The Fitness Scientist: "Even A Little Alcohol Is Hurting Your Health!" Kristen Holmes

Intro

• Sleep and recovery are improved when people have sex before sleep.
• Circadian rhythm affects health, and shift workers are at higher risk for various diseases.

Why do you do the work you do?

• Kristen Holmes is passionate about human flourishing and understanding physiology and psychology to help people improve their health.

What your work is and involves

• Kristen Holmes is the vice president of performance science at Woop, a technology company focused on human performance.
• She focuses on understanding markers for tracking health and behaviors for promoting health.

The Importance Of Sleep Wake Timing - circadian rhythm

• Consistent sleep-wake timing leads to higher levels of positive psychological functioning.
• Circadian rhythm is the physical, mental, and behavioral changes that happen in a 24-hour cycle.
• Circadian disruption from irregular sleep-wake patterns increases the risk of cancer, metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease, infertility, and mental health issues.

Humans Haven't Adapted For Artificial Light

• Exposure to blue light after dark has a pro-depressive effect and impacts the dopamine system.
• Modern access to constant light has negative consequences as humans have not adapted to artificial light.
• People have evolved to sleep and wake up in alignment with the natural light-dark cycle.

Conclusion

• Our relationship with light directly influences our health trajectory.
• Circadian rhythm and sleep-wake timing play a vital role in promoting health.

The Myths Around Sleep

• Sleep regularity predicts all-cause mortality independently of sleep duration.
• Variability in sleep onset and offset times can impact markers of recovery and heart rate variability.
• Reduced circulating melatonin due to unstable sleep patterns can lead to inflammation and vulnerability to diseases.

Impact of Lack of Sleep

• Lack of sleep can reduce the release of human growth hormone, impacting physical restoration and regeneration.
• Consistently getting decent sleep and stabilizing sleep wake time is important for recovery and restoration after physical activities.

Preventive Effect of Sleep Pattern

• Stabilizing sleep wake time can predict GPA and other performance metrics, benefiting high performers like athletes.
• Maintaining a consistent sleep wake pattern has prevented sickness for the speaker since 2017.
• Stabilizing wake-up time is crucial, even if going to bed at the same time is not possible, and can help set the circadian rhythm.

Managing Shifts in Sleep Patterns

• Parents and those caring for sick family members may have periods of disrupted sleep patterns.
• Dialing in the feeding window can help mitigate some negative effects of disrupted sleep patterns.

The Best Times To Eat For The Perfect Sleep

• Time restricted feeding and eating refer to the timing of meals in relation to the light-dark cycle.
• Eating within an 8 to 12 hour window can lead to better metabolic outcomes and improved sleep.
• Eating earlier in the day primes the body to utilize nutrients, while consolidating the eating window to 8 to 10 hours can improve metabolic health.
• Stopping eating 2 to 3 hours before sleep improves sleep and recovery, as it allows resources to be allocated to sleep rather than digestion.
• Meal timing significantly impacts sleep, and alcohol and meal timing are the two biggest disruptors of a good night's sleep.

The Positive and Negative Effect Of Exercise On Our Sleep

• Exercising close to bedtime can result in feeling more energized due to adrenaline and cortisol levels, which take time to return to normal.
• Light exposure during exercise, particularly in well-lit gyms, can contribute to feeling more activated, signaling the body to be awake.

The Importance Of Getting Sunlight When We Wake Up

• Getting exposure to natural light, ideally 100,000 lux within 5 to 20 minutes of waking up, signals to the body that it's time to be awake.
• Mimicking daylight and minimizing artificial light exposure before bed helps to protect melatonin release and promote better sleep.

Things To Do For A Perfect Night's Sleep

• Sleep masks are beneficial to block out even minor sources of light, as any artificial light can impair the ability to enter deeper stages of sleep.
• To optimize sleep, the environment should be cold, dark, and quiet, with a stable sleep-wake time and a few hours gap between eating and bedtime.
• Managing stress throughout the day, aligning behaviors with values, and proactively addressing negative stress can contribute to better and more natural sleep.

