The 17 KEY SLEEP HABITS TO MAXIMIZE · a powerful trigger to get your body into sleep mode....

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Transcript of The 17 KEY SLEEP HABITS TO MAXIMIZE · a powerful trigger to get your body into sleep mode....

Page 1: The 17 KEY SLEEP HABITS TO MAXIMIZE · a powerful trigger to get your body into sleep mode. (Particularly when you combine it with eliminating artificial light for 1-2 hours before
Page 2: The 17 KEY SLEEP HABITS TO MAXIMIZE · a powerful trigger to get your body into sleep mode. (Particularly when you combine it with eliminating artificial light for 1-2 hours before

The 17 KEY SLEEP HABITS TO MAXIMIZE

CELLULAR REGENERATION Impaired sleep doesn’t just cause fatigue—preventing your nightly cellular recharge has massive

consequences. Interrupted or impaired sleep has been shown to:

Dramatically slow down your metabolism, and simultaneously, stimulates your appetite

and driving increased calorie consumption (specifically from processed foods). The

combination of these two things promotes fat gain, and tends to make fat loss almost

impossible, even if your diet and exercise habits are dialed in. Lack of sleep is now

understood by scientists to be one of the major factors driving the obesity epidemic.

Weaken your immune system

Predispose to cancer, and accelerate tumor growth—tumors grow two to three times

faster in laboratory animals with severe sleep dysfunctions

Seriously impair your memory; even a single night of poor sleep—meaning sleeping only 4

to 6 hours—can impact your ability to think clearly the next day

Impair your performance on physical or mental tasks, and decrease your problem solving

ability

Can worsen a long list of other diseases and disorders, including: Hypothyroidism (i.e. slow

metabolism), heart disease, stomach ulcers, constipation, mood disorders like depression

and anxiety

Poor sleep also significantly accelerates the aging process. One study has even shown that

people with chronic insomnia have a three times greater risk of dying from any cause.1 Lost

sleep is lost forever, and persistent lack of sleep has a cumulative effect when it comes to

disrupting your health. Poor sleep can make your life miserable, as many of you probably

know.

Many functions of sleep, but most importantly, it’s

fundamentally…an ENERGY STORY!

Adenosine builds up throughout the day and causes you to feel tired as the day goes on. Adenosine

is the signal that your body is running low on energy and is in need of sleep to replenish energy

stores.

This is why it’s basically impossible to have optimal energy levels if you don’t sleep enough

or well enough.

Just Get Your 7-8 Hours? No!

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Good sleep is less about the number of hours you sleep and more about making the hours you do

sleep into extraordinarily restful and rejuvenative sleep. This is called SLEEP EFFICIENCY.

Modern hunter-gatherers have recently been studied and found to sleep only 6.5-8 hours on

average, so about the same as many of us in the West. BUT… they have much higher SLEEP

EFFICIENCY, meaning that the sleep they’re getting is far MORE regenerative to their cells each

night.

It’s more about maximizing sleep latency and sleep efficiency by coaxing your body into highly

restorative and rejuvenative sleep that truly recharges your battery.

1 – Optimize Circadian Rhythm

A lot of people who are trying to improve their sleep want some sleep “tricks” or sleep “hacks” to

fix their issues. That’s not the way it works. The right way to do things is to build the FOUNDATION

before you start trying to take different supplements, sleeping pills, or any other sleep “hack.” The

foundation for good sleep is optimal circadian rhythm habits.

I am not going to elaborate on what those habits here, because this was covered in the circadian

rhythm modules. This is just meant to reinforce the CONTEXT for proper sleep habits is built on top

of the foundation of optimal circadian rhythm habits.

You need to make sure you’re doing all the stuff we’ve covered in the circadian rhythm and

nutrition modules—light timing, meal timing, nutrient timing, and movement timing.

Circadian rhythm is the foundation for deep restful sleep.

2 - Complete Darkness in The Bedroom

Eliminate sneaky light sources

Light is a powerful signal to your brain to be awake. Even a very small amount of light in the room

can be enough to disrupt circadian rhythm. The light from outside street lights, night lights, or

electronics can easily be enough to impair sleep depth. (Note: You may still sleep a certain amount

of hours, but the sleep is less rejuvenative).

You must get rid of ALL sources of even minor amounts of light in the room. And you must get black

out shades.

You want COMPLETE DARKNESS in your bedroom while you sleep at night. This is very important.

Even if you think you sleep just fine even though there is some light in your room, I promise you

that it is affecting your sleep efficiency and subtly degrading your energy levels.

3 - Temperature

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New research into hunter gatherer tribes indicates that temperature plays a massive (and much

larger than expected) role in sleep patterns. Not only are humans triggered to sleep by the absence

of blue light (and bright light in general), but humans are triggered to go to sleep by the drop in

temperature. Temperature entrains our circadian rhythm much like light does!

So if you live indoors all the time and you always have your air conditioning and heater running to

keep your house in a comfortable temperature range, realize that you are actually blunting your

circadian rhythm and impairing your sleep by doing this!

Use this information to your advantage! Program your thermostat to cool down your house 1-2

hours before the time you want to go to sleep. Or open windows and let the cool outdoor air in.

You WANT your body to get NOTICEABLY colder in the hour before bed.

Studies have shown that in general, the optimal room temperature for sleeping is quite cool,

around 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and temperatures much above or below this range can lead to

restlessness. Note that most people sleep with the temperature in their house ABOVE 68 degrees.

There is a natural 24-hour rhythm to body temperature. While you sleep, your body’s internal

temperature actually drops to its lowest level of the day, generally about four hours after you fall

asleep. The more you reinforce this natural rhythm by getting your body hotter during the daytime

and allowing it to get colder at night, the stronger your circadian rhythm will be.

Consider hot baths or saunas 60-120 minutes before bed to trigger a large drop in body

temperature when you get out. I.e. You get your body very hot in the sauna or shower/bath, and

then you get out and expose your body (while it is still wet ideally, before you dry off) to the

cooler air in the room for a few minutes and let the heat leave your body and cool rapidly. This is

a powerful trigger to get your body into sleep mode. (Particularly when you combine it with

eliminating artificial light for 1-2 hours before bed, and a strong night time wind-down ritual.)

To summarize, if you want to fall asleep easily, you want to experience a significant drop in body

temperature in the hour or so before bed. (Note: You do NOT want to get REALLY COLD, as that will

backfire and actually cause you to be more awake.) You want to go from being comfortably warm

to slightly cool. You should feel just SLIGHTLY chilly prior to getting into bed. And then you should

allow yourself to warm up under the covers. If you get into bed while your body is still very warm, it

will delay the onset of sleep.

Cool Your Head If You Have Sleep Problems

Research has determined that insomniacs typically have a warmer core body temperature just

before bed than normal sleepers, which leads to heightened arousal and difficulty drifting off.

Keeping a cool head (literally) will help cool your brain, which will in turn work to help decrease

activity levels in the brain and signal that it’s time to go into sleep mode.

Researchers have found that a cap worn by insomniacs filled with cool circulating water helped

them sleep almost as easily as people without sleep disorders. Those whose caps were set to the

coolest temperatures were able to get more sleep than those whose caps were set slightly

warmer. Many insomniacs report that they can’t fall asleep because their brains are so active and

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they are still in thinking mode. But the cooling cap helped resolve this. The scientists determined

that their extra brain activity was literally increasing the temperature in their brains and keeping it

stuck in “daytime” mode. Cooling the head externally is a powerful way to fix this issue.

You can mimic this same thing by using a device called the CRYOHELMET. It was originally designed

for people with head injuries and concussions, but it works perfectly for this purpose as well. I’ve

used it with dozens of my clients who have had sleep problems with great success. You can simply

use this for 15-60 minutes before sleep. You can purchase the Cryohelmet here.

Yawning before bed (intentionally doing it MANY times) may also serve to cool your brain

effectively. (More on this in the Bonus module with Neuroscientist Mark Waldman).

During menopause, 75% of women suffer from hot flashes, and just over 20% have night sweats or

hot flashes that trouble their sleep. So strategies to cool your home/bedroom while you sleep are

especially important, as are the strategies discussed above—to use saunas or hot baths prior to bed

and allow the body to cool rapidly, as well as the cryohelmet.

4 - Correct for Outside Noise

Noise Pollution: A Modern Plague. Lisa Goines, RN and Louis Hagler, MD. Southern Medical

Journal, Volume 100: March 2007.

“Uninterrupted sleep is known to be a prerequisite for good physiologic and mental functioning in healthy

individuals. Environmental noise is one of the major causes of disturbed sleep. When sleep disruption

becomes chronic, the results are mood changes, decrements in performance, and other long-term effects

on health and well-being. Much recent research has focused on noise from aircraft, roadways, and trains. It

is known, for example, that continuous noise in excess of 30 dB disturbs sleep. For intermittent noise, the

probability of being awakened increases with the number of noise events per night.”

Increased sleep latency

How Noise Impacts Sleep

Increased light sleep, and decreased REM and deep sleep (restorative sleep)

Reduced total sleep time

Increased wakefulness

Turn on the white noise or pink noise

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Sound machines designed to help you sleep produce a low-level soothing noise. These can help you

tune out barking dogs, the TV downstairs, or any other disturbances so you can fall asleep and stay

asleep.

If you live in a city with cars and various noises from outdoors, this is critical.

A Simple Trick to Help You Spend More Time in Deep Sleep

Deep sleep is one of the most important sleep phases as this is when your body repairs and

regenerates, and your immune system is strengthened. The more time you can spend in this crucial

sleep phase during the night, the more refreshed you’ll feel in the morning. Sound stimulation has

been shown to be effective for prolonging deep sleep. So, if you’re having trouble staying asleep,

this is a simple trick to try.

A study published in the journal Neuron found that playing “pink noise” allowed participants to

remain in deep sleep longer than when the sound was not played. The participants’ memory also

showed dramatic improvement after sleeping with “pink noise.”

What to use?

To experience the benefits of pink noise in your own bedroom, you want fans or noisemakers that

produce steady, uninterrupted sound or that imitate falling rain or wind.

A fan or air purifier can provide this effect.

Note: You do NOT want to wear headphones, which will disrupt sleep.

I suggest something that mimics the sound of rain (pink noise). There are various apps (some are

free) that will play pink noise during the night.

The free apps Sleep Bug (for macs) and Lightning Bug (Android) are good choices.

5 - Time You Go To Sleep

Go to Bed Early

Most research indicates that going to bed around 10 and waking up at 6 is most optimal. (Some

people will prefer slightly later and some slightly earlier, but this is a good general pattern to shoot

for).

Consistency is a big key to this. The key is to do it EVERY DAY, not just most days.

Many people THINK they’re night owls and that their natural pattern is later than this and claim to

be night owl chronotypes. This has more to do with lack of sun during the day and too much blue

light at night, which phase shifts your circadian rhythm to a night owl rhythm.

Your natural and OPTIMAL rhythm is almost certainly earlier than you think it is. And you will

function best (and have the BEST ENERGY) if you get on a more optimal rhythm, which for most

people, means going to bed EARLIER.

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6 – Electronics

Electronic Gadgets and Other Sources of Sleep Disturbance

95 percent of Americans use an electronic device within one hour of going to sleep. There are two

major ways these devices interfere with our energy levels:

1. Emitting blue light that disrupts circadian rhythm.

2. Emitting low level radiation/electromagnetic fields (EMFs).

One 2008 study showed that people exposed to radiation from their mobile phones for three hours

before bedtime had more trouble falling asleep and reaching deep sleep.

Here’s a study worth paying attention to:

“Pineal melatonin level disruption in humans due to electromagnetic fields and ICNIRP

limits. Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2013 May;154(4):405-16. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncs255. Epub

2012 Oct 10. The pineal gland is likely to sense EMFs as light but, as a consequence, may

decrease the melatonin production. In this study, more than one hundred experimental

data of human and animal studies of changes in melatonin levels due to power-frequency

electric and magnetic fields exposure were analysed…The results show the significance of

disruption of melatonin due to exposure to weak EMFs, which may possibly lead to long-

term health effects in humans.”

Basically they found that exposure to electronic device (not just the LIGHT, but the

electromagnetic FIELD around the device) has the ability to disrupt circadian rhythm.

According to the 2014 Sleep in America Poll…

53 percent of respondents who turn electronics off while sleeping tend to rate their sleep

as excellent compared to just 27 percent of those who leave their devices on.

This is why you should avoid watching TV or using a computer or tablet at least an hour or

two before sleep.

If you do keep your devices in your room, make sure they are physically turned off along

with your Wi-Fi router.

If you want to sleep well, get the electronics out of your room at night and don’t have your phone

anywhere near your head for at least an hour before sleep and during sleep. You would be smart to

unplug all electronics within 6 feet of your bed at night and not have anything on near you while

you sleep.

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7 - Sleep Schedule

Set a sleep schedule—and stick with it

This is absolutely CRITICAL!

Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning—even on

weekends.

Many people are chronically sleep deprived during the week and then use weekends to sleep in.

This is a bad pattern that will prevent you from increasing your energy levels.

A regular sleep routine keeps your biological clock steady so you rest better. Exposure to a regular

pattern of light and dark is also critical here.

You want to open your blinds at the same time of day in the morning, go outdoors to get sun at the

same time, put on your blue blocker glasses at the same time every night, switch on amber/red

room lighting at a particular time, and get into bed at a specific time.

Not Being On A Sleep and Wake Schedule = Chronic JET LAG!

Think of it this way: When you go to sleep and wake up at different times every few days,

it’s like travelling to a new time zone every few days.

What happens when you go to a new time zone? JET LAG! That means you feel tired and

have crappy energy levels.

Want great energy levels? Be CONSISTENT with your sleep and wake habits.

8 - Sleep Diary

Keep a sleep diary --- to do two things:

1. Write down your woes

Many people who struggle to sleep complain “I can't turn off my mind." One helpful strategy here is to jot

down your top concerns every night before bed. So for example, you might write down that you have to

take care of that health insurance issue or get back to your accountant, or return a phone call to a client,

and it might stress you out or make you anxious to think about it.

So write down the steps you can take to solve the problem. Once your concerns are converted

into some kind of action plan on paper, you'll get the thoughts out of your head and let your

brain know “you don’t have to be thinking about this right now… it’s already on paper for me to

see tomorrow.” And believe it or not, this works very powerfully!

2. To help you understand how your habits affect your rest, track your sleep every day for at least 2

weeks. Write down not only what's obviously sleep related—what time you go to bed, how long it takes

you to fall asleep, how many times you wake up during the night, how you feel in the morning—but also

factors like what you ate close to bedtime and what exercise you got.

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Comparing your daily activities with your nightly sleep patterns can show you where you need to

make changes. For a free sample sleep diary, go to sleepdoctor.com.

9 - On Meds?

Review your medications

Beta-blockers (prescribed for high blood pressure) may cause insomnia. SSRIs (a class of

antidepressants that includes Prozac and Zoloft) can do the same. And that's just the beginning—

lots of other drugs can affect sleep.

Write down every drug and supplement you take, and have your doctor evaluate how they may be

affecting your sleep.

10 - Exercise is Good, But Not Too Close to Bedtime

Exercise, but not within 4 hours of bedtime

Working out—especially cardio and exercise done outdoors in the sun—improves the length and

quality of your sleep. As well as sleep latency. However, 30 minutes of vigorous exercise keeps your

body temperature elevated for about 4 hours, inhibiting sleep. When your body begins to cool

down, however, it signals your brain to release sleep-inducing melatonin, so then you'll get drowsy.

Exercise anytime prior to 3-4 hours before bedtime.

If you’re struggling with energy, try to do a form of exercise that allows you to get outdoors and get

some sunlight exposure (ideally).

11 - Caffeine is a Circadian Signaler

Cut caffeine after 2 pm

Caffine is a circadian signaler, meaning that it acts in much the same way that bright light does—it

sends your brain a “daytime” signal.

That means coffee, tea, and cola. Caffeine is a stimulant that stays in your system for about 8

hours, so if you have a cappuccino after dinner, come bedtime, it'll either prevent your brain from

entering deep sleep or stop you from falling asleep altogether. (Also note that even when people

still fall asleep, it’s likely impairing sleep efficiency).

There’s nothing wrong with caffeine if used wisely before 2pm. (What is wise use? NEVER become

dependent on caffeine to wake up or be energized. Best used as an occasion supplement—NOT as

something to depend on for energy.)

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12 - Sleep Position

Based on research into sleep positions in traditional human populations, side sleep is most

common. Some research indicates that it’s the most restful and restorative to the body. (Also note

that a pillow between knees is extremely helpful for joint alignment).

Steven Park, MD, author of Sleep, Interrupted says that sleep position can affect fatigue, sleep

apnea, headaches, heartburn, and back pain.

Back sleeping is a no-no for snorers and those with sleep apnea; side sleeping is best

because it helps keep your airways open.

Research suggests sleeping on the left side can relieve heartburn symptoms, while right-

side sleeping makes them worse.

Sleeping on the left side is also recommended during pregnancy to improve circulation to

the heart -- good for mom and baby.

