July 13, 2025 • 31 mins
Your life literally depends on sleep, and in this eye-opening exploration of sleep science, we reveal why this nighttime process might be the most undervalued health tool in your arsenal.
Sleep isn't merely a passive state where your body shuts down. It's an intricately choreographed series of stages, each with distinct physiological purposes that keep your body and mind functioning optimally.
We journey through the four sleep stages that make up each 60-90 minute cycle, from light sleep transitions to the deep restorative phases where physical healing happens, and finally to REM sleep where emotional processing and memory consolidation occur.
Behind this complex sleep architecture lies a fascinating hormonal dance. Adenosine builds up throughout your day creating "sleep pressure," while melatonin responds to darkness to signal bedtime. Cortisol prepares you for morning alertness, and insulin regulation depends on quality sleep. When this delicate system gets disrupted, the consequences are far more serious than just feeling tired - a single night of poor sleep can reduce immune function by 70%, temporarily induce pre-diabetic conditions, and accelerate aging biomarkers.
For those struggling with sleep, I’ll offer practical, evidence-based strategies you can implement tonight: creating a wind-down routine, limiting blue light exposure, establishing consistent sleep-wake times, optimizing bedroom temperature, and more. The science is clear, prioritizing sleep isn't self-indulgent; it's essential maintenance for your body and brain. Better brain function, stronger immunity, stable mood, and even weight management all depend on those precious hours of rest.
Ready to transform your health? Start with better sleep.
Go check out my website for tons of free resources on how to transition towards a healthier diet and lifestyle.
You can download my free plant-based recipes eBook and a ton of other free resources by visiting the Digital Downloads tab of my website at https://www.plantbaseddrjules.com/shop
Don't forget to check out my blog at https://www.plantbaseddrjules.com/blog
You can also watch my educational videos on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMpkQRXb7G-StAotV0dmahQ
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Thanks so much!
Peace, love, plants!
Dr. Jules
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Hey everyone, welcome to Season 2 of the Dr Jules
Plant-Based Podcast, where wediscuss everything from
plant-based nutrition to themain pillars of lifestyle
medicine.
Yo, plant-based buddies, welcomeback to another episode of the
podcast.
Today we're going to be talkingabout sleep and how you need to
(00:38):
sleep, like your life dependson it, because it kind of does.
Sleep is one of the mainlifestyle pillars and people
tend to underestimate how muchsleep or sleep deprivation could
impact your health.
In fact, it probably impactsyour health a lot more than you
think and exponentially morethan any of the health and
(01:02):
wellness trends or fads or hacksthat you can find online.
So let's start by talking aboutone of the most powerful yet
underrated health tools that youhave.
So we'll cover what actuallyhappens during the different
stages of sleep and how hormoneslike adenosine, melatonin,
(01:24):
cortisol and insulin canactually shape your night and
how you sleep, and even shapeyour health.
And then we'll talk about thereal risk associated with sleep
deprivation and spoiler, it'snot just feeling grumpy the next
day.
And then we'll end withpractical and evidence-based
tips on how to sleep better,starting tonight, let's start by
(01:57):
discussing the actual sleepstages and how all of these
sleep stages make up one sleepcycle.
Now, sleep isn't just an on andoff switch, it's actually a
series of complex andrestorative cycles, and each
stage has its own purpose andits own superpower.
Now we cycle through fourdifferent stages multiple times
(02:21):
per night, with each cyclelasting anywhere from 60 to 90
minutes.
Now sleep stage one.
The first stage of the cycle iswhat we call N1, or light sleep
, and this is kind of atransitional phase where your
brain starts to slow down andyou might actually feel muscle
twitches and sometimes you mayactually wake up or feel like
(02:44):
you're falling.
That's an interesting thing.
This concept calledproprioception is a term we
describe, to use your ownself-awareness about your body's
position in space.
So if you close your eyes andlift your arm, you're probably
able to stop it around 90degrees, and if you lift your
(03:08):
right arm over your shoulder,you know in which position your
arm is in.
So that's called proprioceptionand it's basically simply an
awareness of your body'sposition in space.
That's something that you startlosing while you're cycling
through that stage one of sleep,and that's where you kind of
(03:29):
wake up like you're falling andyou're simply just lying in bed.
Now this light sleep stagelasts just a few minutes
anywhere from 5 to 15 minutesdepending on the person and then
you cycle to stage two or N2,which is a true light sleep
stage.
(03:50):
Now, in this stage, your heartrate starts to drop, your actual
body temperature starts to fall, and that's how sleep trackers
or wearable trackers that youmay wear on your wrist or in
your ears can actually startmeasuring in what sleep stage
you're in.
Now, during N2, brain wavesstart to slow, but they have
(04:16):
what we call bursts of activity,which scientists call sleep
spindles.
Now this stage will dominateyour total sleep time and
basically, n2 is the stage thatpreps you for deep sleep.
Now stage three, or N3, is wherethe magic happens for a lot of
(04:40):
people.
That's where physical recoveryhappens and we enter deep sleep,
or what we call slow wave.
Sleep and slow wave are simplywhat we see when people do
polysomnography, which is likeEEG that you wear in a sleep lab
.
It'll measure brainwaveactivity and during this phase
(05:04):
of sleep, the brainwave activitywill be slow, with high peaks
and deep valleys.
Now, during N3, that's wherephysical recovery happens and
that's where growth hormone willbe released and will help with
tissue repair and immuneboosting.
(05:26):
And deep sleep stage three isvital for physical recovery,
memory consolidation and aspecial form of detox where we
clean up cellular debris ormetabolic debris that have
accumulated throughout the day.
