The Power Sleep Program

P age |2

The Power Sleep Program A proven, step-by-step program to… Double Your Energy Triple Your Productivity Eliminate Tiredness Wake Up with Ease And Get by on 6 Hours of Sleep or Less

Published by: Jeff Munroe http://www.sleepwarrior.com Copyright © 2010 Jeff Munroe. All Rights Reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Note: This e-book is optimized for viewing on a computer screen, but it is organized so you can also print it out and assemble it as a book. Since the text is optimized for screen viewing, the type is larger than that in usual printed books.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P age |3

This book provides health advice concerning sleep practices. It is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. This advice should not replace that of your physician. The author of this book is not a licensed practitioner of medicine. The information, advice, and techniques in this book are for informational purposes only. The reader is advised to verify all of the information in this book with a qualified physician before making any decisions based on the advice within. The author shall not be held liable for any decisions resulting from the purchase of this book. Before making changes in prescribed health-care regimes, consult a licensed practitioner.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P age |4

Hello. I‘m Jeff Munroe. Although my current profession is in neurobiology research, I‘ve developed a passion and obsession with personal health and fitness over the years. Through my own research and personal experience, I‘ve been amazed at the lack of attention sleep receives as a component of overall health, well-being, mind-power, and productivity. Furthermore, I‘ve been amazed at the overwhelming amount of rehashed and sometimes completely ineffective sleep advice that‘s out there. I firmly believe that powerful sleep is one of the keys to an optimal life. I‘ve made it my mission to spread this knowledge as far and wide as possible, so that others who share my passion for personal growth can benefit from the outstanding powers of high quality sleep. I run a sleep advice website (http://www.sleepwarrior.com), which has reached sizable popularity. What you‘re reading now is, what I consider, the complete bible to getting the most out of life through powerful sleep.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P age |5

Part 1: Core Concepts 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Introduction How to Use This Guide History of Sleep What is High Quality Sleep Anyway? The Hormones & Neurotransmitter of Sleep Serotonin & Dopamine Core Concepts Summary

Part 2: Lifestyle 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

Diet ExerciseTwo Common Energy Robbers Circadian Rhythm Light Exposure Caffeine, Alcohol, & Sleep Relaxation Techniques Sleep Environment Conclusion

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P age |6

Part I Core Concepts

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P age |7

The Power Sleep Program has the potential to change lives. How much depends on your current situation and how much of the advice you put into practice. Sleep is often the missing link to the happy, energetic, productive lifestyles we want for ourselves. Whether you're looking to overcome insomnia and get more sleep, or learn how to greatly boost your sleep quality and efficiency so that you can spend less time in bed, the right sleep practices discussed in this guide will help you achieve your goal. If you take a close look at your deepest dreams and desires it's unlikely sleep has anything to do with them. You may want more money, better relationships, better health, more energy... whatever it is that fills your daily fantasies, you probably don't think too much about their relationship to sleep. Despite the fact that I run a popular sleep advice website, I don't personally think about sleep too much either. I, like you, focus my time and energy on my hobbies, interests, friends, and goals—and, really, just the joy of being alive. Yet I never lose sight of the importance that sleep plays in our lives. Without proper sleep, I can pretty much forget about my goals. My energy, motivation, and even my social skills, have a direct dependence on the quality of sleep I got the night before. I see sleep as playing a supportive role in my life. And I think this is a good attitude to adopt as you read this guide. Perhaps high quality sleep itself doesn't hold much interest to us all the time, but when we consider how high

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P age |8

quality sleep can double our energy, double our motivation, and triple our productivity... then sleep becomes much more interesting. Learning how to increase your sleep quality should be, I think, required information for everyone. Why go through life being in the dark about how your body works? This guide will probably only take you one day to read, but this advice may serve you for the many years ahead. Even if you only improve your sleep quality by 10%, that's a 10% increase every night for the rest of your life. If that 10% increase in sleep quality yields a 10% increase in energy and a 10% increase in productivity... Then, assuming that you work 8 hours per day, that's an extra 30 minutes of focused productivity per day. Which is almost an extra 200 hours per year. Think of all the extra projects you can accomplish in 200 hours... And if this guide reduces your required sleep need by 1 hour per day, that's effectively an extra 15 days per year, or an extra month every other year. What could you do with an extra month every other year for the rest of your life? I hope you can start to see how making incremental improvements in your sleep can make big changes in your life for many years to come.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P age |9

The guide takes a lateral approach to improving sleep. Sleep should never be treated in isolation; it should be treated in regards to its relationship to other lifestyle factors, such as diet, exercise, psychology, and mental health:

Although you should read it from start to finish, when it comes to applying the advice in your own life, you'll have to pick and choose. Make improvements one step at a time depending on what improvements you feel are most critical to you at that time. At the end of each section, I include references to websites that might be useful. I suggest you:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 10



Ignore these references the first time you read this guide.



Or bookmark the references for further reading.

That way you don't come down with a information overload the first time you read this.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 11

I like to start my discussions of sleep with a bit of history. This will help you understand the ―big picture‖ of sleep. To our knowledge, nearly every sleep disorder is of modern origin. The opening sentence of Eluned Summers-Bremner‘s book, Insomnia: A Culture History states: ―Insomnia as we know it today was not to be found in the ancient world.‖ Insomnia is estimated to affect at least 10% of the entire industrialized population, although some national surveys have shown that at least 50% of the populations experience some sort of difficulty with sleep. It makes you wonder, then, why are sleep problems so prevalent today? And why didn‘t they exist in the ancient world? I hope this guide will help shed some light, but let‘s get the basics out of the way first. The answer comes down to something any Biology 101 student should understand: Gene Expression. Most people think ―genes‖ refer to some hard-coded blueprint that describes the fate of your health. You either have the ―cancer gene‖ or you don‘t. Maybe you have the ―fat gene‖ which is making you fat. Maybe you have the ―god gene‖ which explains your faith, or the ―alcohol gene‖ that turns you into an alcoholic. If you have clear skin, an athletic body, and symmetrical face, people may be envious of your ―good genes.‖ Too bad genes don‘t work that way.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 12

The truth is that your genes are programmable. Certain genes turn on or off based on the environment they are exposed to. Right this very second, thousands of genes are turning on and off inside your body. That ―Alzheimer‘s gene‖ won‘t turn on if you feed your brain the right food as well as get adequate exercise. The ―fat gene‖ won‘t turn on if you don‘t overload on sugary sodas every day. Likewise, the ―insomnia gene‖ can turn off if you take the right steps to do so. Same with the ―fatigue gene‖, the ―tired-all-the-time gene‖, and the ―Isleep-10-hours-a-day-but-still-feel-like-crap gene.‖

Anyway, back to history. Human history dates back 2.5 million years. For that extensive length of time we lived roughly the same type of lifestyle. We ate from the same food groups, got the same amount of exercise each day, slept the same amount, and were exposed to the same amount of stress. We exposed our genes to roughly the same environment for those 2.5 million years. Our genes evolved to handle this lifestyle. The process of gene expression became optimized for this environment. But in recent evolutionary history a few major environmental changes have occurred—here are 4 big ones: 

10,000 years ago: humans started consuming grains, legumes, and dairy products (the agricultural revolution). Since grains are energydense (but nutrient poor) this allowed us to change from huntergatherers into city-dwellers. For various reasons, this was a bad move

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 13

for human health, but a good move for civilization and cultural advancement. (Most people can‘t fathom the idea of a grain-free diet, but the truth is that humans went 99.5% of their history grain-free.) 

140 years ago: the invention of the light bulb. We no longer lived by the sun and moon, but by day lengths of our choosing, screwing up our melatonin cycles and the genes that code for it.



Past 100 years: huge increase in the amount of environmental toxins from industrialization (pollution, pesticides, mercury in waters, aluminum compounds in skin products, etc.)



Past few decades: huge increase in the amount of processed ―food‖ consumed. Huge increase in the amount of artificial stress (overworked, 24-hour society, etc).

2.5 million years of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle is a long time. For the most part, our genes are identical to those of our ancestors about 30,000 years ago. Evolution has yet to truly catch up to the radical change in diet brought by the agricultural revolution (which was just 500 generations ago). And evolution certainly hasn‘t had a chance to re-optimize our genes to deal with the changes of the past 100 years. There are about 85 or so hunter-gatherer tribes still in existence today (that is, 85 remaining ―caveman‖ tribes). Many scientists have compared their health with the health of us industrialized people. Hunter-gatherers, such as the Pygmies of Africa, the Pila Nguru of Australia, or the Sentinelese of the Andaman Islands – all these societies are essentially devoid of most modern diseases. Cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression, acne, schizophrenia, and insomnia are rarities, if not nonexistent. (They also have great eyesight and straight teeth.)

