🎓 Insights from Dr. Amy Bender, PhD in Sleep Science — as interviewed by Dr. Andy Galpin

😴 Why You Should Care

You're not tired — you're under-recovered.
Sleep isn’t just when your body rests. It’s when it repairs, rebuilds, and regulates everything from muscle growth to mental clarity.

Dr. Amy Bender’s research with Olympic athletes, NASA, and peak performers reveals this truth:

🔬 What the Science Shows:

1. Sleep builds your body.
During deep sleep, your body releases growth hormone — the real repair agent. No deep sleep = poor tissue healing, muscle gain, and recovery.

2. Poor sleep breaks your metabolism.
Even short-term sleep loss disrupts glucose regulation and drives insulin resistance — increasing fat storage and hunger.

3. Skill learning happens while you sleep.
Sleep is key for motor learning — it helps you lock in everything from strength movements to jiu-jitsu sequences and complex thinking.

4. One bad night of sleep = cognitive impairment.
Just 5–6 hours of sleep for a few days leads to reaction times worse than someone legally drunk. That affects mood, decisions, and coordination.

🛠️ How to Fix Your Sleep (Starting Tonight):

✅ Wake up at the same time every day — even weekends.
Wake time matters more than bedtime for locking in your circadian rhythm.

✅ Get bright natural light within 30–60 minutes of waking.
Sunlight tells your brain it's daytime, setting the internal clock.

✅ Exercise early or midday — not right before bed.
Late-night high intensity workouts delay melatonin release and disrupt sleep onset.

✅ Block blue light 1–2 hours before bed.
Screens, LED lights, and TVs signal your brain to stay awake. Use blue-light blockers or switch to warm light.

✅ Wind down with a routine.
Breathing exercises, stretching, reading, or dimming the lights can signal your body it’s time to sleep.

✅ Avoid food, caffeine, and alcohol late in the day.
• No food within 2–3 hrs of sleep
• No caffeine after 12 p.m.
• No alcohol within 3 hrs of sleep — it fragments deep sleep

✅ Cool down your environment.
Optimal sleep temp: 60–67°F (15–19°C). Lower temps trigger melatonin and deeper sleep cycles.

✅ Use supplements sparingly:
• Magnesium glycinate (300–400 mg)
• Glycine (3g before bed)
• Apigenin (chamomile extract)
• L-theanine (100–200 mg)
• Melatonin (only microdose: 0.3–1 mg if truly needed)

🧠 Pro Sleep Tools

🛏️ Track sleep (Whoop, Oura, Apple Watch, or even a journal)
🧴 Try nasal strips or mouth taping if you wake up groggy or snore
🪩 Blackout curtains and white noise help block wake triggers

🧠 Quote of the Week

Want to heal faster? Think better? Eat less? Stress less?
✅ Fix your sleep. Everything else compounds from there.

Until next time,
— The Wellness Roll Up Team