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Welcome back to Jason Eden's Natural Health God's Way. I'm
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your host Carolyn Thompson, and today we're diving into one
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of the most underrated pillars of health sleep. We live
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in a world that praises hustle and glorifies late nights.
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But what if I told you that one of the
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most powerful biohacks for longevity, mood, and mental clarity isn't
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found in a pill or a supplement. It's found in
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the quiet rhythm of a full night's rest. Sleep is
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one of God's simplest gifts, a daily reset designed into
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our very biology, and yet most of us treat it
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as an option. So in this episode, we're going to
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explore how humans used to sleep before electricity change everything,
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and how other cultures still honor rest in ways that
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America has forgotten. Also, what happens to your mind and
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body when you don't sleep enough, and the best natural
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ways to get more sleep, from magnesium glyconate to valerian
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root to reclaim the rest that your body craves. So,
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if you've been running on fumes or if you find
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yourself scrolling long after midnight, this episode is for you.
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So let's talk a little bit about the history of
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human sleep before and after electricity. I read a book
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about this not too long ago, and I forgot the
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name of the book, but I will put it down
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in my notes because it goes over the way electricity
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affected the way people behaved once they started adding it
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to cities, and what they hadn't done any studies on
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the electricity at the time. They had just started researching
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the effects of putting electricity into homes. But when they
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put the first lights up for the first little town,
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people got so excited about having it. They kind of
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threw caution to the wind and decided, we really need
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this everywhere. It was just so exciting for them, And
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then people started having very interesting reactions to the newfound electricity,
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and not just from the light, but also from the
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type of I want to say, like vibrations that were
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coming as a result of the electricity. Well, if you
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go back in time, before the glow of smartphones and
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before Edison's light bulb, before twenty four hour everything before electricity,
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human sleep was guided entirely by nature. Our ancestors rose
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and rested with the sun, and artificial light was limited
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to things like candles, firelight, or oil lamps. So this
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meant that darkness fell and the human body followed behind it.
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You really didn't have an option. You fell asleep with
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the moonlight. So historians and sleep researchers have discovered that
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pre industrial people often practiced what's called by phasic sleep.
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That means that they didn't sleep in one long stretch
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like we do today. Instead, they had what was known
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as first sleep and second sleep. People would go to
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bed shortly after dusk, sleep for four or five hours,
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then naturally wake up around midnight, often to pray, meditate,
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or talk quietly with family, before returning to bed for
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another few hours. This pattern actually matched the body's natural
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circadian rhythm. It was guided by melatonin production, which was
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triggered by the darkness. But when electricity arrived, everything changed.
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The invention of the light bulb in the late eighteen
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hundreds allowed humans to extend the day artificially. Work hours expanded,
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night life exploded, and suddenly we were no longer bound
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by the sun. Doctor Andrew Huberman from Stamford University explains
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that artificial light, especially blue light, light, signals the brain
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that it's still daytime. It delays melatonin release and throws
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off our internal clock. So while the light bulb gave
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us productivity, it also stole something precious, the natural rhythm
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of rest that God designed for our bodies. Now, we
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do know that there are cultural differences in rest, so
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I'm sure that these descriptions historically are going to vary
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a bit as far as the waking and sleeping. So
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if we look at other cultures and how they approach
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sleep and rest, even today, not just in the past,
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what we discover is that not every country treats sleep
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like an inconvenience. And that might be a revelation to
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some people listening and to some other people who may
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have traveled overseas and decided that they wanted to go
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out to eat or have a lunch. I have found
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out how inconvenient it is to try to get a
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meal in the mid afternoon, because a lot of places
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will shut down and they don't offer food. They come
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back later, and you've got to come back in the
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evening to get a seat and get something to eat.
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So if you don't think ahead like me, you're going
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to get really, really hungry, and you're going to be frustrated,
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and then you're going to realize, Oh, that's right. They
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take a few hours off over here in Italy, so
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I'm going to have to wait to eat because everything's closed.
