What happens in our body and brain when we get good quality sleep? Should we take melatonin? How does sleep change as we age? What effects do alcohol and caffeine have on sleep? What should we eat before bed for optimal sleep? How can we fall asleep faster?

Dr. Michael Breus, one of the world’s leading sleep experts, joins us on the SuperAge podcast this week to share everything we need to know about sleep. From how sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on our body and brain to what we should eat before bed to how sleep changes as we age, Dr. Breus offers his insights in a clear and approachable way.

What you will learn in this episode: 

• What the different stages of sleep are and how much you should get of each
• The efficiency of sleep trackers 
• How sleep changes as we get older
• Everything you need to know about melatonin 
• Why it is imperative to be on a consistent sleep schedule 
• The impact of alcohol and caffeine on our sleep 
• What we should eat before bed
• 3 strategies to fall asleep easier

“We know that our physical restoration occurs while we sleep. We know that your mental restoration occurs while we sleep. We know that that’s when we move information from our short term memory to our long term memory. So, there’s a whole host of physiological processes, cognitive processes, and quite frankly, emotional processes that occur when we sleep.”

“You lose a third of your reaction time almost immediately by losing roughly an hours worth of sleep a night.” 

“When you ain’t sleeping, your body is holding onto fat and holding onto food because it thinks it’s a resource that it needs.” 

“If people get one thing from this whole talk: wake up at the same time everyday, including the weekends.” 

Connect with Dr. Michael Breus: 
https://thesleepdoctor.com
https://www.instagram.com/thesleepdoctor/
https://www.facebook.com/thesleepdoctor/
https://twitter.com/thesleepdoctor/
https://www.youtube.com/TheSleepDoctorMichaelBreus

Listen to the SuperAge podcast wherever you get your pods. Available on all streaming channels. 

Say hi to the AGEIST team!