Jan 11, 2021
Episode 56 - Sleep Science: Recovery, Memory, Repair
Insomnia and sleep disorders are incredibly prevalent in America. Nearly 70 million Americans have a sleep disorder, insomnia being chief amongst them. 30% of adults report experiencing short term insomnia; 10% report long term insomnia (nearly 33 million adults!). It is recommended that we get 7-9 hours of sleep, yet 35% of adults get less than the recommended amount of sleep. Insomnia, anxiety, and depression rates increased in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and uncertainty in the economy. Lack of sleep and poor sleep quality is associated with numerous chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's, cancer, infections, stress, heart disease & more.
Our "hustle" culture places emphasis on getting things done while sacrificing sleep and rest. Paradoxically lack of sleep impairs our cognition and makes it harder to complete the tasks we set out to accomplish. In this episode, we discuss the anatomy of sleep, why we sleep, the four stages of sleep, REM vs…