People dealing with fatigue or lack of energy will likely find side sleeping to be most

restorative.

13 - What to do if you wake up

Stay put if you wake up

The textbook advice is that if you can't fall back asleep in fifteen minutes, get out of bed.

The reality is that it’s more complex than that: It depends how you feel in bed. If you’re not fretting

or anxious, then stay in bed in the dark, and do some deep breathing or meditation.

But if lying in bed pushes your stress buttons, get up and do something quiet and relaxing (in dim

RED light), such as gentle yoga or self-massage. Do NOT turn on any non-red lights or look into any

electronic devices.

A crutch: Many report that putting a pinch of salt and sugar under the tongue will help them get

back to sleep. We strongly recommend avoiding this unless it is somehow a necessity for you. It will

cause a subtle chronic degradation of circadian rhythm and autophagy over time. Much better to

train your body to sleep through the night, rather than training it to wake for a midnight snack.

14 - Create a Night-time Wind-down Ritual

Take time to wind down

Sleep is not an on-off switch. You have to slowly take your foot off the accelerator and start

applying the brake over the course of an hour or two. Ideally, you want to give your body plenty of

time to transition from your active day to bedtime drowsiness by creating a night-time wind-down

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ritual. The best way to do this is to set a timer for an hour before bed and then divide up the time

something like this:

First 20 minutes: Prep for tomorrow (pack your bag, set out your clothes). Write down in

your task scheduler what you need to do tomorrow. (Don’t occupy mental energy during

the night with that).

Next 20: Take care of personal hygiene (brush your teeth, moisturize your face). Take a

sauna, hot bath, or shower. (And remember, then allow your body to cool down!)

Last 20: Relax in bed, reading with a small or practicing deep breathing or meditation.

One simple breathing exercise that many people find helpful in de-stressing and

relaxing is this: Inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 3 seconds, then exhale for 8 seconds.

Do this for 15-30 breaths.

Spray a sleep-inducing scent

Certain smells, such as lavender, chamomile, and ylang-ylang, activate the alpha wave activity in

the back of your brain, which leads to relaxation and helps you sleep more soundly. Mix a few

drops of essential oil and water in a spray bottle and give your pillowcase a spritz. This sounds like

new age hokey pokey, but in fact, many of these oils have solid scientific research on them. Here is

a great article on the science for those interested: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/what-do-

the-data-really-say-about-essential-oils

CBT and Mindfulness Practices for Sleep

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness practices both have solid scientific backing for

improving sleep.

Here are a couple of my recommended products for Mindfulness and CBT.

15 – Don’t Wake up With an Alarm Clock

Humans sleep in ultradian rhythms—90 minute cycles where we cycle through different phases of

sleep.

It’s critical to not be woken up DURING one of these 90 minute cycles.

When we use an alarm clock set at a specific time, it often does exactly that.

What’s the solution?

Get on a sleep schedule that allows you to NATURALLY wake up at the time you

need to wake up. (7.5 hours of sleep is 5 ultradian cycles).

NOTE: To get 7.5 hours of sleep, you would probably want to spend 8.5

hours in BED. (Since we are not in sleep the whole time we are in BED.)

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Use a sunrise alarm clock that just gets lighter as you wake up. (Note: These also

will use sound after 20 or 30 minutes, if the light doesn’t wake you up. So there is

no concern about sleeping through the alarm). This allows you to wake up in

HARMONY with your ultraradian rhythm, ensuring that you wake up refreshed with

high energy levels.

If you MUST use noise (for one reason or another), then get an app that allows you

to wake up with gentle meditative and soothing music rather than an abrupt and

jarring alarm sound.

This is the dawn simulation alarm clock I recommend

16 – Supplements To Enhance Sleep

Please note that NONE of these supplements are “REQUIRED.” You don’t “have” to take any

supplements to sleep well. In fact, if you have a strong circadian rhythm and you’re following all

the other habits I’ve outlined in this module, then you shouldn’t need any supplements to sleep

well at night. Having said that, for people who already have sleep problems, these supplements

can be very helpful if used in conjunction with all my other recommended habits and strategies.

