My consumption of podcasts rose exponentially this year – partly from trying to distract myself from the painfully long runs of marathon training and partly trying to make the long car trips to a friend in the midlands a bit more productive. I found “Diary of a CEO” for the first time and have really enjoyed some of the topics its covered. But there was one that had a really big effect on me – and it was about sleep. It was so good, I made life changes that day and three months in, they’re still (mostly) sticking. Matthew Walker, a neuroscientist, talks about sleep being an undervalued superpower and that we’re in the middle of a global sleep deprivation crisis brought on through modern life. So here’s a few of the nuggets of gold I took from his work:
Caffeine’s Half-Life
Now as a hardened parent of two small people who’ve both gone through long stages of not going to bed/waking in the night/deciding the day starts at 5.30am, this one was huge. I only started having caffeine when I became a parent because I was so sleep deprived. But now we’re out of the worst of the sleeplessness, lots of caffeine is likely to be doing me more harm than good. I hadn’t realised how long caffeine remains in your system – it has a half life of about 6 hours. Also that while you benefit from boosts of alertness, you’re paying for then in potentially equally big crashes. I’ve switched to decaf in an attempt to make it through the day in gentler waves of alert and tired, and I think it’s made a difference. If only I had the strength of mind to do the same with sugar….
Alcohol‘s Impact
I’d always thought alcohol was good for sleep – I’d certainly always fallen asleep quicker if I’ve had a glass. And this was supported by Matthew’s research – that alcohol helps us get to sleep but he also found that it reduces the quality of your sleep. So even if you manage to sleep longer after a few drinks, you’re still not likely to have felt like you had a great night’s sleep.
Consumption Overload
A really interesting insight was around how technology is designed to trap our minds into consuming – content, adverts and information, and that it’s not just exhausting but it’s stifling communication and creativity. It was another nudge the podcast gave me was trying to set really firm boundaries about screens. It’s so easy to default to bad habits and I hate the hold my phone has over me sometimes. So new me is attempting no screens after 9pm, and bed at 10pm. It’s definitely improved my sleep – the lack of blue light and giving my brain more time to unwind. And an added bonus is that my book count has shot up.
Attempt to Worry Less
I loved his suggestions for how to combat sleeplessness and one thing I’ve definitely taken on board is to not check the clock when you can’t sleep or the kids wake in the night. It does zero good to confirm how tired you are, how frustrating it is and how few hours there are left until morning. It’s been weirdly liberating to let that stress go, sort the kids out and stumble back into bed without worrying how much time you’ve lost.
Summary
The biggest and most shocking headline from the podcast was how vital sleep is to your health. I remember driving home listening to it with a realisation that my kids were literally taking years off my life. While I couldn’t do much to resolve their occasional sleeplessness, I realised it was too important not to control the bits I could. Give it a listen yourself here and see if it changes your relationship with sleep.
Photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash