How to get more sleep, lose weight and gain health

You can loose 50 pounds without changing

what you eat or doing 1 minute of exercise

Hi. This is Dr. Mark Hyman. Welcome back.

OK. What you eat and exercise are actually important,

but what most people don't know is that sleep deprivation makes you fat.

And it leads to depression, pain, heart disease, diabetes and much more.

In fact, besides eating whole foods and moving your body,

getting enough sleep is the most important thing you can do for your health.

In fact, one of my patients had sleep apnea - it's a condition where you have interrupted sleep all night

because your airway closes off so your body startles awake and you don't suffocate -

well, it's a very common problem. It's way underdiagnosed.

It affects 18 million people in America, and most are not treated.

90 percent are not diagnosed.

So anyway, one of my patients was so tired he had to stand up at his computer at work during the day so he wouldn't fall asleep.

His wife reported horrific snoring and gasping episodes at night and he fell asleep at the wheel when driving.

And he would fall right asleep as soon as he sat down to watch TV.

When we got his sleep apnea diagnosed with a sleep study in the sleep lab,

And got him treated with a device to keep his airway open at night,

He lost 50 pounds. His blood pressure returned to normal.

And he got his life back!

Those with sleep apnea are not the only ones in trouble.

It's estimated that 70 percent of Americans are sleep deprived.

Let me tell you - the era of Starbuck's has been surpassed

By the prescription stimulants to keep people awake and functioning

Like Dexedrine or Ritalin, otherwise known as "speed" or amphetamines, right?

Surprisingly, I see an increasing number of patients,

Not prescribed by me, but prescribed these uppers by their psychiatrists,

Because coffee is not enough.

I mean, if we can't do ten things at once, there must be something wrong with us, right?

Wrong!

Our bodies and our biological rhythms that keep us healthy

Produce cyclic pulses of healing and repair hormones,

including melatonin and growth hormone.

And when those rhythms are disturbed by inadequate or insufficient sleep,

Disease and breakdown really get the upper hand.

Now most of us need at least eight hours of restful sleep a night.

Getting this is more and more difficult.

I mean, we evolved with the rhythms of day and night.

They used to signal us to a whole cascade of hormonal, neurochemical reactions

that keep us healthy by repairing our DNA,

Building tissues and muscle, repairing our bodies,

Regulating our weight and our mood chemicals;

and the advent of the light bulb changed everything.

When I learned that shift work, like I did in the emergency room,

Leads to shortened life expectancy,

I quit!

When we are sleep deprived, our cortisol levels rise

With all its harmful effects - it's a stress hormone -

including brain damage and dementia, weight gain,

diabetes, heart attacks, high blood pressure,

depression, osteoporosis, depressed immune system, and lots more.

Good sleep is not something that just happens,

unless you're a baby or a teenager, maybe.

There are clearly defined things that interfere with, or support healthy sleep.

Follow these guidelines to restore your natural sleep rhythm.

It may take weeks or months, but using these tools in a coordinated way

will eventually reset your biological rhythms.

First thing you have to do is prioritize sleep.

I thought - M.D. stood for Medical Deity.

That meant I didn't have to follow the same sleep rules as every other human being.

Was I wrong!

I got very sick from all the sleep deprivation.

Our lives are infiltrated with stimuli, and we keep stimulating until the moment

we get into bed.

This is not the way to get restful sleep.

Is it any wonder that we can't sleep well when we eat a late dinner,

or answer e-mails, surf the net, or do work

and get right into bed, watch the evening news,

all about disaster, pain and suffering in the world?

We must take a little holiday at the end of the day.

In the two hours before bed.

Maybe you can create a sleep ritual,

a special little set of things you do

before you get into bed, to help you ready your system

physically and psychologically for sleep.

And these can guide your body into a deep and healing sleep.

We all live with a bit of post-traumatic stress syndrome,

or maybe we should say traumatic stress syndrome,

because for many of us there's nothing "post" about it, right?

Now much research has actually been done on the effects of sleep and traumatic experiences

and images on sleep, and if you follow the guidelines for restoring normal sleep here,

your post-traumatic stress, or your traumatic stress,

may truly become a thing of the past.

OK. Now here's how to get a good night's sleep.

Practice regular rhythms of sleep.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and try not to nap.

And only use your bed for sleep and sex.

No reading or television.

Create an esthetic environment that's helpful for sleep

by using serene and restful colors in your bedroom.

Get rid of clutter and distraction.

Create total darkness and quiet.

Maybe even consider eyeshades and earplugs.

Avoid caffeine.

Now it may seem to help you stay awake, but it actually makes your sleep worse.

Avoid alcohol.

It helps you get to sleep, but makes your sleep interrupted

and at much poorer quality.

And get regular exposure to daylight for at least 20 minutes a day.

And the light from the sun that enters our eyes

and triggers our brain to release specific chemicals and hormones, like melatonin,

that are vital to healthy sleep and mood and aging.

The next thing is - don't eat later than three hours before bed.

So don't eat anything a couple hours before bed.

And don't eat a heavy meal prior to bed, because that will lead to a bad night's sleep.

Don't exercise vigorously after dinner.

It sort of wakes you up.

You can take a walk but don't run a marathon or go for a five mile jog.

And also, try writing down your worries before bed.

One hour before bed, write down the things that are causing you anxiety,

and make plans for what you might have to do the next day to reduce your worry,

and it will free your mind up and energy to move into a deep and restful sleep.

Try taking a hot soda and salt bath with aromatherapy, which I write about,

called the Ultrabath.

It raises your body temperature and helps you induce sleep.

Then I would suggest - try a massage.

Maybe you can stretch or do some yoga before bed.

Just simple things.

Use a heating pad on your solar plexus or your belly

or snuggle next to a warm body.

Warming your middle raises your core temperature

and this helps trigger the proper chemistry for sleep.

Avoid also medications that can interfere with sleep,

things like sedatives, which help a little bit but ultimately cause dependence

and screw up your normal sleep pattern.

Antihistamines, stimulants, cold medications, steroids,

headache medications with caffeine.

These all interfere with sleep.

Try some relaxing minerals, like magnesium and calcium,

use of herbs like valerian or passion flower,

and maybe try to find the right blend.

Try melatonin even, and also consider getting a tape or CD to help you sleep.

Consider also getting tested for sleep disorders.

There's a lot of them.

But if you have all the symptoms of sleep apnea -

daytime sleepiness, fatigue, snoring,

and have been seen to stop breathing in the middle of the night,

get tested for sleep apnea.

Remember, don't skimp on sleep.

It's one of the most important healing treatments for your body that's available to you every day.