Now this is accomplished by ourlymphatic system in our brain,
(05:50):
which we also call theglymphatic system.
It basically removes debris andhelps repair and clean out
toxins that are circulating inbetween and inside of our
neurons and brain cells.
Now, stage three deep sleep isvital, but it's also the hardest
(06:15):
to wake from.
So sometimes when you nap, ifyour nap is not well planned and
is actually too long over 20minutes, for example you might
actually fall into stage three.
Deep sleep.
Now that's great for repair.
But if you wake up during sleepstage three, you may wake up
(06:35):
with something called sleepinertia.
Basically, you're feelinggroggy, you're feeling tired,
you're feeling unrested,wondering if the nap was worth
it to begin with.
But basically that means thateither your nap was a little too
long or just not long enough.
If you're going to nap, youprobably want to nap for
(06:57):
something like either 20 to 25minutes to make sure that you
stay in sleep stage N2, but youdon't enter deep sleep.
And if you enter deep sleep,you want to come out of it,
which usually takes about 90minutes to complete the cycle
where you go back to N2.
So typically sleep would looklike N1, then N2, then deep
(07:21):
sleep, n3, then deep sleep, n3,then you would enter REM sleep
or emotional recovery, and thenyou would go back to N2 and the
cycle continues.
So if your nap is either toolong or not long enough and you
wake up during N3, well, youmight wake up feeling a little
(07:43):
drowsy, and that's normal.
During N3, well, you might wakeup feeling a little drowsy, and
that's normal.
So after sleep stage 3 or N3 ordeep sleep, you enter REM sleep
or rapid eye movement sleep.
Now, during this weird sleepstage, your brain is active but
(08:03):
your body is paralyzed.
So well, your body is paralyzedwhere every single muscle,
skeletal muscle in your body isparalyzed except extraocular
muscles, and that's why, if youwould open up the eyelids, you
would see rapid eye movements.
Now, this is the stage wheredreams happen and, just like in
(08:28):
the way that N3 or deep sleep,stage 3 is mostly for physical
recovery, sleep stage 4, or REMsleep, is for emotional recovery
.
It supports learning, emotionalregulation, memory.
You're dreaming during thatstage and REM sleep length
(08:52):
increases as the night goes on.
So that means that if tomorrowyou put your alarm clock at an
extra early time, you aremissing out on REM sleep, the
stage where mental restorationhappens.
So basically, each sleep stagehas a job.
(09:12):
So when someone asks me whichsleep stage is most important,
they're all important.
You need N1 to make it to N2,and you need N2 to make it to N2
, and you need N2 to make it todeep sleep, stage N3, where you
have body repair, and you needN3 to make it to stage 4, which
is your REM sleep, where brainrepair or emotional repair
(09:36):
happens.
Now let's talk about howhormones like adenosine,
melatonin, cortisol and insulincan actually impact the quality
and the quantity of our sleep.
Now, sleep specialist andexpert, dr Matthew Walker
(10:00):
describes four macros of sleep.
So basically that would besleep quantity you want to aim
for seven to nine hours pernight.
Sleep quality, meaning you wantto sleep enough, but you want
to progress normally and spendenough time in all sleep stages,
including N3 and REM sleep.
(10:22):
You also want to have sleepregularity, meaning that you try
to wake up at the same timeevery day and go to bed every
night so you can develop astrong circadian rhythm where
your hormones and your body.
Basically, they can anticipatewhen you're supposed to go to
(10:43):
bed, because you basically go tosleep and wake up about the
same time every day and then youwant to sleep accordingly to
your chronotype.
Some people are night owls,some people are a morning person
.
Some people will naturally wantto go to bed earlier and wake
up early.
Some people will naturally wantto go to bed late and wake up
(11:04):
later and function optimallywhen they sleep, according to
their chronotype, which isprimarily genetically determined
.
So these four will make up thebulk of how optimal your sleep
routine can be.
But there are a lot of hormonesthat will influence or impact
(11:30):
the quality and the quantity ofyour sleep.
Adenosine is the first one.
Now people know what adenosineis if they've read up on
caffeine.
People who drink a lot ofcoffee or consume caffeine
understand that caffeine is anadenosine receptor blocker.
So adenosine is actually ametabolic byproduct that
(11:54):
accumulates when you're wakingup.
So as soon as you wake up inthe morning and start to do
physical or brain activities,adenosine starts to accumulate.
Now people describe adenosineas the sleep pressure hormone.
As your adenosine levels go upduring the day, your sleepiness
(12:16):
kind of increases in the samedirection, right, so it builds
up all day while you're awake.
It makes you feel sleepy bybinding to receptors in the
brain and then when you drinkcaffeine, it simply blocks
adenosine at the door.
But it blocks the effects ofadenosine, but it doesn't block
(12:39):
it from getting higher or fromaccumulating more, which means
that as soon as the caffeinewears off, the adenosine that
you've accumulated throughoutthe last four or five hours is
ready and able to bind toreceptors that will make you
feel tired.
So the longer you're awake, themore adenosine builds and the
(13:01):
stronger your need to crash andtake a break or take a nap, or
the more you'll feel sleepy.
And that's why people calladenosine the sleep pressure
hormone.
It builds throughout the dayand it makes you feel sleepy.
So right before bed youradenosine is super high and then
(13:21):
when you go to sleep, theadenosine clears and then it
resets in the morning.
As for melatonin, melatonin islike the timekeeper it's
secreted by the pineal glandwhen it gets dark.
So it's actually a hormone thatresponds to light or to
(13:42):
darkness and it regulates yourcircadian rhythm.
