Shawn Stevenson - How To Hack Your Sleep With These Habits

Circadian medicine and the sleep deprivation epidemic

Stevenson explains that circadian medicine is top-tier science, with all hormone production and neurotransmitters synced to the 24-hour solar day. An estimated 115 million Americans are regularly sleep deprived.

"circadian medicine is really top tier science right now we're synced up with the 24-hour solar day all of our hormone production our neurotransmitters"

One week of sleep deprivation drops testosterone 15%

A study showed that just one week of getting only 5 hours of sleep dropped testosterone by 15%, aging subjects 10 to 15 years hormonally. Testosterone is one of the most sleep-duration-dependent hormones.

"they sleep deprived them for just one week all right so they basically got 5 hours of sleep for one week that one we period their testosterone dropped 15%"

Light pollution disrupts sleep even through skin

A Cornell study showed that a light the size of a quarter behind a subject's knee was enough to disrupt their sleep cycles, demonstrating how sensitive the body is to light pollution even through the skin.

"they put a light the size of a quarter behind their knee and that was a n enough to throw them out of their sleep cycles so it was disrupting their Sleep Quality just by that light exposure behind their knee"

Darkness and melatonin production for sleep quality

Reducing light exposure is one of the fastest ways to improve sleep quality because melatonin requires two prerequisites: darkness and a consistent cyclical production schedule day to day.

"light that is one of the fastest ways to improve your Sleep Quality because melatonin requires basically two prerequisites one is darkness"