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 14

In Captain Cook‘s voyage to New Zealand and Australia (the first European contact of the continent, around 1770) he made the following comment about the hunter-gatherer Maori tribe of New Zealand: ― ... strange that these people enjoy perfect and uninterrupted health...we never saw a single person who appeared to have any bodily complaint...the great number of old men that we saw. . . . appeared to be very ancient , yet none of them were decrepit; and though not equal to the young in muscular strength, were not a whit behind them in cheerfulness and vivacity..." This was, of course, because the Maori were ―programming‖ their genes using a diet and lifestyle through which the human genome was optimized. (By mimicking their lifestyle, you too can program your genes to experience ―perfect and uninterrupted health‖, but we‘ll get to that later)

Now, a note on sleep and energy (since that is what The Power Sleep Program is about). As I mentioned, there is little evidence of ―sleep problems‖ in the huntergatherer realm. Even the agricultural era preceding the invention of the light bulb had little evidence of sleep disorders. The light bulb brought a sudden change to our genes’ external environment. When this happened, our sleep patterns changed and our melatonin cycles became flat. More on this later. Second is the topic of energy. I experienced a rather drastic case of tiredness/fatigue earlier in my life. As I was learning more about the hunter-

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 15

gatherer (a.k.a. Paleolithic) lifestyle I ran across a fact that startled me: Our hunter-gatherer ancestors walked, on average, about 12 miles per day. There was no way could I fathom walking 5 miles per day, let alone 12. It‘s not just about being physically fit either, but also about mental stamina. Either way, something about my lifestyle was not programming my genes to express themselves in the true energetic, enthusiastic, animated ways of my ―inner hunter-gatherer‖. You have a hunter-gatherer in you capable of explosive energy and disturbance-free sleep. It‘s just a matter of reprogramming your genes. Question: But didn’t our ancestors live only to be 35? This is the first question that pops into everyone‘s mind at the mention of the Paleolithic lifestyle. First, the average age was 35, meaning for every child that died at birth there was someone who lived to 70. For every mother who died during childbirth at the age of 20 there was someone who lived to 50. Second, people died from many causes that our modern lifestyle circumvents. To eat dinner, we just have to go to the grocery store and pick up some food; we don‘t have to hunt and kill another animal. Third, modern medicine has drastically improved the average lifespan through fighting rare infections and reducing the risk associated with child birth.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 16

Regardless, when you compare similarly-aged individuals from industrialized societies and hunter-gatherer societies, the hunter-gatherers are simply healthier; in the words of Dr. Cordain: While chronic degenerative diseases generally produce mortality in later life, they begin much earlier, often in childhood. This allows comparison between age-matched younger members of industrial and technologically primitive societies. Biomarkers of developing abnormality such as obesity, rising blood pressure, non-obstructive coronary atherosclerosis, and insulin resistance are common among the former, but rare in the latter. Measurements of muscular strength and aerobic power reveal similar discrepancies, again favoring individuals whose lives more closely resemble the ancestral pattern. About 20% of hunter-gatherers reach age 60 or beyond, but even in this age bracket, individuals from foraging and other technologically primitive cultures appear almost completely free from manifestations of most chronic degenerative diseases (osteoarthritis is an exception).

In terms of overall health and wellness I love the hunter-gatherer context. But the hunter-gatherer context also provides some interesting information about the ―natural‖ human sleep pattern. Generally, humans slept quite differently before the advent of artificial light.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 17

Before the invention of the light bulb, people experienced much longer nights—up to 14 hours of complete darkness, depending on the season and latitude. Studies of pre-industrial societies show that people normally fell asleep just an hour or two after sundown. This could be as early as 6 or 7pm. After about four hours of sleep, they woke up naturally—right in the middle of the night—and spent a few hours socializing, doing chores, making love, or simply meditating over the dreams they had. They then retired for a second 4-hour session of sleep and woke up around sunrise. Afternoon naps were also much more common. One recent study put subjects into an environment free of artificial light. The subjects slept just like our ancestors. The graph on the next page shows the sleep pattern of one woman from the experiment.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 18

As you can see, for the first few nights the person slept excessively to catch up on sleep debt, but after a while the sleep stabilized to the same way our

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 19

ancestors slept—approximately in two 3- to 5-hour sessions, but still totaling around 8 hours per night.

Other studies have also found that, before the invention of the light bulb, people: 

Often took about an hour to fully fall asleep. The time before sleep was considered a nice time to meditate and relax, and the transition into sleep was more gradual.



Woke up gradually, not instantaneously.

This picture of natural human sleep is very different from what we see today. The reason I mention these things is to loosen up your assumptions about ―sleep patterns‖. When it comes to developing your own power sleep routine, you do not need to necessarily conform to some of the modern sleep rules: 

That 8 hours of sleep is absolutely essential.



That taking 1 hour to fall asleep is necessarily bad.



That waking up once or twice during the night (and being unable to fall back asleep) is necessarily bad.



That the wake-up process is instantaneous, and should be facilitated by an alarm clock.

The above rules do apply in some cases, but they‘re not necessarily ―gospel‖.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 20

Because artificial light forces us to live in ―perpetual summers‖, it‘s impractical to sleep in two sessions per night like our ancestors did during winter months. But if your body tends to a more ―flexible‖ sleep pattern, realize this might not be a disorder in itself, but perhaps your body‘s way of reverting to its old ways. Now, enough about the evolutionary backdrop of sleep. Let‘s get into the science of sleep.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 21

I don‘t want to spend too much time on the science of sleep, or all the fascinating processes the brain goes through during sleep. You can get that information from most popular sleep books. However, a little bit of science is necessary to understand just what Power Sleep entails. As you may know, your brain enters different sleep stages throughout the night. Each sleep stage is defined by different brainwave frequencies, with the slowest frequencies corresponding to the deepest stages of sleep (see the resources if you don‘t understand what brainwaves are). The 5 sleep stages are: Stage 1: A drowsy, semi-conscious state. Stage 2: Slower brain activity. About half of all your sleep each night is spent in stage 2 – more for inefficient sleepers and less for efficient sleepers. Stage 3: Even slower brain activity. Stage 4: Slowest, deepest stage of sleep. Heartbeat slows. This stage triggers your body to release several hormones that are essential in healing the body. REM stage: REM is a special stage of sleep. This is where the most vivid dreams occur. The body paralyzes itself to ensure that it doesn't act out the dreams.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 22

Note: When I say that stage 3 and 4 are characterized by ―slow‖ brain activity, I‘m referring to the rate at which your brain cells are firing. But don‘t think that your brain is less active overall. In fact, stage 4 sleep is very active. Think of it this way: ―Fast‖ brain activity is when your brain is taking short, shallow ―breaths‖ at a rapid pace. ―Slow‖ brain activity (i.e. stage 4 sleep) is when your brain is taking deep, heavy ―breaths‖. This is important to know because we want to do everything we can to ensure the brain has enough energy throughout the night to maintain this high-level of activity. Stages 3 and 4 are collectively known as “deep sleep” or “slow-wave sleep”. For the rest of this guide I'll use ―deep sleep‖ to refer to these stages. Now that‘s the basics of sleep stages… Onto the basics of sleep cycles. All throughout the day, your brain goes through what are known as ―basic rest and activity cycles‖ (BRAC)—it cycles through highs and lows of alertness and relaxation. Each period of alertness corresponds to ―fast brainwaves‖. Each period of relaxation corresponds to ―slow brainwaves‖. You have about 12-16 BRAC cycles per day. If you pay close attention, you may notice that every 90 – 120 minutes during the day, your mind will start to daydream and dip into a state of relaxation. That just means you‘re at the end of a BRAC cycle. Give your brain about 20 minutes and the cycle will restart, where you‘ll feel energized an alert.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 23

This BRAC continues on through the night. (It‘s active during sleeping and waking.) During night, the BRAC produces what are called sleep cycles:

I‘m sure you‘ve seen one of these images before. At night each time you hit the REM stage that means you‘re at the end of the cycle. Notice how these cycles tend to last 90 to 120 minutes. Also notice that deep sleep occurs primarily in the first half of the night, while REM sleep occurs primarily in the second half of the night. Question: What stages of sleep are most important? Common wisdom says that deep sleep and REM are considered the “need” stages, but why they're needed is not perfectly understood. Keep in mind that since sleep is mostly a function of the brain, there's still a lot about it that we don't understand about it (since there's a lot about the brain we don't understand). In fact, we don't even understand 1% of how sleep and the brain work. The description of stages is only a starting point, but it barely scratches the

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 24

surface. There's just so much that neuroscience has yet to reveal—for now, this is just a fact we have to deal with. Keep this in mind so you don't fall into the trap of thinking that sleep stages are the end-all description of the sleep process. With that said, various studies do suggest that deep sleep and REM appear most critical, and contribute most to that feeling of refreshed vitality during the day. Both deep sleep and REM appear to play complimentary roles—the two reinforce each other, so we probably don‘t want to go on a mission to maximize one but not the other. Maximizing sleep quality can thus be thought of as maximizing time spent in deep sleep and REM. As we will find out, most studies show that good sleep habits increase the time spent in both of these stages. Example: As we age our sleep becomes less refreshing, as perhaps many elderly people could tell you. By monitoring brain activity during sleep, we see that the older we are the less time we spend in these ―need‖ stages and more time we spend in the light sleep stages—that is, stages 1 and 2. Likewise, most sleep disorders are at least characterized by excessive amounts of light sleep and minimal amounts of deep sleep and REM. If you wake up feeling fantastic, you can safely assume that you got a nice dose of deep sleep and REM. If you wake up feeling tired, you can safely assume that you spent most of the night in light sleep.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 25

Take a close look at both of these graphs… The top graph shows the type of sleep you probably had during childhood.  Lots of deep sleep (stage 3 and 4).  Lots of REM  Continuous, undisrupted sleep cycles. The person who has sleep defined by the top graph wakes up easier, has more energy, and needs less sleep overall (since the body gets in the ―need‖

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 26

stages in a shorter amount of time). The bottom graph may be the type of sleep you experience now. Hopefully, after reading this guide you can get a sense of how to change your sleep quality to resemble the top graph.

