.
Lack of sleep can reduce an athlete’s cardiovascular performance by 11%
If an athlete needs eight hours’ sleep yet only gets six, he/she will accumulate enough sleep debt in 15 days to significantly reduce their cardiovascular performance. This report is an eye opener; not only does it provide a good write-up of the different sleep stages, but it specifically talks about the stages and how they pertain to athletes with respect to cardiovascular fitness, mental performance and emotional stability.
Miles to Go Before I Sleep by Dr. Claudio Stampi
An article featuring Dr. Claudio Stampi, whom sailors often refer to as Dr. Sleep, is the go-to guru when you want to race sailboats alone across the ocean on ridiculously small amounts of shut-eye. It covers his work on polyphasic sleep, and has some interesting quotes:
“His research also showed that afternoon siestas were chock-full of slow-wave sleep, the type that appears to be most important for recharging the body.”
Great Books
by Matthew Walker PhD
A New York Times bestseller and international sensation, this “stimulating and important book” (Financial Times) from the director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Human Sleep Science is a fascinating dive into the purpose and power of slumber. As the Guardian said, Walker explains “how a good night's shut-eye can make us cleverer, more attractive, slimmer, happier, healthier, and ward off cancer.”
With two appearances on CBS This Morning and Fresh Air's most popular interview of 2017, Matthew Walker has made abundantly clear that sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when it is absent.
Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night’s sleep every night.
by Satchin Panda, PhD
When we eat may be as important as what we eat.
Like most people, you probably wake up, get hungry for meals and doze off in bed around the same time every day. If you’ve ever experienced jet lag or pulled an all-nighter, you know that this schedule can easily be thrown off kilter. But for some people, that imbalance—difficulty sleeping at night, hunger at odd times, or sudden fatigue at noon—is a constant. If you're one of those people, Dr. Satchin Panda, one of the leading researchers on circadian rhythms, has a plan to reset your body clock.
Beginning with an in-depth explanation of the circadian clock—why it’s important, how it works, and how to know it isn’t working—The Circadian Code outlines lifestyle changes to make to get back on track. It's a concrete plan to enhance weight loss, improve sleep, optimize exercise, and manage technology so that it doesn’t interfere with your body’s natural rhythm. Dr. Panda’s life changing methods show you how to prevent and reverse ailments like diabetes, cancer, and dementia, as well as microbiome conditions like acid reflux, heartburn, and irritable bowel disease.
By Sam Graci
The Food Connection will show you:
+ How to balance your hormonal system to positively affect weight, motivation, sleep patterns and cognitive abilities
+ How to jump start your health with the seven-day “World’s Best Diet”
+ The 17 bioenergetic foods to eat daily
+ How food affects your mood at breakfast, lunch and dinner
+ Why men and women must take different approaches to ensure their hormonal health
+ How to assess your Biological Age — and take quick steps to improve your health.
By T.S. Wiley
With research gleaned from the National Institutes of Health, T.S. Wiley and Bent Formby deliver staggering findings: Americans really are sick from being tired. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression are rising in our population. We’re literally dying for a good night’s sleep.
Our lifestyle wasn’t always this way. It began with the invention of the lightbulb.
When we don’t get enough sleep in sync with seasonal light exposure, we fundamentally alter a balance of nature that has been programmed into our physiology since Day One. This delicate biological rhythm rules the hormones and neurotransmitters that determine appetite, fertility, and mental and physical health. When we rely on artificial light to extend our day until 11 PM, midnight, and beyond, we fool our bodies into living in a perpetual state of summer. Anticipating the scarce food supply and forced inactivity of winter, our bodies begin storing fat and slowing metabolism to sustain us through the months of hibernation and hunger that never arrive.
Our own survival instinct, honed over millennia, is now killing us.
Wiley and Formby also reveal:
+ That studies from our own government research prove the role of sleeplessness in diabetes, heart disease, cancer, infertility, mental illness, and premature aging;
+ Why the carbohydrate-rich diets recommended by many health professionals are not only ridiculously ineffective but deadly;
+ Why the lifesaving information that can turn things around is one of the best-kept secrets of our day.
Media, Films, & Documentaries
The New Science of Sleep and Dreams | Professor Matthew Walker
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's, cancer, obesity, diabetes - has very strong causal links to deficient sleep.
Dr. Mercola Interviews Satchidananda Panda on the Importance of the Circadian Rhythm
Natural health expert and Mercola.com founder Dr. Joseph Mercola interviews Satchidananda Panda, Ph.D., on the role of the circadian rhythm in your overall well-being, and why ignoring it may lead to chronic diseases.
Eating Affects Your Sleep (and Vice Versa) - Satchin Panda - Bulletproof Radio
Satchin Panda, Ph.D., is a leading expert in the field of circadian rhythm research. As a professor at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, his research focuses on circadian rhythm in health and disease.
[Audio Interview] Lights Out: Sugar, Sleep, and Survival with T.S. Wiley on Underground Wellness
T.S. Wiley, author of Lights Out, stops by UW Radio to discuss the importance of a good night’s sleep. Topics will include how the invention of the light bulb has contributed to obesity, heart disease, and depression, why you crave carbs after a poor night’s sleep, the importance of sleeping in a pitch-black room, and more! Learn more about T.S. on her website, www.thewileyprotocol.com.
[Audio Inteview] Hack Your Sleep with Dr. Jonathan Wisor, Ph.D. – Podcast
Dr. Wisor is one of the foremost researchers on sleep and nervous system function. His laboratory is funded by both the Department of Defense and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to apply molecular genetic and biochemical techniques to study sleep.
In this interview by Dave Asprey of Bulletproof Radio, Dr. Wisor talks about how you can use biochemistry and the latest research to improve sleep and your quality of life. Covered in the interview:
What does sleep deprivation do to the body?
What would you say is the most common cause of sleep deprivation?
What are some of the best ways people can improve their sleep?
Is it important to sync your sleep with your circadian rhythm? If so, what happens when you don’t?
Assuming you get enough sleep, does it matter when it occurs? Is there any benefit from waking with the sun and going to be at dusk versus being a night owl?
How can medications or drugs interfere with sleep?
How does chronic or acute stress affect sleep?
What do you think of the Zeo sleep monitor? Have you tried one?
Why is sleep important for athletes or active people? If someone was working out a lot, and restricting sleep (partly to workout), is the exercise doing more harm than good?
What role do genetics play in sleep needs?
How does sleep (and sleep loss) effect growth and development in kids?
Have you done any research or looked at how sleep might be improved with cranial electrostimulation?
How can nutrient deficiencies (like magnesium) impair sleep?
Are there any supplements that help sleep?
How does sleep affect memory and intelligence.
What is dreaming, and why do we do it?
You did a study on the effects of methamphetamine and Modafinil on the sleep/wake cycles of mice. How did these drugs affect the mice, and how might these results be relevant for humans?
Can sleep deprivation cause inflammation in the brain? If so, can this turn into a perpetual cycle where sleep loss = inflammation, and inflammation = sleep loss?
What are your top three recommendations for someone who wants to be as powerful and high performance in all aspects of life?
Where can people learn more about you and your work?
I Am Active
Yoga Camp, Day 30! You are coming up with the mantra today! You are guiding this practice. This 30-Day journey has been so rewarding. Thank you for your willingness to explore and your commitment to self study through YOGA.