Your circadian rhythm is theinternal clock that's telling
you when it's time to sleep.
Now, it doesn't knock you out,it just cues your system.
So, basically, when people takemelatonin and then go to bed
five minutes later and saymelatonin supplements aren't
(14:04):
working, I wasn't feeling drowsyWell, that's not melatonin's
job and that's not how it works.
Melatonin is simply a hormonethat, within 30 to 90 minutes
after it peaks, it cuesues yoursystem for sleep.
So the most important thing isthat you understand.
(14:25):
Melatonin will also increasewhen it gets darker, and for
thousands or even millions ofyears, we didn't have artificial
lights in our rooms or screentime at midnight.
So what happens now is that whenpeople have bright lights on
(14:45):
after supper or at 10 pm, orthey're on their iPad or they're
on their phones, the blue lightemitted by these devices
actually suppress the productionof melatonin, actually suppress
the production of melatonin.
So what happens then is thatyour melatonin that gets
suppressed by all theseartificial lights, is not able
(15:07):
to cue your system to relax andunwind and go to sleep.
And that's why that a lot ofinfluencers are recommending
that people maybe wear glassesthat block blue light, or that
you dim the light after supperor, even better, that as soon as
you wake up, you get exposed tolight from the outside, because
(15:31):
this light will suppressmelatonin and that's what you
want when you're waking up.
If you suppress melatoninconsistently at the same time at
each morning and that yousuppress light exposure at the
same time at night, it helps youreinforce that circadian rhythm
(15:51):
, which will help you get tosleep naturally.
Now the other hormone that'squite important is the morning
wake-up call, or cortisol.
Cortisol, also known as thestress hormone, is not a bad
thing.
We need cortisol to naturallyrise in the morning to help us
(16:15):
feel alert, but we also need itto drop at night to allow
melatonin to rise.
Now, chronic stress keepscortisol high and if you have
high cortisol that blocksmelatonin's effect to help you
cue your sleep and your sleepwill feel light.
(16:36):
It will feel easily disruptedand basically think of cortisol
and melatonin as a seesaw.
Your cortisol is supposed torise as your melatonin falls in
the morning and your cortisol issupposed to plummet as your
melatonin rises at night.
So watching CSI or crimeinvestigation documentaries
(17:00):
right before going to bed isprobably not a good idea, not
just because of the blue lightemitted by screens, but also
because these things physical orpsychological stressors can
absolutely increase cortisolright before you go to bed, and
that's probably why you want todevelop a routine that helps you
(17:22):
unwind, and you probably wantto avoid reading emails or doing
work right before going to bed,because if your body perceives
that as a stressor, it willincrease your cortisol and this
will suppress melatonin just asbright lights would, and this
(17:43):
basically makes it so that yourbody can't fall asleep and your
mind keeps racing.
So if you're one of thesepersons that are constantly
ruminating or reflecting onthings and worrying about
tomorrow likely if you're doingthese things right before going
to bed your cortisol levels arehigh and you're probably having
(18:07):
challenges with falling asleepNow.
The other hormone that canimpact sleep, or that sleep can
impact, is insulin.
Now, insulin people know it asthe blood sugar boss.
It is the hormone that helpsblood sugar go from the
bloodstream inside of your cellsso that you can use it Now.
(18:32):
Sleep helps regulate insulinsensitivity and if you have poor
sleep, it increases insulinresistance and it makes your
blood sugar higher, and onesingle poor night of sleep can
absolutely impair blood glucosemetabolism and make people
(18:53):
pre-diabetic.
We know that people who havesleep apnea and do not sleep
well because they wake upfrequently during the night,
they have impaired blood sugarregulation, and these patients
are at higher risk for havinginsulin resistance diabetes, all
the way to type 2 diabetes.
(19:13):
Now, over time, these thingsincrease the risk of gaining
weight and of having metabolicdysfunction.
Basically, your hormones aren'tjust chilling while you snooze,
they're running a night shiftand they're very important for
(19:34):
helping you regulate sleep.
So what we would expect is thatwhen you wake up in the morning,
adenosine starts to rise as ametabolic byproduct.
Cortisol starts to rise asyou're getting ready to feel
more alert and to take on thestressors of your day.
(19:55):
Exposure to light will suppressmelatonin, which will go down,
and also insulin will typicallystart going up as your melatonin
goes down, as your cortisolgoes up and as you get exposed
to calories.
Now, late at night, yourinsulin should be going down in
(20:19):
preparation for sleep.
Since you're not ingestingcalories, you should also see
your cortisol go down as you'recuing your body to go to sleep.
Your melatonin should start torise as you're reducing your
exposure to bright lights andyour adenosine will start
(20:40):
plummeting as you're goingthrough your normal sleep stage
cycles.
For most people, the issue isrelated directly to chronic
stress, where exposure to highstress will increase stress
hormones, increase insulin andthis will negatively impact the
(21:01):
clearance of of adenosine andthe production of melatonin.
Now there are real risks ofbeing sleep deprived, and it's
okay to have an occasional latenight, but consistent sleep
deprivation is actually no joke,and the science says that one
night of bad sleep can reduceimmune function by up to 70%.
(21:24):
Some studies have shown thatnatural killer cells the immune
cells that fight off cancer candrop by up to 70% after one
night of bad sleep.
Sleep deprivation increasescortisol, it increases
inflammation, it impairs memory,attention and even decision
(21:45):
making.
It disrupts hormonal balance,increases hunger hormones like
ghrelin and decreases satietyhormones like leptin.
And sleep deprivation isdirectly linked to obesity,
heart disease and increases therisk of Alzheimer's, depression
and type 2 diabetes.