2 Common Vitamin and mineral deficiencies – Magnesium and Potassium: Magnesium deficiency

can cause insomnia; potassium deficiency can cause difficulty staying asleep. Eat a magnesium and

potassium rich diet, and consider supplementing. (Eating tons of green leafy veggies will go a long

way in doing this). There is a great deal of research showing that supplementation of magnesium

improves subjective sleep efficiency, sleep time and sleep onset latency (time it takes to fall

asleep), early morning awakening, and likewise, as well as measures of melatonin and the stress

hormone cortisol. There is also research showing that potassium can help us sleep deeper and

sleep through the night.

Magnesium: Many different forms of magnesium can work. Magnesium citrate is the most

common, but the least effective. Magnesium oil applied topically works well too. As do

Epsom salt baths. Magnesium malate is the most effective pre-bed magnesium supplement

and the one I personally use.

Potassium: If you’re eating tons of green veggies (which you should be), you have a good

start. In addition, many people benefit from a little extra potassium through supplements.

Taking two to five pills with meals each day of a potassium supplement like this can really

help.

MELATONIN Melatonin is one of the primary hormones that regulates the normal sleep/wake

cycle. Specifically, when melatonin rises at night, it acts as the “night time, time-to-go-to-sleep”

signal. The body naturally produces melatonin after the sun goes down when you’re NOT staring

into electronic screens or other artificial lights. Thus melatonin can be a potent sleep aid.

HOWEVER, if you find that melatonin helps you to sleep, it’s likely a sign that the DEEPER

underlying cause of your sleep issue is disrupted circadian rhythm. So please fix the REAL CAUSE of

your sleep trouble rather than continue to have poor circadian rhythm habits and then just rely on

taking melatonin supplements to sleep. But used temporarily in conjunction with improvements in

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circadian rhythm habits, it can be helpful for many people. (Start with SMALL doses. Follow the

directions on the bottle).

VALERIAN AND KAVA These are herbs that can be used to help us become drowsy and fall asleep.

They likely both act through sedative mechanisms. (Start with SMALL doses. Follow the directions

on the bottle).

Kava

Valerian

THEANINE This is an amino acid derivative found in green tea. It helps increase gamma-

aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the brain. GABA activates the major calming neurotransmitters,

promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. Here is the one I recommend.

GABA As mentioned above, GABA activates the calming drowsy neurotransmitters in the brain.

Many people report that it has a calming effect and relieves anxiety that can keep a person awake

at night. There is solid evidence to suggest that GABA is a potent sleep aid and can both help you

fall asleep faster and get deeper, more rejuvenative sleep. Here is the one I recommend.

PQQ In an one study, PQQ was able to significantly improve sleep quality in people with sleep

impairing disorder. The improvement took 4 weeks to come about. After 8 weeks, people were

able to fall asleep quicker. Here is the one I recommend.

ZMA A study performed at Western Washington University (Bellingham) had NCAA football players

take ZMA or a placebo every night during an eight-week spring training program. They reported

that the athletes taking the ZMA supplement experienced more than a 30-percent increase in

testosterone levels, and about a 5-percent increase in levels of the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-

1). Those taking a placebo had a 10-percent decrease in testosterone levels and a greater than 20-

percent decrease in levels of IGF-1. In addition to the improvements in their anabolic hormone

levels, the ZMA-supplemented athletes made significantly greater gains in strength and power, and

achieved better sleep quality, than a placebo group. (Here is my recommended brand. You can

simply follow the directions on the bottle).

17 – Train Your Body to Get Up and GO!

It’s critical to train your body that when you wake up in the morning, it’s time to immediately turn

the engines on and get ready to ROCK the day! (If you train it to snooze and be groggy and tired the

first hour of every day, then it will be!)

Do not be one of the people that lays in bed after waking up, and hits the snooze button on

your alarm clock over and over again.

Do not be one of the people that gets up and then sits around half awake for half an hour

or an hour with some coffee trying to wake up.

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If that IS YOU, don’t worry! Part of this is the conscious act of training your body and brain

how to behave when you first wake up each day. The OTHER PART is all the rest of the

strategies in this program that will boost your energy levels!

(Note: More on how to structure your morning routine in an upcoming part of this

program that covers the Optimal Morning Routine for Enhancing Energy Levels.)

Sleep- Summary

Sleep is critical for recharging your body’s and brain’s energy stores.

It is also critical for the process of autophagy, so you’re not running today on yesterday’s proteins!

By combining the sleep strategies here on top of the foundation of the optimal circadian rhythm habits, you

entrain your body to amplify the natural circadian cycle—which means more restful and rejuvenative sleep

at night, and more energy, strength, and vitality during the day