A Message For People That Aren’t Taking This Information Seriously (00:39:20)

• Seeking to convey a compelling message to individuals struggling to make healthy choices
• Emphasizing the importance of understanding personal values and aligning behaviors with them
• Suggesting the need to identify desired outcomes and make necessary changes, including shedding unsupportive relationships

Growing Up With Addiction (00:45:14)

• Sharing personal experiences of growing up with a parent battling addiction
• Describing feelings of deprioritization and the need for independence
• Reflecting on the impact of a lack of emotional attachments and the importance of addressing related issues as an adult

What Alcohol Is REALLY Doing To Our Sleep

• Alcohol can disrupt sleep onset and lead to sleep fragmentation.
• It reduces melatonin production, impacting sleep quality and circadian rhythms.
• Even small amounts of alcohol can decrease heart rate variability and next-day recovery.
• Moderate alcohol consumption can have negative health implications.

The Effects Of Coffee On Our Sleep

• Caffeine, especially when consumed within 8-12 hours of bedtime, can disrupt sleep onset and quality.

Shift Workers Have A Lower Life Expectancy

• Shift workers, such as healthcare professionals, face a significant reduction in life expectancy and health risks.
• Strategies like time-restricted eating, controlled light exposure, and managing stress may help mitigate the negative effects of shift work.

Mental Health

• Social jet lag, characterized by variability in weekday and weekend sleep schedules, is linked to increased non-suicidal ideation.
• Shift workers, with random sleep-wake times, may be more vulnerable to mental health issues due to circadian disruption and stress management.

How To Reduce Stress In The Moment

• Taking 30 seconds to do the physiological sigh helps reduce anxiety and stress in the moment.
• Physiological sigh involves a double inhale followed by an extended exhale.

Sleep Deprivation & How It Affects Our Actions

• Every 45 minutes of sleep deprivation results in a 5 to 10% decrease in next day mental control and executive function.
• The relationship between sleep debt and performance metrics like executive function and psychological safety, especially for business executives, is significant.
• Sleep debt leads to a decrease in psychological safety among direct reports of leaders, impacting team performance.
• Greater sleep debt leads to an increased risk of accidents, injuries, and a decline in decision-making abilities.

The Relationship Between Sex & Sleep

• Sex with a partner before bed leads to better markers of sleep and recovery.
• Masturbation does not have significant effects on markers of sleep and recovery.
• Ejaculation releases oxytocin, which can have a calming effect and aid in falling asleep.

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What Is HRV & Why Is It So Important?

• HRV stands for heart rate variability
• It is a measure of the time interval between heartbeats and indicates the body's ability to adapt to environmental stress
• A higher heart rate variability indicates better adaptation to stress
• Heart rate variability is variable and impacted by genetics, gender, biological sex, and age
• Higher heart rate variability is generally better and correlates with better overall health

Why The Relationship We Have With Ourselves Is So Important To Our Sleep - The Psychological Effects

• HRV is linked to immunity and psychological well-being
• Expressing gratitude and maintaining a growth mindset can positively impact psychological functioning and overall well-being
• Believing in the potential for growth and feeling optimistic about the future is associated with a more positive impact on one's health and physiological markers

The Importance Of A Growth Mindset & Positivity

• The idea of a growth mindset can counteract stress and enhance productivity
• Factors such as physiological health, stress management, and purpose can influence mindset
• There is a two-way link between actions and feelings, and focusing on actions can influence feelings

What To Do If You Have A Motivation Problem

• Understanding how to produce energy is crucial for motivation
• Appraisal and perception influence energy production and motivation
• Helping individuals understand their personal reasons for showing up every day can increase motivation
• Creating a challenging environment can make individuals excited about their work
• Breaking out of a downward reinforcing spiral starts with making one different decision

Writing Down Your Values

• Regularly revisiting and writing down personal values is important
• Values such as growth, impact, tolerance, compassion, and presence can guide decision-making
• Understanding how values look in action helps in practicing these behaviors
• Living one's values is more important than achieving specific goals
• Focusing on living values leads to consistent performance and personal growth