Resources Brain Waves & Brainwave Entrainment – Read this article for a good understanding of what ―brainwaves‖ exactly are. This will help you appreciate what is actually meant by the different stages of sleep. http://www.sleepwarrior.com/brain-waves-brainwave-entrainment/

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 27

The process of sleep is complicated, and, as I already mentioned, not terribly well understood. Many hormones and neurotransmitters affect the process of sleep. Note: A hormone is simply a chemical your body uses to send ―signals‖ between cells. For example, if you see a lion out in the wild, your brain will tell the adrenal glands to release the hormone adrenaline, which will tell the muscles to take in more energy (the ―fight or flight‖ response). A neurotransmitter can be thought of as a chemical that tells certain regions of the brain to be ―on‖ or ―off‖. Some chemicals, such as serotonin, are both hormones and neurotransmitters. Your body uses hundreds of different hormones, and dozens of neurotransmitters. There are four main hormones/neurotransmitters that play a very big role in sleep quality, wakefulness, and energy levels. Those four are: 

Melatonin



Cortisol



Serotonin



Dopamine

(I could turn this into a 1,000-page guide by detailing all the sleep-related interactions between your body‘s many hormones and neurotransmitters, but we‘ll keep it simple).

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 28

Melatonin is considered the “nighttime hormone”. Its main function is to tell the brain to release a neurotransmitter called GABA, which is essentially your brain‘s main ―tranquilizer‖, or sleep-inducer. Melatonin is also your body's most powerful antioxidant, with 60 times the antioxidant power of Vitamin C. It has powerful anti-cancerous and antiaging properties. So its two main functions are to heal the body and promote the natural sleep process in the brain. High nighttime melatonin levels increase both deep sleep and REM amount. Learning to maximize this hormone through lifestyle habits will be a common theme in obtaining powerful sleep. Melatonin follows a ―rhythm‖ each 24-hour period. During the day, your body turns off melatonin production (and switches to ―serotonin/dopamine mode‖). During the night, your body ramps up melatonin production to improve sleep quality. Learning to maximize melatonin levels at night, and minimize levels during the day is one of the core concepts of the Power Sleep Program. Think of melatonin levels as a wave – we want that wave to be as big as possible, with high highs and low lows. The lifestyle section of this guide will show you how to do this.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 29

Next we have cortisol. Cortisol has been called the ―stress hormone‖, because its levels increase in times of stress. But in reality, cortisol has numerous functions, such as: 

To help wake you up in the morning with a jolt of energy



To stimulate the brain and increase alertness in the early morning hours



To increase alertness during times of stress (fight or flight)



To heal the body from physical stress (an injury).



To increase blood sugar when levels are too low (we‘ll discuss this one later)

And that's just a few of its functions... For a healthy individual, cortisol follows this pattern throughout the day:

In the last few hours of the night (e.g. 6am to 8am), cortisol will start to increase. It spikes when you wake up, and gradually declines throughout the day. Other alertness mechanisms take place in the evening hours.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 30

Because cortisol stimulates the brain, it is one of the greatest inhibitors of deep sleep. You want cortisol to be as low as possible as you fall asleep at night. 

Low cortisol at the start of night  lots of deep sleep.

However, cortisol is necessary to stimulate the brain in the morning hours. 

A healthy spike of cortisol in the morning  a jolt of energy to wake you up.

Many cases of insomnia may be simply due to heightened cortisol levels at night. But even if you don't have insomnia, high cortisol levels will decrease your sleep efficiency, causing you to wake up less refreshed. You have probably heard that stress is harmful to sleep. This is due to the fact that during times of stress the body release excess cortisol, which has the ―side effect‖ of keeping your mind in ―racing thoughts mode‖. So although cortisol has numerous functions, one of our core goals is to decrease stress so that cortisol is allowed to follow its natural rhythm. Now with that said, take a closer look at that graph. Our goal here is not to ―decrease‖ or ―increase‖ cortisol. Our goal is to let our body use cortisol in its natural way – that is, we want our bodies to release a healthy spike of cortisol in the morning, and we want to facilitate a gradual decline throughout the day so that at nighttime cortisol levels are nearly 0. Some people have over-stimulated adrenal glands, and produce around twice as much cortisol than they should. Others, however, have the opposite problem and barely produce any cortisol. The former problem sometimes goes hand-in-hand with stressful lifestyle and anxiety-related insomnia. The latter problem sometimes goes hand-in-hand with low energy and uncontrollable tiredness.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 31

The Power Sleep Program will aim to fix both problems. Note: If you look at the above graph you will notice that cortisol levels start to increase about half-way through sleep. This is normal. This is partly due to the fact that you haven‘t eaten for a while, and cortisol levels increase to keep blood sugar levels normal (we‘ll discuss this later), and is partly your brain‘s way to switch to include more REM sleep. The key is to have cortisol levels as low as possible during the first half of the night so that deep sleep is maximized.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 32

Out of the 50-ish neurotransmitters in your brain, serotonin and dopamine are among the most important in controlling your mood and overall ―state of mind‖. Both are important in regulating sleep and energy levels. Many cases of insomnia, excess tiredness, lack of motivation, aggression, and even schizophrenia can be explained by a serotonin/dopamine imbalance. You may have heard serotonin referred to as ―the happy chemical‖ and dopamine as the ―reward/addiction chemical‖. Unfortunately, both neurotransmitters are much more complicated and have many (sometimes contradictory) functions. For example, in the 1950s, studies were done proving that serotonin is a ―sleep hormone‖, that it induces drowsiness. A couple decades later, other scientists proved that serotonin is actually an ―alertness hormone‖. Hmm… What we now know is that serotonin supports high quality sleep (lots of deep sleep and REM) and alertness and mental energy during the day. How serotonin functions depends on several factors, such as the type of ―receptors‖ used, the region of the brain in which serotonin is acting, and the availability of other hormones such as insulin. Dopamine is equally complicated. However, we‘ll try to keep things as simple as possible. So let‘s take a generalized look at how both of these brain chemicals apply to The Power Sleep Program. Dopamine increases energy, alertness, libido, motivation, happiness, and impulsiveness. A healthy dopamine high is what you experience when you feel naturally ―high on life‖. It also promotes learning and is critical for memory consolidation.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 33

Serotonin increases energy and alertness as well. It lifts the mood, produces a calm happiness and an overall sense of well-being. Unlike dopamine, serotonin suppresses impulsiveness. High serotonin levels might induce a calm euphoria, whereas high dopamine levels might induce a buzzed euphoria. Serotonin is also important for sleep. As we mentioned, it increases deep sleep and REM. Part of the reason is because serotonin is the precursor to melatonin. In other words, your body converts serotonin into melatonin. Generally speaking, your brain is in either ―serotonin mode‖ or ―melatonin mode‖. Which mode depends on how much light your eyes are exposed to. Nighttime is melatonin mode, daylight is serotonin mode. So serotonin levels are used up throughout the night (in darkness) as your brain is in ―melatonin mode‖, because most of the serotonin is converted into melatonin. Once daylight arrives your brain switches to ―serotonin mode‖ and halts the production of melatonin. Now back to dopamine: an interesting effect of a ―dopamine high‖ is the apparent ability to get by on less sleep. Have you ever noticed that during your ―high on life‖ moments you wake up easier and never feel tired? That‘s the dopamine acting. Dopamine is also your primary ―love chemical‖. Levels of dopamine surge during the honeymoon stage of a relationship, but eventually subside after a few weeks or months. This explains why studies show high school lovebirds report sleeping 1 hour less than their loveless peers.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 34

So what is life like when your serotonin or dopamine tanks are on empty?

One fascinating study (Am J Psychiatry, 2005) administered a dopamineblocking drug to a 21-year old (―Mr. A.‖) and observed the effects. According to the study, here‘s what happens when you literally have zero dopamine— it‘s quite fascinating: Mr. A was a healthy, extraverted, very well functioning 21-yearold medical student without even minor psychological difficulties or psychiatric disorders in his family… We will describe the spontaneous reported subjective experiences after he started the first dose of 750 mg AMPT [a dopamine-blocking drug]… After 7 hours, Mr. A felt more distance between himself and his environment. Stimuli had less impact; visual and audible stimuli were less sharp. He experienced a loss of motivation and tiredness. After 18 hours, he had difficulty waking up and increasing tiredness; environmental stimuli seemed dull. He had less fluency of speech. After 20 hours, he felt confused. He felt tense before his appointment and had an urge to check his watch in an obsessive way. After 24 hours, Mr. A had inner restlessness, flight of ideas; his ideas seemed inflicted, and he could not remember them. He felt a loss of control over his ideas. After 28 hours, he felt ashamed, frightened, anxious, and depressed. He was afraid that the situation would continue. At that time, blepharospasm, mask face, and tremor were noted. After 30 hours, he was tired and slept 11 hours. After 42 hours, he had poor concentration. In the next hours, he returned to normal.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 35

Fortunately, you‘ll never experience completely diminished dopamine levels, but you can gather some themes from what life is like on low dopamine:     

excessive tiredness unable to control your thoughts anxiety difficulty waking up loss of motivation…

What about low serotonin?

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 36

According to Mary Ann Copson, a brain chemistry profile clinician, 10 signs of low serotonin are: 1. You become reclusive and avoid situations that make you anxious. 2. You feel driven to avoid all conflict and challenge and are fearful of starting new ventures or taking calculated risks. 3. You feel overwhelmed, resentful, and victimized by your circumstances. 4. You have a tendency toward compulsive behaviors, perfectionism, and withdrawal. You worry a lot and see most things in a negative way. You may be extremely vigilant and overly controlling. 5. You are impulsive, have a short attention span, feel blocked and scattered, and easily fly off the handle. 6. You crave sweets and carbohydrates and tend to overeat (especially comfort foods). You tend to eat more in the afternoon and evening. 7. You are compelled to clean and organize things around you. Once you start cleaning you may get "sucked" into the activity and find it hard to stop. 8. You are prone to heat intolerance, panic, phobias, fibromyalgia, and TMJ. 9. You are a night owl, experience insomnia, and have trouble getting to sleep.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 37

10. You feel depressed, hopeless and that you lack personal power. You may feel sad and cry a lot. I highlighted points 6 and 9—point 6 will become clear in the diet section of this guide. Since serotonin levels are so important for sleep, a poor serotonin system will make it not only difficult to fall asleep, but rob you of true Power Sleep. Your body needs the serotonin to convert to melatonin at nighttime.

