Sleep can help us be more effective communicators, improving our sociability, not to mention our immunity, hormonal regulation, mental health, and memory. Biohacker & biotechnology scientist Oksana Andreiuk shares how to get more sleep, including increasing our sleep opportunity beyond 8 hours, controlling our environment, ways to calm our minds, and more.
Link to printable shownotes: https://talkabouttalk.com/podcasts/#shownotes
CONTENTS

* Summary
* References & Resources
* Andrea’s Introduction
* Interview Transcript
* Andrea’s Conclusion


SUMMARY
WHY SLEEP IS IMPORTANT

* ALL BODILY SYSTEMS are impacted by sleep. Sleep helps with hormonal regulation, immunity, appetite control, emotional control, and stress management.
* MENTAL HEALTH – While we sleep our spinal fluid acts like a detergent to wash away any cellular waste and debris from between those cells. And if this doesn’t happen, this can lead to accumulation of that damage and formation of plaques which are implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Chronic sleep deprivation is implicated in mental health disorders, like anxiety and depression.
* MEMORY & LEARNING – While we sleep, our brains form connections that help us process and recall information. Lack of sleep can negatively impact short and long term memory. Sleep also affects our ability to concentrate, problem solve and think critically.
* SOCIABILITY – Sleep affects our brain’s capacity for self-control (reactions and emotions) and for social intelligence (including our desire for social proximity and interaction).


Oksana Andreiuk & Andrea Wojnicki
 
SLEEP TACTICS – HOW TO GET MORE SLEEP
(1) CONTROL YOUR ENVIRONMENT – LIGHT & TEMPERATURE

* Our body clock or circadian rhythm is impacted by light, so make your bedroom dark.
* A few other things you can do starting early evening:

* wear blue light blocking glasses
* use a red screen or install an app on your devices to block blue light
* turn down your thermostat



(2) DIET & NUTRITION

* No caffeine in the evening. Avoid large meals three hours before bedtime.

(3) EXERCISE

* Some say avoiding exercise 3 hours before bedtime will help you wind down. But then research also shows that strength training exercise around 6pm can boost deep sleep.

(4) SUPPLEMENTS

* Oksana suggests several “rescue supplements,” reminding us to not take any supplements chronically, for long periods:

* Melatonin – Magnesium bisglycinate
* Passionflower – L-theanine
* 5HTP + GABA – Valerian root



(5) CALM YOUR MIND

* Meditation can be self-guided or with a guided meditation app like Headspace or Calm
* Binaural beats – project different sound frequencies in each ear, relaxing your brainwaves.
* Journaling – especially in the evening.

(6) COLD SHOWER

* It sounds drastic, but cool down your core body temperature with a cold shower!


REFERENCES
Oksana Andreiuk, M.Biotech
Talk About Talk IMMUNITY episode:

* https://talkabouttalk.com/46-biohacking-podcast/

Social Media (@CanadianBiohacker)

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