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So in southern Europe, particularly Italy and Spain, the afternoon siesta,
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that's what it's called. In Spain. I can't remember what
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they call it. In Italy, it's still part of the
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daily rhythm. After the midday meal, mini businesses close for
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two to three hours, allowing workers to rest during the
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hottest part of the day. In Japan, the practice of
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ana murray I don't know if I pronounced that correct
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or not, which means sleeping while present, allows short, respectful
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naps in workplaces or even on trains. It acknowledges the
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human need for rest. In contrast, America glorifies busyness. I'll
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sleep when I'm dead is practically a badge of honor
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in this country, but research shows that lack of sleep
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contributes to heart disease, obesity, depression, and cognitive decline. Cultures
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that honor rest, whether through siestas, long lunches, or sabbath
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like downtime, have lower stress levels and a longer life expectancy.
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Doctor Barbara O'Neill often reminds her audiences that the human
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body heals and detoxifies during deep sleep. Our livers regenerate,
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our brains flush out toxins through the glymphatic system, and
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our hormones rebalance. When we ignore rest, we're not just tired,
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we're actually robbing the body of its chance to restore itself.
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So let's talk about what actually happens when you do
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sleep well. Dave Asprey, the famous biohacker and he's also
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known as the father of biohacking, says that sleep is
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the body's quote upgrade cycle unquote. During sleep, your body
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repairs tissue, balances neurotransmitters, and strengthens the immune system. And
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if you're a doctor burg fan, you might note that
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he says deep sleep boosts growth hormone, which is a
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critical hormone for cellul repair and fat metabolism. So if
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you've been wondering why all of that dieting and exercise
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isn't working quite the way you thought it should, you
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might consider acknowledging your need for deep sleep. He explains
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that people who sleep less than six hours a night
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often struggle with stubborn belly fat and slow metabolism. Because
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their hormonal repair cycle is disrupted. So you don't want
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to You really don't want to take this lightly. You
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would be surprised at the results you could get by
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just simply letting yourself sleep. Sleep also enhances learning and memory.
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During r EM sleep, your brain organizes information. It's like
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cleaning out your mental hard drive. That's why after a
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good night's sleep, problems seem easier to solve. Now, I
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want to stop here just for a minute, because some
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of the most famous billionaires will actually avoid making decisions
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after noon because they believe that their maximum ability to
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make the best decisions happens earlier in the day before
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their brains have filled up with too much information. Now
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I'm paraphrasing, but what it comes down to is that
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if you're really tired, overwhelmed, and you have too much
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going on in your head, you are not equipped to
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make the best business decisions. And this is actually common
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knowledge amongst several billionaires now. Doctor Andrew Huberman points out
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that early morning sunlight helps anchor your circadium rhythm. He
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recommends getting ten minutes of natural light exposed soon after waking,
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even on cloudy days, because it sets a timer for
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your next melotonin release, which is fourteen to sixteen hours later.
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And when it comes to emotional health, human biologist Gary
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Brecca emphasizes that lack of sleep dramatically raises cortisol, which
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is your stress hormone, while lowering serotonin, which is the
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feel good neurotransmitter. So when you're short on sleep, you're
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not just cranky, your brain chemistry is literally off balance. Okay,
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so now let's get practical. What are the best conditions
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for a truly restorative night's sleep. First of all, it
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might surprise you to hear that temperature plays an important part.
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Experts like doctor Huberman consistently show that a cool room
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temperature of sixty eight degrees fahrenheit or twenty degrees celsius
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is ideal. When your core body temperature drops slightly, it
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signals the brain that it's time to rest. Second, we
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look at darkness. Even small amounts of artificial light like
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the glow of a phone or alarm clock, can suppress
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your melatonin. Doctor Ax recommends using blackout curtains and avoiding
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screens at least an hour before bed. Now, third, we
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all know this. We need quiet, right or at least
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calm sound, So if you live in a noisy area,
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white noise or soft instrumental music can mask disruptions. In
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our home, we have to have fans going. We can't
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sleep without the fans. The quiet room gets very loud,
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even if there's nothing going on outside, it's just we
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could hear everything, so we have to have our fans going.
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Some people are lucky enough to live by the ocean
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and they hear the ocean waves, so that's something to consider.
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If you have a really noisy neighborhood, you might look
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into moving like for instance, sometimes we have a lot
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of dogs barking in our neighborhood and it gets a
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bit annoying, but luckily it doesn't happen all of the time.