So both serotonin and dopamine, so far, sound like ―good chemicals‖. Serotonin‘s good for sleep and inducing calmness at night, as well as promoting mental energy and happiness during the day. It‘s good for alleviating depression and suppressing compulsive behavior. Dopamine is good for daily energy, motivation, libido, and goal-oriented behavior (and a healthy level of impulsiveness to combat the problem of repetitive day-to-day routines). But as you might guess, they have a slight dark side. Excessive dopamine can lead to addictive behavior, unhealthy risk-taking and compulsiveness, aggression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. This is particularly true when dopamine levels are high but serotonin levels are low, since serotonin can help calm the mind and lighten some of dopamine‘s negative effects. Although serotonin is an ―energizer chemical‖, if serotonin levels are too high compared to dopamine, it can lead to a slight ―numbness‖ – a lack of impulsiveness, decision-making, motivation, and vitality. Serotonin, without its counter-part dopamine, can also cause impotence and lack of sexual desire.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 38

Low serotonin is not always bad. When you fall in love for the first time, serotonin drops drastically, while dopamine levels explode. The result: you feel buzzed, excited, and high on life, and your focus turns towards sex. In true evolutionary fashion, the dopamine eventually subsides to serotonin and you can focus on non-sexual aspects of survival (hunting, etc).

If any of this sounds confusing, just focus on the following key points:  

Both serotonin and dopamine are generally considered ―good chemicals‖. We want them. Both serotonin and dopamine improve energy levels. Serotonin is more associated with feelings of happiness and tranquility—we also need it for high quality sleep. Dopamine keeps you excited, always motivated, and high on life.

These are the basics. We mentioned how problems can arise when either chemical is too high or too low, or when they are out of balance (one high, the other low). But here‘s the good news: we don‘t have to ―micromanage‖ our serotonin/dopamine balance. We can reprogram our genes to handle the balancing for us. With certain lifestyle tricks, we will find ways to keep serotonin and dopamine in their natural, healthy ranges (not too high, not too low). We will have enough serotonin at night to be converted into melatonin. Our bodies will produce enough serotonin during the day, without overpowering the effects of dopamine. And we will find ways to stimulate dopamine production to keep us naturally energized and motivated, without going overboard into the realm of unwise risk-taking and aggression.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 39

Once you expose your body to the right environmental cues (the ones your genes have accustomed themselves to over the past 2.5 million years), the balancing act will take care of itself. You‘ll feel energized. And you‘ll sleep like a baby. And, in those rare cases you fall in love or find novel excitement in life, you‘ll switch into high dopamine gear and feel on top of the world (and will probably require less sleep because of it).

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 40

 High quality sleep is defined by the amount of Deep Sleep and REM obtained. We can improve sleep quality by getting more Deep Sleep and REM, and getting less Light Sleep.  Melatonin is a hormone that makes us tired and increases Deep Sleep and REM  Melatonin is good at night, but bad when we‘re awake.  Cortisol is a ―good hormone‖ in the morning because it wakes us up and keeps us alert.  Cortisol is a ―bad hormone‖ at night because it interferes with deep sleep.  Healthy serotonin levels are important for sleep quality at night because serotonin is converted into melatonin  Healthy serotonin levels are important for energy levels during the day, because serotonin can also act as a mood-enhancing stimulant.  Healthy dopamine levels are important for that high on life feeling. Dopamine is responsible for our mental energy, motivation, and libido.  Both serotonin and dopamine can go out of whack—either too high or too low or out of balance with each other.  We will follow the example of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, reprogram our genes, and let our bodies balance all of these hormones/neurotransmitters for us!

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 41

Part II Lifestyle

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 42

Now that you understand the ―core concepts‖ of Power Sleep, let‘s get into the lifestyle recommendations that make it happen. We‘ll start with diet. When I solved my energy problems I did it with diet. I think diet was about 70% of the solution; the remaining 30% came later—they were exercise, light therapy, and some other aspects we‘ll talk about. But since diet is, in my opinion, the most important factor in sleep quality and energy levels, we‘ll start with that. I want to explain the diet-sleep connection in a bit of a roundabout way. I want to ―sell‖ you on a particular dietary philosophy, and then follow up with explanations of why this diet gives the results that it does. In particular, I want to focus on what some have labeled the ―Paleolithic diet‖. I won‘t flat-out recommend following its every rule (though you can if you want). Instead, let‘s just explore it for a moment, and see what sort of results people report when they follow it.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 43

The Paleolithic diet (or simply, Paleo diet) is based on a very simple concept: eat what our ancestors ate. Here are the rules for the Paleo diet: Can eat:       

Meat Fish Eggs Vegetables Fruit Nuts Seeds

Can‘t eat:      

Grains Beans Refined sugar Starchy vegetables (potatoes) Dairy Chemical additives

This is precisely the diet that was on our ancestor‘s plate 20,000+ years ago. And it‘s the diet that our genes are predominately accustomed to. We didn‘t start eating grains until 10,000 years ago. All grains, beans, starchy vegetables, and dairy products must go through a refining process before becoming edible. Grains require milling and cooking. Grains and legumes are slightly poisonous and mostly inedible in their raw states. Humans did not start consuming milk from domesticated animals until about 6,000 years ago.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 44

Again, on our 2.5 million year history, these changes are very recent. There‘s a bit of confusion over some Paleo diet details, so keep these points in mind as well:    



Eggs are animal products, not dairy products, and were eaten by hunter-gatherer tribes, but they probably didn‘t eat them often. Peanuts and cashews are legumes (beans), thus are not part of the Paleo diet. Hunter-gatherers ate the organs of animals, including the heart, liver, and even bone marrow. Hunter-gatherers ate more raw food. First evidence of cooking and fire usage dates back ~300,000 years ago, but most cooking was slow and low-temperature. Corn is a grain, not a vegetable. It‘s not a Paleo food.

Most people have a hard time imagining life without grains – no bread, pasta, rice, etc. Despite this, the Paleolithic diet is fairly popular. There‘s definitely a ―Paleo movement‖, even if it doesn‘t get much limelight. (Much of this movement is due to Dr Cordain‘s book, The Paleo Diet) I first tried this diet several years ago. The first 2-3 weeks were a bit dreadful, but I slowly started to gain more and more energy. Lots of other strange things happened too: my skin started to ―glow‖, my hair got thicker, my eyes became whiter, my senses improved, my occasional and mild panic attacks disappeared, and more.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 45

Based on common wisdom, grains, beans, and dairy are ―required‖ for optimal health. So instead of justifying why removing them (or mostly removing them) is a good idea, let‘s instead take a look at what happens if you do so. I have gathered numerous anecdotal claims that the Paleo diet improves energy levels. It only takes a quick Google search to find them… Again, I want to try to ―sell‖ you on the diet before explaining why it works. This testimonial section will be a little wordy, but read it carefully. The next few pages are nothing but testimonials from people who follow the Paleo diet. They weren‘t written to me; I found them all online. For example, take this discussion thread on the CrossFit forums. Here, various Paleo dieters answer some basic Q&A about their lifestyle: Erin Davidson Q: What types of foods did you eat before you started the Paleo diet? A: Oh anything - but lots of processed stuff that I thought wasn't processed because it said "whole grains" on the front or some such thing. Very little veg, low quality meats if that at all. Q: Prior to the Paleo diet were there physical limitations you experienced (i.e. fatigue/low energy, sore muscles, digestive issues, irregular bowel movements, skin problems, holding onto weight etc...). A: I couldn't not eat every 2 hours. I would get headaches and feel nauseous before and during training sessions. Generally very unpredictable digestive patterns, low skin quality, and definitely holding onto a lot of umbilical and supra-iliac fat.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 46

Q: What was it like for you to transition to the Paleo diet? A: At first I think mentally it was hard for me to feel "deprived" of things. Eventually though I came to see the good foods I was eating as being what I was ACTUALLY deprived of before. I felt better when I ate what was good for me - not when I ate whatever the hell I wanted. I don't think my insulin levels were used to not having a huge sugar spike every hour and so had a little trouble at first feeling kind of sleepy and hungry all the time. [Note: we‘ll talk about insulin soon] I used to have to eat LOTS of fruit every day to manage the lower insulin levels I think. Eventually levelled out though through the use of zone. Q: What physical improvements have you experienced since you began the Paleo diet (i.e. increased energy, weight loss, etc)? A: Much better energy levels leading to better productivity, clearer skin, less stress, less moodiness, better body composition in general, almost complete loss of any kind of cramps during menstrual cycle, sound sleep. We‘ll see that ―much better energy levels‖ is a fairly unanimous result of going Paleo. Here‘s another testimonial: David Khutzen Q: What types of foods did you eat before you started the Paleo diet? A: I ate more or less anything I could get my hands on. I typically leaned towards whole grains and similar type foods, mostly because I prefered the taste over the white stuff. But I was very carb heavy, didn't pay too much attention to fat, and ate a fair amount of meat.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 47

Q: What physical improvements have you experienced since you began the Paleo diet A: I am a CF [CrossFit] beast, I look really sexy, and once I'm awake, I'm never drowsy. Eating paleo gives me a much better outlook on life, as I get very moody and [sour] when I've got too much processed carbs in me. I'll be eating this way for the rest of my life, as long as I'm in control of my diet Another common theme is that many Paleo dieters previously ate ―healthy whole grains‖, such as whole grain bread or cereals, etc. Samantha Aurelio Q: What types of foods did you eat before you started the Paleo diet? A: I ate strictly "low-calorie"/"heart-healthy grains" before hand. Lots of wheat pasta, low-fat/fat-free yogurts, LUNA BARS!, significantly less veggies than now, protein shakes, etc. Q: What physical improvements have you experienced since you began the Paleo A: All around energy. My awareness has increased, my skin cleared, I had dropped like.. 5 lbs once I started eating Paleo, my stomach has settled (used to get stomach aches/bloating after meals), I stress less (significantly... hah), and have seen tremendous improvements in my ability as a CrossFit athlete

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 48

Brian Doll Q: What types of foods did you eat before you started the Paleo diet? A: Looking back, I ate a ton of bad carbs that I thought were healthy. Wheaties every morning. Lots of whole wheat bread. Whole weat pasta. My diet was dominated by cheap carbs, with meat pulling in second and fruit and veggies were way at the bottom. Tons of dairy as well in milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. Q: Prior to the Paleo diet were there physical limitations you experienced? A: Constant hunger, energy highs and lows, weight gain. Q: What was it like for you to transition to the Paleo diet? A: For some reason it was much easier than I expected. I transitioned from Wheaties every morning to eggs every morning and never looked back. The rest of my food followed suit. I've been able to find a wide variety of paleo foods I really like, so that's made it very easy. Q: What physical improvements have you experienced since you began the Paleo diet (i.e. increased energy, weight loss, etc)? A: I lost 50 pounds in 5 months. My energy is much more consistent throughout the day. I eat and feel full. I've also lost that "fog" that I can only now experience if I eat a really bad cheat meal. It's amazing how you get used to that sluggish foggy feeling when you eat bad food. Eating clean leads to high performance in everything and mental clarity is surely one of them.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 49

Dough Blankenship Q: Prior to the Paleo diet were there physical limitations you experienced. A: I was hospitalized three times with stomach problems, had some anxiety attacks, super high cholesterol, I had bad headaches. I started the Paleo diet, no more stomach problems, no more anxiety attacks, cholesterol is 111 currently, no more headaches and I no longer weigh 329 pounds, I’m at 191 as of today. Only took 1 year and 5 months. CF [CrossFit] and the Paleo Diet works. Q: What physical improvements have you experienced since you began the Paleo? A: I lost 139 pounds in a year and five months … I can out perform 99.9% of people I run into at physical competition, doesn’t matter what it is, running, cycling, picking up concrete bags, pushing there vehicle, doesn’t matter what it is, I can work harder and longer than the people who lift three times a week and do two hours of cardio a day and then after I get done out doing them I still have room in the tank for a [workout of the day]. Oh yeah and I don't have the Carb Fog anymore and my energy levels are higher than those that drink redbull and smoke crack all day. Before going Paleo I don‘t think I would have believed that making a change to your diet could give you “energy levels higher than those that drink redbull and smoke crack all day”. Now that I eat Paleo, I completely understand that statement.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 50

Joe Bernard Q: What physical improvements have you experienced since you began the Paleo diet? A: I got ripped like no tomorrow, seriously. I stayed the same weight for a year, but during that time I got a six-pack, and became defined all over. Even though I am skinny, which helps with definition, but still. Paleo also helped me have much more constant energy levels, as well as more energy because I was off of the all the processed crap I used to eat. As a result, performance increased significantly, and I just feel better and lighter whenever I eat Paleo. Even when I get no sleep (college), I still feel pretty good.

Read those testimonials carefully. Notice that the most common improvement is more energy. Some people noted better sleep as well. Others have noted that a Paleo diet removed their depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Could this be due to an improved serotonin system and more stable serotonin levels? Yes, and I‘ll explain this one later. Clearer skin is also a common result of the Paleo diet. There‘s a lot of research by Dr. Cordain that covers this—one of his studies analyzed around 3,000 people from hunter-gatherer societies and not a single pimple was found. When it comes down to it, the biggest difference between the Paleo diet and the ―standard healthy diet‖ is the removal of grains. Even though you probably heard that ―whole grains‖ are healthy because they contain ―complex carbohydrates‖ (which is just another term for starches)—it is certainly interesting that as humans we went 2.5 million years, or 99.5% of our history, without them…

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 51

Alternatively, let‘s take a look at a study that followed several ―raw foodists‖. While I don‘t particularly recommend eating only raw food for the sake of eating raw food, the ―raw food diet‖ does share some similarities with the paleo diet – it‘s free of every thing artificial. This 2006 study followed the results of over 500 raw foodists. (source) Here are the summarized results of the study:  

  

Long-term raw foodists reported sleeping 1 to 2 hours less compared to when they were on their previous diet. 31% reported having ―good‖ or ―excellent‖ energy levels prior to the raw food diet. After switching to a raw food diet, that portion raised to 88%. Those reporting having a ―lot‖ of stress in their lives dropped from 56% to 20%. (hence less cortisol at nighttime and better sleep) Subjects reported a noticeable increase in their mental energy and focus. Subjects even reported more frequent feelings of ―ecstatic bliss‖ (could this be due to improved serotonin and dopamine systems?)

How does this raw food diet fit in to our Paleolithic framework? Nutritionist and Author Nancey Lee Bentley writes: While there is a growing consensus today that eating raw food is healthier, the fact is, throughout history all cultures have modified, "cooked" or altered the energy field of their foods in some way. This is one of the 11 fundamental Characteristics of Traditional Diets, based on extensive research on so-called primitive cultures throughout the world by Dr. Weston Price in the 1930s. Even the most primitive tribe discovered in our time, The Tasaday of the Philippines, who had no wheel or weapons,

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 52

did have fire, which they started with wooden sticks and used to roast wild yams and other foods. But let‘s keep things in perspective: the raw food diet, like the Paleo diet, promotes the complete removal of grains, refined sugar, and other processed foods. The raw food diet is essentially the Paleo diet without the meat. That, in my opinion, puts it very close to a diet that optimizes gene expression by mimicking the pre-agricultural environment of 10,000 years ago.

Again, I don‘t recommend dogmatically following a paleo diet just for the sake of doing so. I only started out by mentioning testimonials to give a sample of what typical results might look like. In order to optimize our sleep and energy, we need to next focus on why ancestral diets give the results they do. We‘ll look at the biochemistry behind it, so that we can adopt specific rules without having to only resort to the nebulous ―big picture‖ approach. Given the astronomical scope of your body‘s biochemical reactions, there‘s really no way to carefully analyze each and every aspect of diet and how it relates to sleep. However, there are two concepts that play a very big role, and we‘ll look at them in detail. Those concepts are: 1. Blood sugar, insulin, and ketones. 2. Insulin and serotonin. Let‘s take a look at the first concept:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 53

Generally speaking, your body has two main sources of energy: 

Glucose



Fats

Glucose is a simple sugar and can be easily derived from most carbohydrates. Certain fatty acids (or, just ―fats) can also be used as fuel. Glucose can be considered a ―high octane‖ fuel. Due to its efficiency as a fuel source, your body evolved in such a way to preserve glucose for mostly the brain and muscles. Your brain, by the way, consumes about 20% of your body‘s energy despite weighing just 2% of your body‘s mass. It‘s a true powerhouse and requires precise care when it comes to feeding it with fuel. Unfortunately, the modern diet is anything but precise and ends up flooding the brain in too much fuel, which can lead to all sorts of problems. Let me explain. Most people are unaware of how the body uses food as fuel. There are three macronutrients found in foods: 

Carbohydrates



Fats



Protein

Your body has impressive ways to convert all three of these nutrients into either glucose or fatty acids to be used as fuel. But let‘s just focus on glucose for now. Your glucose fuel comes primarily from carbohydrate intake (glucose itself is a carbohydrate). All carbohydrates come in one of two forms:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 54



Simple sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose)



Starches

Starches are simply chains of glucose molecules. You have probably heard the term ―complex carbohydrates‖. A complex carbohydrate is simply another name for starch – both are simply chains of glucose. When you eat carbohydrates, your body converts it fairly quickly into just a bunch of glucose molecules. If you eat a piece of bread, which is mostly carbohydrate, it‘s only a matter of minutes until all those starches become glucose molecules. Your body also converts all the simple sugars into glucose (and if you consume glucose itself, there‘s no need for conversion). So when you drink soda, which might contain glucose, fructose, or sucrose, it all ends up as glucose pretty quickly. So far, so good. Your body loves glucose. Your brain cells love it even more.

Here‘s where it gets messy: Your body has very precise mechanisms in place to ensure that the amount of glucose in your blood is constant. Not too much and not too little. The mechanism includes two hormones: insulin and cortisol. 

When glucose levels are too high, insulin is released to lower glucose levels.



When levels are too low, cortisol is released to raise it (by helping the body turn available protein into glucose).

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 55

Note: Just to reiterate, although cortisol is referred to as ―the stress hormone‖ it actually has a multitude of functions, such as increasing glucose levels in the blood when they're too low. Either way, the side effect of having too much cortisol floating around in your system (that is, at bedtime, not in the morning) is decreased sleep quality due to the stimulating effects of cortisol. By using insulin and cortisol, your body keeps glucose levels just right. This finely tuned balance ensures that your brain always has the fuel available to survive and thrive. Given that the brain is just as active in sleep as in wakefulness, a steady stream of brain fuel is critical for high quality sleep. Certain diet and lifestyle habits, however, can throw off this finely tuned balance. What happens when you consume too many carbohydrates at once? (Say, you just ate 3 pieces of cheesecake). Your body goes into ―panic mode‖. Glucose, because it is a ―high octane fuel‖, is actually toxic at very high levels. So what does your body do? It secretes massive amounts of insulin to lower blood glucose levels as quickly as possible. Your body tends to overshoot the insulin response and blood glucose drops far below normal levels, after which it must secrete cortisol to raise it back up.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 56

Sound confusing? Here‘s a sample timeline: 

Consume a large amount of carbohydrate (3 pieces of cheesecake)



All those carbs are converted straight into glucose -- too much glucose is released in the blood



Your body panics and secretes insulin to lower glucose



About 1-2 hours after the meal, glucose levels are now below normal levels.