(22:05):
Chronic sleep debt is associatedwith higher blood pressure,
higher insulin resistance, mooddisorders and impaired
testosterone and estrogenbalance.
A few nights of bad sleep canreduce testosterone in men by 10
to 15%, and considering thatthe typical decline in
(22:35):
testosterone seen in men isabout 1% per year, that's the
equivalent of aging you 10-15years in a few bad nights sleep.
So let's not forget themicro-sleep danger also.
Just a few seconds of noddingoff at the wheel could lead to
very poor outcomes and fatalaccidents.
Now sleep isn't just a matterof self-care.
It's there for survival andthroughout millions of years of
(23:04):
evolution sleep has beensustained and maintained in all
species.
Now what can we do to sleepbetter?
Practical, science-backed tipsthat could improve the quality
and quantity of our sleep.
Firstly, set a wind-downroutine, maybe an hour or 90
(23:30):
minutes before bed.
Start dimming the lights,disconnect your screens, stretch
, read, do things that helpreduce your exposure to light.
This will naturally help yourmelatonin increase and it'll
also help your cortisol go down.
Help your cortisol go down.
(23:55):
The combination of highadenosine from the day with low
cortisol from a wind-downroutine and high melatonin from
avoidance of bright lights willset the stage for a good night's
sleep.
And when your brain knows thatthis ritual has worked before,
you have positive reinforcementand that can help have
confidence that you will have arestful night's sleep.
(24:19):
So it's important to ditch bluelights.
The blue lights that areemitted by screens or by iPads
or iPhones can absolutely impactthe rise in melatonin that's
supposed to happen.
So some people go as far asputting red lights in their
rooms or in their bathrooms.
Just try to maybe have somedimmers if you can, or soft
(24:46):
lights or lamps.
That would avoid that melatoninsuppression that happens with
bright lights.
You also want to have acaffeine curfew.
Caffeine blocks adenosine, soyou just want to not drink
caffeine after maybe 12 pm orsometimes in the afternoon.
(25:08):
Caffeine's half-life, dependingon the person, can be anywhere
from six to eight hours.
So if you drink two cups ofcoffee at 2 pm, that means that
with a half-life of six to eighthours at eight or nine pm is
almost like you still have a cupof coffee in you and that could
(25:30):
absolutely impact your sleep.
And if you say, well, I candrink coffee at suppertime and
still sleep seven hours, we knowthat caffeine impacts the
progression through the normalsleep cycles.
So if you drink caffeine in theafternoon and we would put you
in a sleep lab, we could stilldetermine that your sleep
(25:54):
quality, the normal progressionthrough the different sleep
cycles, is negatively impacted.
Now, another factor that'scommonly minimized is having the
same bedtime and the same waketime, even on weekends, as often
as possible.
Now, regularity, one of thesleep macros, actually anchors
(26:18):
your circadian rhythm and thinkof it as setting your own
internal clock to auto-sync.
Basically that means that atthe same time every day in the
morning and at night.
That means that at the sametime every day in the morning
and at night, that same cyclehappens reliably with all of the
hormones that are related tocuing your sleep or to cuing
(26:38):
alertness.
Other things that you can do tohelp you sleep better is to
sleep in a cool, dark, quietroom.
The ideal temperature for aroom during sleep is probably
around 20 degrees Celsius or 64to 68 Fahrenheit.
Consider using blackoutcurtains or white noise if
(26:59):
needed.
Make sure to avoid alcohol.
Alcohol may help you fallasleep, but it fragments REM
sleep, and REM sleep is wherethe emotional healing happens.
So even if you can fall asleepbecause you're sedated into
sleep, remember that sedation isnot the same thing as sleep.
(27:21):
It leads to a lighter and lessrestorative sleep.
Basically, it negativelyimpacts sleep quality in the
deep sleep and REM stages, eventhough you might feel like it
helped you fall asleep quicker.
Also, keep in mind that youwant to keep your meals or your
snacks before going to bed aslight as possible.
(27:43):
Heavy meals can absolutely leadto poor sleep and try to not
eat for two to three hoursbefore going to bed.
As soon as you wake up from agood night's sleep, make sure to
get good morning light exposure.
Now, 10 to 20 minutes ofnatural light will help reset
your circadian rhythm bysuppressing melatonin and
(28:08):
increasing cortisol and bonus,it improves your mood and
vitamin D levels.
Also keep in mind that movingduring the day, like regular
exercise, will improve sleeplatency, the time needed to fall
to sleep, and it'll alsoimprove sleep quality.
But also avoid super intenseworkouts too close to bedtime,
(28:32):
because physical activityincreases cortisol levels that
could negatively impact thequality and quantity of your
sleep.
And also make sure to find timeto manage stress maybe
mindfulness, journaling,gratitude journal, meditation,
things like this.
If you can include them duringthat wind down ritual before
(28:55):
going to bed, it'll help reduceyour cortisol levels and cue
your body for good sleep Righton.
So what I want you to take awayfrom this podcast episode is
that sleep isn't a passiveprocess.
It's highly active and it'smetabolically demanding, and
it's essential for your body toheal both physically and
(29:20):
emotionally In deep and REMsleep.
Each play unique yet crucialroles in healing memory and
metabolism.
Adenosine builds sleep pressure, melatonin cues your body and
signals that sleep is coming,cortisol wakes us up in the
(29:41):
morning and insulin keeps thingsmetabolically steady.
In chronic sleep it increasesyour risk for basically
everything from insulinresistance to mood swings, and
sleep deprivation is sodangerous that the World Health
Organization actually classifiednight shift work as an
(30:02):
unofficial carcinogen, becausepeople who work night shifts
have higher rates of cancer thanthe general population.