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Sometimes you can't help it, like we have a storm
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come through and the wind's blowing. But as a regular
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ideal situation, you do want to set yourself up for
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the best night's sleep by following these guidelines. Now, the
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fourth thing is pretty obvious. Comfort people will use weighted
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blankets and they have shown to reduce anxiety by increasing
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serotonin and melotonin. And I myself can't sleep without a blanket,
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even on a hot summer night. I just feel I
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can't sleep, I can't relax without some type of blanket
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on me. A lot of people are like that. So
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these weighted blankets, they mimic the calming effect of being hugged,
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and this triggers the parasympathetic relaxation. So finally, the last
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thing you need, and this is really important and shouldn't
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be taken for granted, is a routine. Going to bed
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and waking up at the same time every day, even
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on weekends, trains your internal clock. Your body thrives on rhythm.
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As doctor Barbara O'Neil says, quote, the body loves habits,
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especially good ones unquote. So what happens when you don't sleep?
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So let's flip the script. Stamford University conducted a famous
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sleep deprivation an experiment led by doctor William Dement in
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the nineteen sixties. Isn't that funny His last name's Dement.
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Dim nt a high school student named Randy Gardner stayed
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awake for two hundred and sixty four hours, that's eleven
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days straight as a part of a science fare project.
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The results were shocking. By day two, his mood deteriorated.
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By day three, his coordination failed by day five, he
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was hallucinating, his memory collapsed, his body temperature fluctuated, and
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he could barely speak coherently. After the experiment, Randy slipped
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for fourteen hours straight, but even decades later, researchers noted
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that prolonged sleep deprivation can cause long term cognitive decline.
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Modern studies confirm that with that experiment proved that sleep
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deprivation impairs judgment, weakens immunity, and even increases the risk
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of cancer due to hormonal disruption. Doctor Andrew Huberman notes
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that lack of sleep reduces glucose metabolism in the brain's
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frontal lobe, the area responsible for decision making and self control.
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That's why after a sleepless night, we crave junk food,
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snap at people, and make impulsive choices. Sleep deprivation also
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triggers insulin resistance, It increases inflammation, and it suppresses testoserone
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in men and progesterone in women. These hormones are vital
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for energy and fertility. Gary Breca explains that when we're exhausted,
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our oxygen utilization drops and our mitochondria, the energy factories
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of our cells, start to underperform. The result fatigue, anxiety,
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and premature aging. Thankfully, God gave us plenty of natural
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tools to support sleep, no pharmaceuticals required. Let's look at
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some of the most effective evidence backed options. Magnesium glycinate.
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Doctor Eric Berg often recommends magnesium glycinate as one of
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the best forms for relaxation. Magnesium helps quiet the nervous system,
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reduce muscle tension, and support melatonin products. Glycinate in particular
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is gentle on the stomach and highly bioavailable. You may
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have heard of this one, Valerian root. I actually have
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a tea for sleeping that has Valerian root in it
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along with some lemon bomb. Valerian has been used since
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Ancient Greece as a natural sedative. It works by increasing
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gobble levels, the same calming neurotransmitter targeted by many anti
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anxiety medications, but without side effects. So the next one
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is lemon bomb. Lemon bomb or also known as melissa officinellis,
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is another calming herb shown to reduce stress and promote sleep.
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It pairs beautifully with camomal or valerian in herbal teas.
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Now that brings us to camomal. You can take this
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in t form. They have it in pill form Camomile's
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mild sedative effects come from an antioxidant called apigenin, which
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binds to receptors in the brain that promote relaxation. Doctor
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Ax recommends drinking camomal tea about thirty to sixty minutes
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before bedtime. And you may have heard of el fianine
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and Gaba. Dave Asprey often stacks al fianine, the amino
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acid found in green tea, with magnesium for an enhanced
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calming effect. Fianine increases alpha brain waves, promoting relaxed focus
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and smoother transition in to sleep. And here's another one.
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I did a podcast on creatine. This one might surprise you.
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Doctor Andrew Huberman and Gary Breckatt have both discussed creatine
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as the supplement used by athletes as a way to
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offset the cognitive effects of sleep deut But creatine helps
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replenish ATP, which is the energy molecule in your brain
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when you miss a night of sleep. Taking three to
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five grams of creatine can help maintain mental clarity and
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reaction time. Of course, it's not a substitute for rest,
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but it's a useful tea. I'm sorry, it's a useful