From 2 to 5 hours after the meal, your body secretes cortisol to slowly raise glucose back to normal.

This is called the blood sugar roller coaster. Many people go day to day on this roller coaster. Here are some symptoms that you might be on it as well: 

You become irritable if you skip a meal.



You have energy ―highs and lows‖



You gain weight easily, particularly around the abdominal region



You have excessive cravings for food

Note: I sometimes use ―glucose‖ and ―blood sugar‖ interchangeably. They‘re the same thing The blood sugar roller coaster sounds bad, and it is. To restate one of the points I made a couple pages ago: Given that the brain is just as active in sleep as in wakefulness, a steady stream of brain fuel is critical for high quality sleep. A steady stream of glucose can keep your brain sharp and focused. A roller coaster will flood your brain with high octane fuel one hour, then deprive it the next. The term ―brain fog‖ often refers to a lack of brain fuel, which is why you might get brain fog 1-2 hours after a heavy meal.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 57

So that‘s one problem with the roller coaster, but there are two others. In the core concepts section we talked about how cortisol decreases deep sleep amount. Eating foods that induce the blood sugar roller coaster will cause an increase in cortisol 2-5 hours after the meal. You want cortisol to decline gradually throughout the day, so ―roller coaster meals‖ should be avoided. The last, and perhaps most detrimental, problem of the ―roller coaster‖ is something called insulin resistance. Although you probably heard of insulin resistance as something only people with diabetes experience, the truth is that nearly everyone in an industrialized society has some level of insulin resistance. Here‘s what it is: Insulin resistance is when your cells become tolerant to insulin. This is when insulin becomes less effective at what it does (which is lower glucose levels in the blood). Think of it this way. When you drink lots of caffeine day after day, the drug starts to lose its effect, so that you need more and more caffeine to get the same boost in energy. This is because your brain cells become ―tolerant‖ to the caffeine molecule, thus caffeine itself becomes less effective. The same thing can happen with insulin. Your insulin levels can reach high levels day after day and insulin itself becomes less effective. This is where it becomes troublesome:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 58

Insulin is required to move glucose out of the blood and into cells to be used as energy. When your cells become resistant to insulin, your cells become less able to utilize glucose. But your brain cells need glucose for fuel. When your brain cells become less able to use glucose, your brain overall becomes less able to think clearly and even less able to conduct powerful sleep.

All of this might seem a bit confusing, but let‘s put it in perspective. Back to the hunter-gatherer example. Their diet consisted of meat, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruit. No grains, no sodas, no cookies, no cakes. Hunter-gatherers got nearly all of their carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables. Generally speaking, that‘s not a lot. It might have amounted to at most 150 grams of carbohydrates per day. However, like I said, the body evolved to use glucose primarily for the brain and muscles. 150 grams per day was plenty for the brain and physical activity. An interesting component of the carbohydrates found in vegetables and fruit is that they don‘t spike blood sugar much at all. Because they don‘t spike

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 59

blood sugar, they don‘t cause an insulin spike. That‘s good – that provides a steady stream of glucose for the brain. No sugar crashes. Now when you take a look at modern day foods such as grains and junk food, they are known to spike blood sugar quite aggressively. Even though you have probably heard that ―whole grains‖ are healthy because their starches are more ―complex‖, the truth is that even many whole grains spike blood sugar considerably more than vegetables or fruit. If you want a more in-depth look at how specific foods spike blood sugar, take a look at their glycemic load. A quick look at a food‘s glycemic load (charts can be found online) reveals that most hunter-gatherer foods have low glycemic loads, while most grain-based or modern foods have high glycemic loads. So if ~150 grams or less of plant-derived carbohydrates were used for the brain and muscles, what was used for the other organs in the body? The answer is fats. One specific fat-fuel, called ketones, are actually preferred over glucose by many organs in the body. Your heart, for example, runs more efficiently on ketones than it does on glucose (See the work by Dr. Eades) The problem arises when you consume excessive carbohydrates per day. If you eat 400 grams per day (which is about average in the modern diet), then most cells in your body will be in ―glucose mode‖—ketone production will go down because so much glucose is available. Generally speaking, it‘s smarter to leave just enough glucose (carbs) for your brain and muscles so that other organs in your body can run on ketones (or technically a mix of the two fuels).

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 60

With this in mind, it makes sense to focus on a diet that your body was designed for: meats, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruit.

In summary, a Paleo or raw food diet will do several things to promote powerful sleep and high energy levels: 1. It will keep blood sugar levels in check so there will be a steady stream of glucose available for the brain. No sugar crashes after meals (more energy during the day), and no sugar crashes while asleep (more energy for the brain to conduct powerful, efficient sleep). 2. It will allow cortisol to decline naturally throughout the day. Remember that cortisol is a brain stimulant. The ―blood sugar roller coaster‖ will cause cortisol to be released in unnecessary amounts at unnecessary times, leading to poor sleep and occasionally the ―racing mind‖ that prevents sleep onset. 3. It will help repair insulin resistance, meaning more energy overall – not only for the cells in your body, but also your brain cells. Clearer thinking, more mental energy, and of course better sleep. At the beginning of this section I mentioned that there were two concepts to understand about diet and sleep: 1. Blood sugar, insulin, and ketones (which we just discussed) 2. Insulin and serotonin (which we will now discuss.)

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 61

In this section we will really start to connect some pieces of the puzzle. Serotonin, which was discussed in the core concepts section of this guide, is absolutely important in sleep and energy levels. Most cases of insomnia, anxiety, depression, and/or panic attacks have some relation to a poor serotonin system in the brain. With regards to diet, let‘s take a look at one last ―Paleo testimonial‖. I pulled this from a Paleo diet website called MarksDailyApple.com. It serves as a very good example of how diet can turn your life around:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 62

Keenan - ―High Fat, Less Cardio‖ Transformation I have two pictures of me and two stories. The first was taken in 2005 at age 20 after I finished a big bulking session. I had spent the previous 4 years working out like a bodybuilder. I ate little to no sugar, only ―complex‖ carbs (brown rice, baked/sweet potatoes, wheat bread, etc) and followed typical bodybuilding low-fat high-carb diet. I worked out 4-5 times/week, did steady state cardio (swimming, usually), etc. …

Around this time, I started developing severe anxiety and panic attacks, both of which are disorders of serotonin regulation. Serotonin is largely affected by insulin and messed up serotonin often goes hand in hand with insulin resistance. You can barely tell from the picture that I had substantial musculature, because it is so covered by fat. I weighed about 175lbs and I could bench 240 and squat 300. Not bad, but not great either. A week after this picture was taken, I had appendicitis and then an appendectomy, followed by the mother of all panic attacks. For over a month, I was completely incapacitated and could only sleep for 1-2 hours each night. After months of trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me, I stumbled upon the Paleo diet on Art DeVany‘s website.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 63

I dropped the ―complex carbs‖, upped my fat consumption, worked out less, and did less cardio. After only 2 years of this, here‘s a second picture taken a few months ago at age 22 … I weighed about 160 in the 2nd picture, and my lifts are the same as when I was 175, except that I have more power and control of them now. Panic attacks are non-existent because my insulin levels are low and regular, keeping my serotonin levels low and regular. There is much, much more to the Paleo lifestyle and diet then ―getting big‖; it‘s about physical and mental health, sustainability, and quality of life. Source

His story isn‘t unique either. There‘s a strong connection between ―messed up insulin‖ and ―messed up serotonin‖. Those ―complex carbs‖ from whole grains simply aren‘t as useful as they‘re made out to be.

You may have heard somewhere that carbohydrates increase serotonin. This is true, though it‘s more accurate to say that insulin signals the production of serotonin. This is why a high-sugar food makes you feel so good—the insulin spike causes a spike in serotonin. This is also why many foods are considered comfort foods (and notice how all comfort foods are high-carb).

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 64

Since insulin and serotonin levels are closely associated, when you eat a diet that puts you on the ―insulin roller coaster‖ (or the ―blood sugar roller coaster‖), you‘re also taking a ride on the serotonin roller coaster. There‘s nothing wrong with the serotonin-insulin connection, but our bodies can have too much of a good thing—when you induce an artificial serotonin high, your brain‘s serotonin receptors can burn out. Day after day of carboverload will put enough pressure on your serotonin receptors that you can become serotonin resistant. This is like insulin resistance discussed earlier. Although high-carb foods make you feel good in the short term, over time they can do damage to your serotonin system – which means poorer energy, poorer sleep, or perhaps insomnia and panic attacks like in Kenneth‘s example above. Eating a Paleo or raw food diet will likely improve your serotonin function. It will keep serotonin in its healthy range (not too high). It will keep serotonin receptors from burning out, which will allow your body to run on a steady stream of serotonin instead of requiring frequent carb-induced boosts every 3-5 hours. So, yes, something like cheesecake will increase serotonin for the next hour or so. But it‘s an artificial increase. You‘re better off letting your body regulate serotonin levels in a way it was designed.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 65

Many non-Paleo carbohydrate sources (grains, refined sugar, etc) cause insulin highs and lows, which lead to serotonin highs and lows, which ultimately can damage your overall serotonin system (e.g. serotonin resistance). Paleo carbohydrates (those from fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds) do not cause the “insulin roller coaster” and allow your serotonin levels to be steady and regular. Now that you understand some of the dietary puzzle pieces, put it all together and reread some of the Paleo diet or raw food testimonials. The energy improvements associated with these diets should start to make sense.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 66

I hope this discussion convinced you of the strong connection between diet, energy levels, and sleep quality. I mentioned the Paleo diet and the raw food diet because both have wellestablished communities. You can easily learn more about either just by searching the Internet. But diet doesn‘t have to be rocket science. You don‘t have to follow any specific ―diet‖ to improve your energy levels. I prefer looking at my diet as a ―real food diet‖, which I‘ll explain now. The premise of the ―real food diet‖ is this: eat foods that my body recognizes as food. Avoid fake foods completely. Eat semi-real foods in moderation or only when necessary. And eat real foods in as much quantity, whenever you feel hungry. Here‘s a sample breakdown: Real foods (eat plentifully): 

Meat – our ancestors ate meat and our body recognizes meat as food.



Vegetables – particularly organic, leafy green vegetables



Fruit – especially berries.



Nuts



Seeds

Semi-real foods (eat occasionally or only out of social convenience): 

Bread, pasta, rice, corn etc – humans went 99.5% of their evolutionary history without grains. It‘s a food in a sense that our bodies can extract nutrients (mostly ―empty carbs‖), but not a food in the sense that our bodies are not genetically programmed to sufficiently handle their macro/micro-nutrient profile. I make little

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 67

distinction between ―whole grain‖ and ―refined grain‖ because all grains are refined in some way (unless you sprout your own grains, but that‘s another topic entirely!) 

Raw milk – similar to grains, dairy products (milk from domesticated animals) only entered the diet very recently (6,000 years ago). Raw milk and cheese is better than pasteurized milk, as it is closer to its natural state.



Beans – just like grains, all beans are indigestible unless processed and cooked. Due to their higher amounts of nutrients, they are better than most grains (their carbs aren‘t quite as ―empty‖), but still a recent addition to the diet.



Processed meats from poorly fed animals – Not all meat is created equal. High quality meat requires the animal be fed its natural diet (grass, seeds, etc – not corn), with no preservatives, antibiotics, etc. Unfortunately, the majority of meats available at restaurants or the grocery store fall into this category of semi-real foods.

Fake foods (avoid completely): 

Any type of junk food – if you can‘t recognize any of the ingredients on the label, it‘s probably not a real food.



Pasteurized milk – some people would consider this a semi-real food, but the pasteurization process puts milk too far from anything truly natural.



anything containing trans-fats or hydrogenated oils



soy-based ―fake meats‖



Sodas – The natural human diet has never in its 2.5 million year history encountered any food remotely resembling soda.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 68

If transitioning to a Paleo-like diet seems like too much, there are two changes that can give you the bulk of the benefit upfront: 

removing sugar and refined grains



adding more leafy green vegetables

Those two steps alone represent a huge stride in the right direction.

Even though I consider myself a ―health fanatic‖, I realize there‘s more to life than just optimizing health through diet. Most Paleo dieters and raw foodists I know are equally realistic and give themselves some wiggle room. This is why I recommend the 80% rule: eat perfect 80% of the time, but give yourself some flexibility. Some people might say ―include some cheat meals into your week‖. But I don‘t like calling them ‗cheat meals‘ – I love eating a Paleo diet and the only reason I ―cheat‖ is because of social convenience, not because I have sugar cravings or the like. For example, here are some of my ―flexibility‖ rules: 

When out with friends at restaurants, some corn or rice is OK.



A few ciders or mixed drinks once in a while (I don‘t drink beer due to its gluten content—I‘m quite gluten sensitive).



A little cheese on omelets once in a while.

Despite the occasional ‗cheating‘ I still do quite well. I never have carb cravings like I used to. And I sleep incredibly well, have more energy than I

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 69

know what to do with, and rarely (if ever) experience symptoms of messed up serotonin (depression, anxiety, etc).

I‘ll only make a quick mention of this, but it‘s very important: No two people are exactly alike, thus no strict dietary regime can perfectly apply to all people. In other words, what works for some people is not guaranteed to work for you. Across the population, there is such a wide array of food sensitivities— some people can‘t tolerate grains at all, some people can‘t tolerate milk, some people tolerate nuts better than others, and some people are allergic to a few real foods like tomatoes or even strawberries. Finally, some people seem to tolerate high fruit diets better than others. And some seem to tolerate high meat/protein diets better than others. Some experts believe that your recent ancestral history might offer an explanation for this. If your ancestry comes from equatorial regions where plants were available year-round, then you might do better on a high-fruit diet; if your ancestry comes from extreme-latitude regions where meat was the only food option during winter seasons, then you might do better on a highmeat/protein diet—and might in fact do very poorly on a high-fruit diet. Take control of your own health and find what works for you. Be open minded and avoid dogmatic perspectives.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 70

Diet is perhaps the most important component of The Power Sleep Program. If you have never encountered these concepts before, your head might be spinning from information overload. So here‘s a quick summary with all the key points:  Many people following a Paleo diet or raw food diet experience a huge boost in energy, sleep quality, and mood.  Hunter-gatherer tribes (who naturally follow a Paleo diet) experience almost none of the Western ailments, including insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc.  Our distant ancestors did not eat grains, legumes, or dairy. Our genes have yet to fully catch up.  Carbohydrates are converted into glucose, regardless of the ―complexity‖ of the carbohydrate.  A high carb meal (or a meal with a high glycemic load) will spike blood sugar levels.  This will require the body to enter ―panic mode‖ – it will spike insulin to bring blood sugar down.  This will result in a blood sugar crash, which explains the ―brain fog‖ and tiredness following some meals.  2-5 hours after the meal, the body will secrete cortisol to raise blood sugar back up. This might cause cortisol levels to be too high at nighttime, thus interfering with sleep quality.  Over time, these frequent insulin spikes will cause insulin resistance. Since your brain cells can be insulin resistant just like your other cells, this may result in chronic ―brain fog‖ or even poor sleep.  Serotonin problems go hand-in-hand with insulin problems.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 71

 Eating real foods will promote healthy genetic expression. Eating real foods will stabilize your glucose levels, insulin levels, and serotonin levels. It will help reverse insulin resistance, which will allow your body to get more energy per glucose molecule. It will help reverse serotonin resistance, which will improve serotonin function overall, and make you less dependent on serotonin highs. It will allow your body to utilize both ketones and glucose as fuel, as per nature‘s intention, which will eliminate carb/sugar cravings completely.  Overall, eating real foods and eliminating processed foods will improve your energy levels and optimize the brain chemicals necessary for powerful sleep.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 72

Exercise is a difficult topic to cover. Generally, exercise is good for energy levels and sleep quality, but there are many variables at work. The benefits of exercise depend on things like the time of day or the type of exercise you‘re doing. Believe it or not, sometimes exercise can actually be counter-productive. In a general case, exercise helps sleep in the following ways:  It reduces stress.  It increases bloodflow to the brain. Some sleep experts say that the quality of your sleep is only as good as the quality of your day. When you're mentally active and excited during the day, you sleep better at night. Increased bloodflow to the brain increases mental alertness – faster brainwaves, and improved glucose and oxygen delivery to brain cells. By the time you sleep at night, the brain will be better primed for efficient, high quality sleep.  It raises body temperature, allowing for a stronger drop in body temperature at night. A cool body increases deep sleep amount.  Also, exercise improves your body‘s glucose metabolism, meaning your body will be better at maintaining glucose levels in the blood (this benefit goes hand in hand with the concepts covered in the diet section). And lastly: 

Certain types of exercise boost dopamine and serotonin production.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 73

Think back to the dopamine & serotonin section of this guide – this is by far the biggest benefit of exercise (technically, many other ―feel good‖ hormones are involved, such as epinephrine and endorphin. But, hey, the more the merrier). That‘s the good aspects of exercise, now here‘s the bad: 

Certain types of exercise can drastically increase cortisol.



Certain types of exercise can actually deplete dopamine/serotonin,

Cortisol needs to naturally decline throughout the day, and every time we give it an artificial boost we‘re damaging our sleep quality. The thought that exercise can be ‗bad‘ is absurd to most people, but the idea is not anything new. If we go back to our concepts of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and how it represents our optimal gene expression, it‘s clear that exercise, not just diet, has changed drastically in recent years. Our hunter-gatherer genes seem to be optimized for certain types of exercise: 

lifting heavy things



long durations of low-intensity movement – such as 10-mile daily walks.



quick sprints (e.g. running from a predator)

What humans did not do is run marathons, or even spend 30 minutes jogging on treadmills. Studies have shown that, after running a marathon, runners sleep as much as 2-4 hours more than usual. Many people assume that this is because the

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 74

muscles need to ―recover‖, but this most likely due to increased cortisol levels. Remember, one of cortisol‘s functions (other than being a ―stress hormone‖) is to increase the amount of glucose in the blood. Excessive exercise requires so much glucose that the body has no choice but to elevate cortisol levels, hence stressing out the body and ultimately reducing sleep quality. Our goal is to find types of exercise that: 

Optimize dopamine and serotonin boosts



Minimize cortisol secretion.