Now you can fix your sleep withsmall intentional changes that
you hopefully will start tonight.
Sedation from sleeping pillsdoes not reproduce the sleep
(30:27):
quantity and quality that youcan have naturally through a
good sleep hygiene routine, winddown routine and behaviors that
help set the stage for all ofthe hormones impacted by your
circadian rhythm.
If you want a better brain, astronger body, a calmer mood and
(30:51):
a leaner waistline, get moresleep Right on.
Thanks so much for listening.
I hope that you've learnedsomething during this podcast
episode.
Sweet dreams, stay curious,stay rested, peace.
(31:16):
Hey, everyone, go check out mywebsite plantbaseddoctorjulescom
to find free downloadableresources and remember that you
can find me on Facebook andInstagram at DrJulesCormier, and
on YouTube at Plant Based DrJules Cormier, and on YouTube at
Plant Based Dr Jules.
Hey everyone, welcome to Season 2 of the Dr Jules
Plant-Based Podcast, where wediscuss everything from
plant-based nutrition to themain pillars of lifestyle
medicine.
Yo, plant-based buddies, welcomeback to another episode of the
podcast.
Today we're going to be talkingabout sleep and how you need to
(00:38):
sleep, like your life dependson it, because it kind of does.
Sleep is one of the mainlifestyle pillars and people
tend to underestimate how muchsleep or sleep deprivation could
impact your health.
In fact, it probably impactsyour health a lot more than you
think and exponentially morethan any of the health and
(01:02):
wellness trends or fads or hacksthat you can find online.
So let's start by talking aboutone of the most powerful yet
underrated health tools that youhave.
So we'll cover what actuallyhappens during the different
stages of sleep and how hormoneslike adenosine, melatonin,
(01:24):
cortisol and insulin canactually shape your night and
how you sleep, and even shapeyour health.
And then we'll talk about thereal risk associated with sleep
deprivation and spoiler, it'snot just feeling grumpy the next
day.
And then we'll end withpractical and evidence-based
tips on how to sleep better,starting tonight, let's start by
(01:57):
discussing the actual sleepstages and how all of these
sleep stages make up one sleepcycle.
Now, sleep isn't just an on andoff switch, it's actually a
series of complex andrestorative cycles, and each
stage has its own purpose andits own superpower.
Now we cycle through fourdifferent stages multiple times
(02:21):
per night, with each cyclelasting anywhere from 60 to 90
minutes.
Now sleep stage one.
The first stage of the cycle iswhat we call N1, or light sleep
, and this is kind of atransitional phase where your
brain starts to slow down andyou might actually feel muscle
twitches and sometimes you mayactually wake up or feel like
(02:44):
you're falling.
That's an interesting thing.
This concept calledproprioception is a term we
describe, to use your ownself-awareness about your body's
position in space.
So if you close your eyes andlift your arm, you're probably
able to stop it around 90degrees, and if you lift your
(03:08):
right arm over your shoulder,you know in which position your
arm is in.
So that's called proprioceptionand it's basically simply an
awareness of your body'sposition in space.
That's something that you startlosing while you're cycling
through that stage one of sleep,and that's where you kind of
(03:29):
wake up like you're falling andyou're simply just lying in bed.
Now this light sleep stagelasts just a few minutes
anywhere from 5 to 15 minutesdepending on the person and then
you cycle to stage two or N2,which is a true light sleep
stage.
(03:50):
Now, in this stage, your heartrate starts to drop, your actual
body temperature starts to fall, and that's how sleep trackers
or wearable trackers that youmay wear on your wrist or in
your ears can actually startmeasuring in what sleep stage
you're in.
Now, during N2, brain wavesstart to slow, but they have
(04:16):
what we call bursts of activity,which scientists call sleep
spindles.
Now this stage will dominateyour total sleep time and
basically, n2 is the stage thatpreps you for deep sleep.
Now stage three, or N3, is wherethe magic happens for a lot of
(04:40):
people.
That's where physical recoveryhappens and we enter deep sleep,
or what we call slow wave.
Sleep and slow wave are simplywhat we see when people do
polysomnography, which is likeEEG that you wear in a sleep lab
.
It'll measure brainwaveactivity and during this phase
(05:04):
of sleep, the brainwave activitywill be slow, with high peaks
and deep valleys.
Now, during N3, that's wherephysical recovery happens and
that's where growth hormone willbe released and will help with
tissue repair and immuneboosting.
(05:26):
And deep sleep stage three isvital for physical recovery,
memory consolidation and aspecial form of detox where we
clean up cellular debris ormetabolic debris that have
accumulated throughout the day.
Now this is accomplished by ourlymphatic system in our brain,
(05:50):
which we also call theglymphatic system.
It basically removes debris andhelps repair and clean out
toxins that are circulating inbetween and inside of our
neurons and brain cells.
Now, stage three deep sleep isvital, but it's also the hardest
(06:15):
to wake from.
So sometimes when you nap, ifyour nap is not well planned and
is actually too long over 20minutes, for example you might
actually fall into stage three.
Deep sleep.
Now that's great for repair.
But if you wake up during sleepstage three, you may wake up
(06:35):
with something called sleepinertia.
Basically, you're feelinggroggy, you're feeling tired,
you're feeling unrested,wondering if the nap was worth
it to begin with.
But basically that means thateither your nap was a little too
long or just not long enough.
If you're going to nap, youprobably want to nap for
(06:57):
something like either 20 to 25minutes to make sure that you
stay in sleep stage N2, but youdon't enter deep sleep.
And if you enter deep sleep,you want to come out of it,
which usually takes about 90minutes to complete the cycle
where you go back to N2.
So typically sleep would looklike N1, then N2, then deep
(07:21):
sleep, n3, then deep sleep, n3,then you would enter REM sleep
or emotional recovery, and thenyou would go back to N2 and the
cycle continues.
So if your nap is either toolong or not long enough and you
wake up during N3, well, youmight wake up feeling a little
(07:43):
drowsy, and that's normal.
During N3, well, you might wakeup feeling a little drowsy, and
that's normal.
So after sleep stage 3 or N3 ordeep sleep, you enter REM sleep
or rapid eye movement sleep.
Now, during this weird sleepstage, your brain is active but
(08:03):
your body is paralyzed.
So well, your body is paralyzedwhere every single muscle,
skeletal muscle in your body isparalyzed except extraocular
muscles, and that's why, if youwould open up the eyelids, you
would see rapid eye movements.
Now, this is the stage wheredreams happen and, just like in
(08:28):
the way that N3 or deep sleep,stage 3 is mostly for physical
recovery, sleep stage 4, or REMsleep, is for emotional recovery
.
It supports learning, emotionalregulation, memory.
You're dreaming during thatstage and REM sleep length
(08:52):
increases as the night goes on.
So that means that if tomorrowyou put your alarm clock at an
extra early time, you aremissing out on REM sleep, the
stage where mental restorationhappens.
So basically, each sleep stagehas a job.
(09:12):
So when someone asks me whichsleep stage is most important,
they're all important.
You need N1 to make it to N2,and you need N2 to make it to N2
, and you need N2 to make it todeep sleep, stage N3, where you
have body repair, and you needN3 to make it to stage 4, which
is your REM sleep, where brainrepair or emotional repair
(09:36):
happens.
Now let's talk about howhormones like adenosine,
melatonin, cortisol and insulincan actually impact the quality
and the quantity of our sleep.
Now, sleep specialist andexpert, dr Matthew Walker
(10:00):
describes four macros of sleep.
So basically that would besleep quantity you want to aim
for seven to nine hours pernight.
Sleep quality, meaning you wantto sleep enough, but you want
to progress normally and spendenough time in all sleep stages,
including N3 and REM sleep.
(10:22):
You also want to have sleepregularity, meaning that you try
to wake up at the same timeevery day and go to bed every
night so you can develop astrong circadian rhythm where
your hormones and your body.
Basically, they can anticipatewhen you're supposed to go to
(10:43):
bed, because you basically go tosleep and wake up about the
same time every day and then youwant to sleep accordingly to
your chronotype.
Some people are night owls,some people are a morning person
.
Some people will naturally wantto go to bed earlier and wake
up early.
Some people will naturally wantto go to bed late and wake up
(11:04):
later and function optimallywhen they sleep, according to
their chronotype, which isprimarily genetically determined
.
So these four will make up thebulk of how optimal your sleep
routine can be.
But there are a lot of hormonesthat will influence or impact
(11:30):
the quality and the quantity ofyour sleep.
Adenosine is the first one.
Now people know what adenosineis if they've read up on
caffeine.
People who drink a lot ofcoffee or consume caffeine
understand that caffeine is anadenosine receptor blocker.
So adenosine is actually ametabolic byproduct that
(11:54):
accumulates when you're wakingup.
So as soon as you wake up inthe morning and start to do
physical or brain activities,adenosine starts to accumulate.
Now people describe adenosineas the sleep pressure hormone.
As your adenosine levels go upduring the day, your sleepiness
(12:16):
kind of increases in the samedirection, right, so it builds
up all day while you're awake.
It makes you feel sleepy bybinding to receptors in the
brain and then when you drinkcaffeine, it simply blocks
adenosine at the door.
But it blocks the effects ofadenosine, but it doesn't block
(12:39):
it from getting higher or fromaccumulating more, which means
that as soon as the caffeinewears off, the adenosine that
you've accumulated throughoutthe last four or five hours is
ready and able to bind toreceptors that will make you
feel tired.
So the longer you're awake, themore adenosine builds and the
(13:01):
stronger your need to crash andtake a break or take a nap, or
the more you'll feel sleepy.
And that's why people calladenosine the sleep pressure
hormone.
It builds throughout the dayand it makes you feel sleepy.
So right before bed youradenosine is super high and then
(13:21):
when you go to sleep, theadenosine clears and then it
resets in the morning.
As for melatonin, melatonin islike the timekeeper it's
secreted by the pineal glandwhen it gets dark.
So it's actually a hormone thatresponds to light or to
(13:42):
darkness and it regulates yourcircadian rhythm.
Your circadian rhythm is theinternal clock that's telling
you when it's time to sleep.
Now, it doesn't knock you out,it just cues your system.
So, basically, when people takemelatonin and then go to bed
five minutes later and saymelatonin supplements aren't
(14:04):
working, I wasn't feeling drowsyWell, that's not melatonin's
job and that's not how it works.
Melatonin is simply a hormonethat, within 30 to 90 minutes
after it peaks, it cuesues yoursystem for sleep.
So the most important thing isthat you understand.
(14:25):
Melatonin will also increasewhen it gets darker, and for
thousands or even millions ofyears, we didn't have artificial
lights in our rooms or screentime at midnight.
So what happens now is that whenpeople have bright lights on
(14:45):
after supper or at 10 pm, orthey're on their iPad or they're
on their phones, the blue lightemitted by these devices
actually suppress the productionof melatonin, actually suppress
the production of melatonin.
So what happens then is thatyour melatonin that gets
suppressed by all theseartificial lights, is not able
(15:07):
to cue your system to relax andunwind and go to sleep.
