Newsletter
Newsletter #04
So, how did you do with your tracking the effectiveness of your tracking over the last 2 weeks?…
Here are some of the things people mentioned they noticed after tracking their inputs in a way that works:
“Taking photos of my food instead of logging it into my fitness pal was way less anxiety driving than having to weigh everything out. I started to noticed patterns I didn’t before!”
”I think I can tend to forget that the goal is to be healthier for me. I often want more results faster, but understanding that I’m in this for the long haul makes me feel like there’s less pressure on me”.
Tracking for the sake of tracking won’t get you results. Using the data you're collecting in a helpful way does.
Click here to re-read that newsletter!
(Reply with the number newsletter you joined in on above)
Your Habit For The Next Two Weeks
- Strategies to ruin your sleep & stay up longer -
Or, add in your own habit!
(Re-download the habit tracker here)
I knew this photo would eventually come in handy. Thanks, Dad <3
Ruin your sleep with these 10 habits right before bed
Keep in mind, you don’t need to get up early if you just don’t go to bed!
If you're following me on social media (and if you're not, I suggest you start here), you would know about how much I post around the idea that no one cares about whatever episode of said show you’re on, because when you flex that you got 8 hours of sleep, everyone in the room gets jealous.
You can’t “click & subscribe/swipe to purchase” that.
But, not everyone wants to be in first place, and that’s cool.
So, in an attempt to help you strive for mediocrity, here are 10 ways you can **guarantee** you’ll sleep terribly tonight, ensuring you wake up feeling ready for bed (if you even get to sleep).
1. **Consume Caffeine or Nicotine:**
Drink coffee, tea, energy drinks, or smoking can stimulate your nervous system, making it harder to fall asleep.
2. **Use Electronic Devices (Preferably, while you’re in bed):**
The blue light from smartphones, tablets, or computers can interfere with your body's natural sleep cycle by suppressing melatonin production.
3. **Eat a Heavy Meal (Eat it as fast as possible for bonus points):**
Consuming a large or spicy meal close to bedtime can cause discomfort and indigestion, making it difficult to sleep. Have tomato based products if you’re looking for an added bonus of acid reflux, maybe sprinkle in some chocolate, too.
4. **Consume Alcohol:**
While alcohol might make you feel sleepy initially, it can disrupt your sleep cycle and reduce the quality of your rest. Perfect for waking up feeling rekt.
5. **Engage in Intense Exercise:**
Sprints before bed will work wonders if you’re not trying to go to bed.
6. **Have Stressful Conversations or Work:**
Discussing stressful topics or working right before bed can keep your mind active and raise anxiety levels. There’s no time like the present to bring up your regrets of the past or worry about the future.
7. **Take Long Naps Late in the Day:**
Short naps can be refreshing, definitely don’t do that. Take long naps when possible (>3 hours), especially later in the afternoon or evening so when it’s time for a normal hour to rest, you’re wide awake.
8. **Ignore a Relaxation Routine:**
Why would you relax? You have things to do, and the more you don’t do them, the more they’ll pile up. Completely avoid any positive affirmations or gratitude journaling. Misery loves company, ensuring you’ll never be alone!
9. **Stay in Bright Light:**
Exposure to bright artificial light before bed can delay the production of sleep-inducing hormones. Be sure to turn off that built-in blue light filter on your phone, and keep the screen brightness up as high as possible.
10. **Drink Lots of Liquids:**
Consuming a lot of fluids close to bedtime can lead to frequent trips to the bathroom during the night, interrupting your sleep.
Obviously, this is satire.
But you would be surprised at the number of conversations I have with people who actually do many of the things listed above.
Because, that’s the thing about habits too, right?
We can have bad habits, and they’re usually a coping mechanism.
**This week's habit is to help improve sleep quality, over quantity.** Not how to ruin your sleep in 10 easy steps.
Before we get into it, let’s set the stage:
It is no badge of honour to get little to no sleep.
As an entrepreneur, your success is determined by the quality of the decisions you make for your business, customers, and employees.
Those decisions come from how well your internal environment is functioning.
On a more serious note, let’s find ways to optimize your sleep experience.
We’ve all been there.
Little to no sleep, or even potentially waking up after 7-9 hours of interrupted sleep feeling like you could lay in bed for a week.
Poor sleep quality can lead to feelings of:
1. Cognitive Impairment:
Insufficient sleep can lead to problems with memory, attention, and critical thinking skills.
2. Increased Stress:Lack of sleep can elevate stress hormones like cortisol, contributing to anxiety and overall stress levels.
3. Mood Disorders: Sleep deprivation is linked to an increased risk of mood disorders, including depression and irritability.
