Treat Sleep Minutes Like Calories, Not All Equal | Shawn Stevenson

NEW DECADE, NEW SLEEP GOALS. So often we glorify not getting enough sleep. We brag about pulling an all-nighter. We “grind” or wake up at the crack of dawn. Some of us think that staying up is helping us achieve our dreams. But sleep is key to our mental and physical health. It even keeps us young. So why do so many of us put quality sleep on the back burner? On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about sleep with a bestselling author on the subject: Shawn Stevenson. Shawn Stevenson is an author of “Sleep Smarter” and creator of The Model Health Show, featured as the #1 Health podcast in the country on iTunes. A graduate of The University of Missouri - St. Louis, Shawn studied business, biology and kinesiology, and went on to be the founder of Advanced Integrative Health Alliance, a company that provides wellness services for individuals and organizations worldwide. Shawn says that often we look at sleep as something we should sacrifice to be more present for other people and our goals. But the word sacrifice actually means “to make sacred.” We need to make sleep a sacred practice that heals our body and mind. So get ready to learn how and why you should have more restful sleep on Episode 896. Some Questions I Ask: What is sleep? (16:00) How bad is sugar for sleep? (28:00) What does the research say about eating before sleep (32:30) What is the optimal evening routine? (52:30) What is the optimal amount of hours of sleep? (1:07:00) In This Episode You Will Learn: The four stages of sleep (19:00) Why you need sleep to produce Human Growth Hormone (21:00) About the REM Rebound Effect The relationship between sleep and aging (40:00) How the body receives melatonin (47:00) Hacks for using technology while preparing for sleep (57:30) Why you should keep your room cold when you sleep (1:02:00)