And that's why that a lot ofinfluencers are recommending
that people maybe wear glassesthat block blue light, or that
you dim the light after supperor, even better, that as soon as
you wake up, you get exposed tolight from the outside, because
(15:31):
this light will suppressmelatonin and that's what you
want when you're waking up.
If you suppress melatoninconsistently at the same time at
each morning and that yousuppress light exposure at the
same time at night, it helps youreinforce that circadian rhythm
(15:51):
, which will help you get tosleep naturally.
Now the other hormone that'squite important is the morning
wake-up call, or cortisol.
Cortisol, also known as thestress hormone, is not a bad
thing.
We need cortisol to naturallyrise in the morning to help us
(16:15):
feel alert, but we also need itto drop at night to allow
melatonin to rise.
Now, chronic stress keepscortisol high and if you have
high cortisol that blocksmelatonin's effect to help you
cue your sleep and your sleepwill feel light.
(16:36):
It will feel easily disruptedand basically think of cortisol
and melatonin as a seesaw.
Your cortisol is supposed torise as your melatonin falls in
the morning and your cortisol issupposed to plummet as your
melatonin rises at night.
So watching CSI or crimeinvestigation documentaries
(17:00):
right before going to bed isprobably not a good idea, not
just because of the blue lightemitted by screens, but also
because these things physical orpsychological stressors can
absolutely increase cortisolright before you go to bed, and
that's probably why you want todevelop a routine that helps you
(17:22):
unwind, and you probably wantto avoid reading emails or doing
work right before going to bed,because if your body perceives
that as a stressor, it willincrease your cortisol and this
will suppress melatonin just asbright lights would, and this
(17:43):
basically makes it so that yourbody can't fall asleep and your
mind keeps racing.
So if you're one of thesepersons that are constantly
ruminating or reflecting onthings and worrying about
tomorrow likely if you're doingthese things right before going
to bed your cortisol levels arehigh and you're probably having
(18:07):
challenges with falling asleepNow.
The other hormone that canimpact sleep, or that sleep can
impact, is insulin.
Now, insulin people know it asthe blood sugar boss.
It is the hormone that helpsblood sugar go from the
bloodstream inside of your cellsso that you can use it Now.
(18:32):
Sleep helps regulate insulinsensitivity and if you have poor
sleep, it increases insulinresistance and it makes your
blood sugar higher, and onesingle poor night of sleep can
absolutely impair blood glucosemetabolism and make people
(18:53):
pre-diabetic.
We know that people who havesleep apnea and do not sleep
well because they wake upfrequently during the night,
they have impaired blood sugarregulation, and these patients
are at higher risk for havinginsulin resistance diabetes, all
the way to type 2 diabetes.
(19:13):
Now, over time, these thingsincrease the risk of gaining
weight and of having metabolicdysfunction.
Basically, your hormones aren'tjust chilling while you snooze,
they're running a night shiftand they're very important for
(19:34):
helping you regulate sleep.
So what we would expect is thatwhen you wake up in the morning,
adenosine starts to rise as ametabolic byproduct.
Cortisol starts to rise asyou're getting ready to feel
more alert and to take on thestressors of your day.
(19:55):
Exposure to light will suppressmelatonin, which will go down,
and also insulin will typicallystart going up as your melatonin
goes down, as your cortisolgoes up and as you get exposed
to calories.
Now, late at night, yourinsulin should be going down in
(20:19):
preparation for sleep.
Since you're not ingestingcalories, you should also see
your cortisol go down as you'recuing your body to go to sleep.
Your melatonin should start torise as you're reducing your
exposure to bright lights andyour adenosine will start
(20:40):
plummeting as you're goingthrough your normal sleep stage
cycles.
For most people, the issue isrelated directly to chronic
stress, where exposure to highstress will increase stress
hormones, increase insulin andthis will negatively impact the
(21:01):
clearance of of adenosine andthe production of melatonin.
Now there are real risks ofbeing sleep deprived, and it's
okay to have an occasional latenight, but consistent sleep
deprivation is actually no joke,and the science says that one
night of bad sleep can reduceimmune function by up to 70%.
(21:24):
Some studies have shown thatnatural killer cells the immune
cells that fight off cancer candrop by up to 70% after one
night of bad sleep.
Sleep deprivation increasescortisol, it increases
inflammation, it impairs memory,attention and even decision
(21:45):
making.
It disrupts hormonal balance,increases hunger hormones like
ghrelin and decreases satietyhormones like leptin.
And sleep deprivation isdirectly linked to obesity,
heart disease and increases therisk of Alzheimer's, depression
and type 2 diabetes.
(22:05):
Chronic sleep debt is associatedwith higher blood pressure,
higher insulin resistance, mooddisorders and impaired
testosterone and estrogenbalance.
A few nights of bad sleep canreduce testosterone in men by 10
to 15%, and considering thatthe typical decline in
(22:35):
testosterone seen in men isabout 1% per year, that's the
equivalent of aging you 10-15years in a few bad nights sleep.
So let's not forget themicro-sleep danger also.
Just a few seconds of noddingoff at the wheel could lead to
very poor outcomes and fatalaccidents.
Now sleep isn't just a matterof self-care.
It's there for survival andthroughout millions of years of
(23:04):
evolution sleep has beensustained and maintained in all
species.
Now what can we do to sleepbetter?
Practical, science-backed tipsthat could improve the quality
and quantity of our sleep.
Firstly, set a wind-downroutine, maybe an hour or 90
(23:30):
minutes before bed.