4. Immune System Weakness: Poor sleep can weaken the immune response, making individuals more susceptible to infections and illnesses.
5. Cardiovascular Issues: Chronic poor sleep is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, hypertension, and stroke.
6. Metabolic Disruptions: Ineffective sleep can lead to imbalances in hormones related to hunger and appetite, contributing to weight gain and obesity.
7. Reduced Physical Performance: Lack of quality sleep can impair coordination, reaction time, and overall physical performance.
8. Increased Risk of Chronic Conditions: Long-term sleep deprivation is linked to various chronic conditions, such as diabetes and certain cancers.
9. Hormonal Imbalances: Poor sleep can disrupt the production and regulation of hormones, affecting various body functions.
10. Long-term Cognitive Decline: Over time, chronic sleep issues can contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
With the negative implications now in your field of awareness, let’s look at what we can do to help improve your relationship with sleep.
Practical strategies to improve your sleep environment:
Look to make your bedroom as much like a cave as you can.
The best sleeps happen when your room is:
- Dark
- Quiet
- Cool
- Comfortable
Let’s touch on each of those and how we can implement strategies for success to achieve them.
Darkness
- Blackout curtains
- Eye masks
They’re a very simple way to create this environment not only at home but also if/when you’re traveling.
When I started using an eye mask, my Whoop sleep tracker recognized a marked increase in my REM sleep ([rapid eye movement stage of sleep].
Quiet
- Ear plugs/white noise machine
For some, noise (like from a podcast or white noise machine) is helpful/soothing to get to and stay asleep. If this is something you’re used to, look to continue to do so. What we’re looking to avoid is the glaring TV light before bed, which can keep our brain stimulated for hours.
Temperature
- Find a temperature that is right for you (explore different temperatures anywhere from 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit or 15-21 degrees Celsius)
- Look to stop showering right before bed
Our body temperature is anywhere from 1-2 degrees colder when we’re asleep. When we’re cooler, we tend to stay asleep & get better rest.
Shifting our shower time from right before bed to 60-90 minutes prior can help to reduce the chance of the shower itself elevating our core temperature, making it harder to fall asleep.
Comfortable
*Avoid caffeine after noon*
Caffeine can take up to 10 hours to completely metabolize. To help you get to bed (and get quality sleep), look to reduce your intake after 12 p.m., or at least 10 hours before bedtime.
*Food before bed*
We’ve all noticed it and think it causes weight gain, but it doesn’t.
Chances are if you ate a big meal late, you’ll see a positive increase in fluctuation of your weight on the scale the next morning. This is not an accurate representation of your weight going up from the calories you had, but rather a poor night’s sleep causing an increase in cortisol from a lack of restful sleep.
Look to avoid having a large meal right before bed. Snacks are welcome before bed as long as it is in the neighbourhood of a 50/50 mix in terms of carbohydrates & protein.
This can look like:
- Fruit with a healthy natural nut butter
- Cereal & milk (something not high in sugar or a large portion of it)
- Greek yogurt with honey
- Nut mix with cottage cheese
Our cortisol levels are what make us wake up in the morning from being in a fasted state. What we don’t want to do is put ourselves in a position where we end up eating too far from bedtime, only to then wake up in the middle of the night starving.
Managing a racing mind
Of course, you’ve got a racing mind, you’re a high performer. If you want to help manage your racing thoughts, you’ll want to look to activate your parasympathetic nervous system
If you’re looking to manage those thoughts, look to implement the following in a dimly lit setting if possible:
- Brain dump
- Stretching
- 4-7-8 breathing
(Or, you can go back to the newsletter from a few issues ago & check out how to manage stress, here!)
A brain dump is when you write out all of the things that are on your mind from the day that just passed, as well as the schedule you have for the following day.
Doing this helps to open mental bandwidth for you to be able to have restful sleep, instead of thinking that you’re going to forget something or still have it as a circling thought in your head.
Light stretching before bed can help get you out of your head and into your body. Similar to the benefits of going to the gym, helping your blood flow improve, as well as reducing muscular tension can help aid in reducing racing thoughts.
4-7-8 breathing is a favourite of mine to do, but also to suggest to my clients as well. [You can learn how to do it here]
Consistent bed & wake time
Set a bedtime alarm
You set an alarm to wake up, but how many of us set an alarm to go to bed?
Routines allow you to feel safe; your mind likes to know what to expect. When you know what to expect, you can relax around familiar situations. Routines give you predictability.
When we condition ourselves to have a regular bedtime (and a regular pre-bedtime routine), it reduces our sleep latency (the time it takes for us to get to sleep).