Start dimming the lights,disconnect your screens, stretch
, read, do things that helpreduce your exposure to light.
This will naturally help yourmelatonin increase and it'll
also help your cortisol go down.
Help your cortisol go down.
(23:55):
The combination of highadenosine from the day with low
cortisol from a wind-downroutine and high melatonin from
avoidance of bright lights willset the stage for a good night's
sleep.
And when your brain knows thatthis ritual has worked before,
you have positive reinforcementand that can help have
confidence that you will have arestful night's sleep.
(24:19):
So it's important to ditch bluelights.
The blue lights that areemitted by screens or by iPads
or iPhones can absolutely impactthe rise in melatonin that's
supposed to happen.
So some people go as far asputting red lights in their
rooms or in their bathrooms.
Just try to maybe have somedimmers if you can, or soft
(24:46):
lights or lamps.
That would avoid that melatoninsuppression that happens with
bright lights.
You also want to have acaffeine curfew.
Caffeine blocks adenosine, soyou just want to not drink
caffeine after maybe 12 pm orsometimes in the afternoon.
(25:08):
Caffeine's half-life, dependingon the person, can be anywhere
from six to eight hours.
So if you drink two cups ofcoffee at 2 pm, that means that
with a half-life of six to eighthours at eight or nine pm is
almost like you still have a cupof coffee in you and that could
(25:30):
absolutely impact your sleep.
And if you say, well, I candrink coffee at suppertime and
still sleep seven hours, we knowthat caffeine impacts the
progression through the normalsleep cycles.
So if you drink caffeine in theafternoon and we would put you
in a sleep lab, we could stilldetermine that your sleep
(25:54):
quality, the normal progressionthrough the different sleep
cycles, is negatively impacted.
Now, another factor that'scommonly minimized is having the
same bedtime and the same waketime, even on weekends, as often
as possible.
Now, regularity, one of thesleep macros, actually anchors
(26:18):
your circadian rhythm and thinkof it as setting your own
internal clock to auto-sync.
Basically that means that atthe same time every day in the
morning and at night.
That means that at the sametime every day in the morning
and at night, that same cyclehappens reliably with all of the
hormones that are related tocuing your sleep or to cuing
(26:38):
alertness.
Other things that you can do tohelp you sleep better is to
sleep in a cool, dark, quietroom.
The ideal temperature for aroom during sleep is probably
around 20 degrees Celsius or 64to 68 Fahrenheit.
Consider using blackoutcurtains or white noise if
(26:59):
needed.
Make sure to avoid alcohol.
Alcohol may help you fallasleep, but it fragments REM
sleep, and REM sleep is wherethe emotional healing happens.
So even if you can fall asleepbecause you're sedated into
sleep, remember that sedation isnot the same thing as sleep.
(27:21):
It leads to a lighter and lessrestorative sleep.
Basically, it negativelyimpacts sleep quality in the
deep sleep and REM stages, eventhough you might feel like it
helped you fall asleep quicker.
Also, keep in mind that youwant to keep your meals or your
snacks before going to bed aslight as possible.
(27:43):
Heavy meals can absolutely leadto poor sleep and try to not
eat for two to three hoursbefore going to bed.
As soon as you wake up from agood night's sleep, make sure to
get good morning light exposure.
Now, 10 to 20 minutes ofnatural light will help reset
your circadian rhythm bysuppressing melatonin and
(28:08):
increasing cortisol and bonus,it improves your mood and
vitamin D levels.
Also keep in mind that movingduring the day, like regular
exercise, will improve sleeplatency, the time needed to fall
to sleep, and it'll alsoimprove sleep quality.
But also avoid super intenseworkouts too close to bedtime,
(28:32):
because physical activityincreases cortisol levels that
could negatively impact thequality and quantity of your
sleep.
And also make sure to find timeto manage stress maybe
mindfulness, journaling,gratitude journal, meditation,
things like this.
If you can include them duringthat wind down ritual before
(28:55):
going to bed, it'll help reduceyour cortisol levels and cue
your body for good sleep Righton.
So what I want you to take awayfrom this podcast episode is
that sleep isn't a passiveprocess.
It's highly active and it'smetabolically demanding, and
it's essential for your body toheal both physically and
(29:20):
emotionally In deep and REMsleep.
Each play unique yet crucialroles in healing memory and
metabolism.
Adenosine builds sleep pressure, melatonin cues your body and
signals that sleep is coming,cortisol wakes us up in the
(29:41):
morning and insulin keeps thingsmetabolically steady.
In chronic sleep it increasesyour risk for basically
everything from insulinresistance to mood swings, and
sleep deprivation is sodangerous that the World Health
Organization actually classifiednight shift work as an
(30:02):
unofficial carcinogen, becausepeople who work night shifts
have higher rates of cancer thanthe general population.
Now you can fix your sleep withsmall intentional changes that
you hopefully will start tonight.
Sedation from sleeping pillsdoes not reproduce the sleep
(30:27):
quantity and quality that youcan have naturally through a
good sleep hygiene routine, winddown routine and behaviors that
help set the stage for all ofthe hormones impacted by your
circadian rhythm.
If you want a better brain, astronger body, a calmer mood and
(30:51):
a leaner waistline, get moresleep Right on.
Thanks so much for listening.
I hope that you've learnedsomething during this podcast
episode.
Sweet dreams, stay curious,stay rested, peace.
(31:16):
Hey, everyone, go check out mywebsite plantbaseddoctorjulescom
to find free downloadableresources and remember that you
can find me on Facebook andInstagram at DrJulesCormier, and
on YouTube at Plant Based DrJules Cormier, and on YouTube at
Plant Based Dr Jules.
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