Sleeping in
It is generally recommended to get up and go to sleep as close as you can to the same time every day. If you are to sleep in, look to make it no longer than 90 minutes more than your regular waking time.
Wrap-up
You can’t cheat on sleep & get away with it.
Sleep deprivation is responsible for chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.
Often, we only look to nutrition when it comes to weight loss regarding improving our body composition, not recognizing the benefits of taking a holistic approach to improving all facets of your lifestyle & well-being.
Though nutrition does play a large role in our body composition & muscle-building goals, it is much more challenging to make good decisions with a lack of sleep.
One night of sleep loss led to increased impulsivity to negative stimuli, such that sleep-deprived individuals had an increased failure to inhibit a response and faster incorrect responses.
Making better decisions, that allow you to live a happier & healthier life, starts with a good night’s sleep.
Here are a few references you could take a look at if you’re interested
2. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016643281000656X#:~:text=One night of sleep loss,response and faster incorrect responses]
Articles I think you might find interesting!
Want to Feel You're Living a Longer, Fuller Life? Neuroscience Says Making Denser Memories Is the Best Way to Slow the Passage of Time
This was a fun one to read. The purpose of the human experience (to me anyway) is about enriching yourself with the most engaging experiences that allow you to be as present as possible.
Here’s a TLDR (too long, didn’t read) recap for you:
1. Perception of Time and New Experiences:
Time seems to pass more quickly as we age because we encounter fewer new experiences. Engaging in novel activities creates denser memories, which can slow our perception of time.
How can you make the same things you’re always doing "new" again?
2. Dense vs. Thin Memories:
New or novel activities engage more areas of our brain, creating denser memories. In contrast, routine tasks result in thin memories, making time feel like it's flying by. The less we can be on “auto-pilot,” the more engaged we are, leading to a more present experience.
3. Impact on Entrepreneurs:
Entrepreneurs often feel time speeds up as their work becomes routine. Early milestones are memorable, but as accomplishments repeat, time seems to pass more quickly, leading to potential boredom. Keep challenging yourself within the realm of complexity you’re able to successfully reach for.
4. Strategies for Slowing Time:
Introducing novelty into daily life (like trying new activities or changing routines) CAN create denser memories and slow the perception of time. Simple changes, such as using your non-dominant hand, can refresh mental engagement. (Psst, this **will** help for the question at the end of point 1 above!).
5. Prospective and Retrospective Timing:
Planning with anticipation can lengthen the perception of time. Embracing new activities and breaking regular routines during these experiences ensures time feels more expansive and fulfilling.
Yes, I know I encourage routine & habit building, but you can also integrate novelty so we’re not experiencing life in a mundane fashion.
Being able to adapt to your environment is a circumstance of having the perspective of surfing the waves of life, instead of trying to change the tide.
Muscle Proteins Trigger Desire for Exercise
Okay, so this one was for me as much as it was for you.
Another reason to love protein
A recent study has discovered a new way that muscles talk to the brain, which could help people stay active and tackle issues like obesity.
This research could lead to new therapies to encourage people to exercise more.
1. Muscles Communicate with the Brain:
When you exercise, certain proteins in your muscles send signals to your brain, increasing your drive to be active. Moving more makes you want to move more. I’ve often said, the body gets reaaaallly good at giving you what you give it.
So, if you give it a whole lot of chair time, it’s going to become an expert at that.
2. Key Protein IL-15:
A protein called IL-15 gets produced during exercise and acts on the brain to make you feel like moving more. Our body responds to its environment and the situations it is put in. We’re actually more **resilient** than we feel, seem, and appear, despite the number of people who are encouraging that if you don’t perform a well-crafted mobility choreography before your workout, you’ll injure yourself.
The balance is figuring out how much it can tolerate without overdoing it, but also giving it enough movement so that it can continuously improve.
3. Benefits for Obesity:
Regular exercise boosts these muscle signals, helping improve metabolism and reduce body fat, especially for those who are obese.
Move more, build more, burn more.
The more we move, the more muscle we can build, leading to burning more calories at rest.
The more we train ourselves to do, the more we’re likely to want to do more. See: “Newton's First Law of Motion,” also known as the Law of Inertia,
*an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
4. New Therapy Possibilities:
Understanding this muscle-brain communication might lead to new treatments that can motivate exercise, especially for those who find it hard to stay active.
5. Personalized Fitness Programs:
Knowing how these proteins work could help design better fitness plans and even lead to new medications to support people in getting the benefits of exercise.
That’s all for today!
I’m excited to see/hear your responses & insights on the articles above & how your habits went.
Catch you in a few weeks,
Santo
Thanks for reading!
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