Generally, it‘s the ―Paleo exercises‖ that do just that—long walks, short sprints, and lifting heavy things. Not 60+ minute treadmill sessions. Here‘s a quote from The Mars and Venus Diet and Exercise Solution by John Gray What is too much exercise? Running for seven miles for most people is too much, even though it may make them feel high as a kite. I have too many friends who at fifty need knee surgery from jogging. The golden rule for everyone is, If your exercise gets you out of breath or causes you to feel sore afterwards, you are doing too much. A little moaning and groaning in the gym is great, but if you are not enjoying every bit of it, then it is too much. Even if you enjoy it, if you are sore the next day, you are damaging your body and inhibiting the proper production of brain chemicals. You will also know you are exercising too much if you feel tired or bored at other times.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 75

The triangular type [referring to body type] tends to overexercise because too much exercise produces a high from endorphins in the brain. This is a false benefit, because overexercising uses up the amino acids in the blood and blocks the continuous production of dopamine in the brain, which is associated with a man’s energy and intelligence levels. With intense exercise, all the amino acids go to the muscles, and none are left to produce the feel-good brain hormone dopamine. In addition, all the blood sugar is metabolized and little is left for the brain. The brain gets all its energy from carbohydrates. When these are gone, there is nothing left for the brain. Overexercising is particularly harmful for students. It is no coincidence that athletic types in school often have difficulty keeping their grades up. The jock is a stereotype, though body type, just like gender, has nothing to do with intelligence. But overexercising can make you less focused, less motivated, and less attentive. Too much exercise will lower dopamine levels and decrease the activity of the prefrontal cortex in the brain. Bottom line: 

Most types of exercise stimulate serotonin/dopamine production.



Overexercising gives you an endorphin high, which is a good thing, but it comes at the cost of using up too much dopamine and increasing cortisol levels.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 76

Paleo exercises – the ones that are right in the middle and don‘t overstrain your body – give a huge boost in both serotonin and dopamine production without the cortisol boost. If you‘re trying to lose fat, then this Paleo lifestyle works well for many people. Spending 30 minutes on the treadmill depletes your body of glucose and causes you to crave carbohydrates, which will cause an insulin spike and put your body in ―fat storage mode‖. Look back to the Paleo testimonial from Kenneth. In the before-and-after pictures, he actually lost fat from doing less cardio. Exercise and eat like a caveman and your body will switch to ―fat burning‖ mode – it‘s very simple, and it‘s how your genes were designed.

Let‘s take a look at a popular form of exercise called High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT involves fast springs followed by slow walks—for example, a series of 60 second sprints followed by 120 second walks would be HIIT. HIIT is really just ―Paleo cardio‖, but people who follow HIIT typically don‘t think of it that way. Nevertheless, HIIT has the advantage of being studied scientifically. When it is compared to ―chronic cardio‖ we know that: 

HIIT produces a smaller cortisol response than long durations of jogging/running.



HIIT produces a testosterone boost (another ―energy hormone‖ – important for both men and women), while chronic cardio can reduce testosterone levels.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 77



HIIT expends more calories in a shorter duration of time, thus is more effective for fat loss.



HIIT produces less oxidative damage to your cells.

Don‘t get caught up in the details of ―how‖ to do HIIT – just do an intense sprint for maybe a minute or two then walk for a while until you feel like you can sprint again. It‘s a good Paleo exercise, and is (in my opinion) the only option when it comes to intense cardio.



Overexercising and ―chronic cardio‖ aren‘t the worst things in the world; they give you an adrenaline/endorphin high, which feels great. But this high comes at the cost of an artificial boost in cortisol, which will damage sleep quality. It may increase your sleep need by 1-3 hours. It also comes at the cost of depleting the nutrients that are used to create dopamine and serotonin.



Doing ―Paleo exercises‖ – short sprints, long walks, HIIT, and lifting heavy things – will give a huge boost in serotonin and dopamine production, while minimizing the cortisol response. These are ideal for energy, sleep, health, and longevity.



Not exercising at all is likely worse than overexercising. No exercise means no dopamine and serotonin boost.

As always, find what works for you. If you spend 30+ minutes jogging on the treadmill every day, but feel unmotivated at other times during the day, you may be inhibiting proper dopamine balance, in which case I would recommend switching to Paleo exercises. If you don‘t exercise at all, then try to throw in something, anything, to give a healthy serotonin and dopamine boost.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 78

Resources Case Against Cardio – This is an article from a website called Mark‘s Daily Apple. It gives you the basics of why long sessions of high-intensity cardio is counterproductive to good health. Although the article doesn‘t directly mention sleep, it does mention how excessive cardio drastically increases cortisol levels. http://www.sleepwarrior.com/link/case-against-cardio

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 79

Consider this section to be a quick detour before we get into topics like circadian rhythm, light exposure, and caffeine. In this section we will talk about two common ―energy robbers‖ – two conditions that are associated with excessive tiredness and poor sleep. Keep in mind that even if you feel these conditions don't apply to you, you can always take the same measures to reverse their effects and notice a boost in sleep quality and energy levels.

Adrenal fatigue is estimated to affect 90% of industrialized people on some level at least once in their lifetime. Your adrenal glands are responsible for the ―fight or flight‖ response, and they're responsible for overall energy levels and even waking you up in the morning (it‘s your adrenal glands that produce cortisol). They become extremely active in times of physical or psychological stress. If you live a highly stressful lifestyle (e.g. you‘re a University student), then your adrenal glands are likely working overtime. They‘re working too hard, and it‘s possible that they will eventually ―burn out‖. When the adrenal glands ―burn out‖ they can no longer produce the proper levels of hormones that your body requires (e.g. cortisol). This is called adrenal fatigue. It can be characterized by any of the following symptoms: 

difficulty waking up in the morning

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 80



lack of energy until the late evening



highly pronounced feeling of tiredness during the afternoon



light-headedness upon standing up



cold hands and feet



inability to muster the motivation to do work



everyday activities feel like a chore



decreased productivity

Although adrenal fatigue is mostly attributed to a ―stressful lifestyle‖, its cause can be from just about any lifestyle factor that overworks the adrenal glands, such as: 

sleeping less than your brain‘s required amount for extended periods of time



too much caffeine



too much sugar



too many refined carbohydrates



lifestyle stress



death of a loved one



working too hard



etc.

For most, adrenal fatigue is 100% reversible. By limiting stress, caffeine, sugar, and getting lots of sleep, the adrenal glands will heal over the course of a few weeks to a few months. Fully functional adrenal glands will give you the energizer hormones your body needs to stay mentally focused and alert throughout the day. I recommend for anyone to watch their caffeine and sugar intake, as well as watching day-to-day stress levels. Improving these things will help the adrenal glands return to 100% functionality, which, to you, means:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 81



a huge jolt of natural energy in the morning



increased motivation



increased productivity

It turns out the same steps to reverse adrenal fatigue are precisely the ones covered throughout this guide. In terms of diet, the main cause of adrenal fatigue is foods with a high glycemic load (i.e. foods that causes the blood sugar roller coaster). A ―real foods diet‖ will solve that problem. The second main contributor is overconsumption of caffeine, a topic we will cover in a later chapter. I mention adrenal fatigue because the condition is so prevalent. Take note at the signs of adrenal fatigue. If you become light-headed after standing up, or if you have particular difficulty waking up in the morning, or if you have very low energy in the morning hours, then you might need to watch your grain, sugar, and caffeine intake much more closely than someone who doesn‘t have these signs.

Toxic metal poisoning is certainly overlooked in terms of overall health. And despite the discouraging name, toxic metal poisoning is surprisingly common. Some of the most common toxic metals are: 

mercury



lead



aluminum

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 82



cadmium

Although these metals have been associated with an increase risk in just about every disease, one of the first signs of overexposure is excessive tiredness, sleepiness, and/or insomnia. In 1992, a study published in Environmental Neurotoxicity reviewed the number of chemicals that have been linked to various conditions. Of all the chemicals they studied, they found that 87 different chemicals have been linked to fatigue, and 119 have been linked to sleep disturbances. Another study showed that factory workers have a significantly increased risk of insomnia and fatigue. The reason is their increased exposure to heavy metal toxins in their work environment. Few people understand just how toxic some metals are. Mercury, for example, becomes toxic at one part per billion. That's the same concentration of one grain of salt in a swimming pool. Since I started the SleepWarrior.com website, I‘ve received several e-mails from people detailing their struggle with excessive tiredness, some of whom found through tests with their doctor the cause to be mercury poisoning, or some other excessive exposure to environmental toxins. Through what I‘ve researched, I‘m convinced that everyone living in an industrialized environment could improve their energy levels and sleep quality by limiting exposure to environmental toxins. Remember that the modern environment is very different than what it was just 100 years ago. It‘s not that there‘s anything inherently ―wrong‖ with modern chemicals, it‘s that our body‘s genetic makeup and process of genetic expression were not designed to handle these chemicals.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 83

The primary source of harmful toxins is food and contaminated water. However, the same substances can enter your bloodstream through your lungs and through your skin. Anything you put on your skin has the potential to enter your bloodstream; your skin is not an impenetrable barrier. (I‘m often reminded of those who are allergic to gluten, the protein found in wheat—they cannot use certain lotions or shampoos that contain gluten or else they get noticeably sick). The good news is that your body is capable of removing toxins. Generally, we want the rate of removal to be faster than the rate of exposure. Now, with that said, there‘s a point where you have to draw the line. Not everyone has the money or desire to buy 100% organic food, organic skin care products, organic shampoo, organic household cleaners, etc. I don‘t think it‘s wise to become too stressed about every little toxin in the environment, so I‘ve developed just a few action steps to follow as part of the Power Sleep Program.

Increase your body‘s rate of removal: 

Healthy eating is your best line of defense; nothing beats a real food diet. (Specifically, vegetable intake and antioxidant intake are very important in maximizing your body‘s toxin removal rate—there are specific biochemical reasons for this.)



Exercise is next up in importance; again, due to the minimal amount of oxidative damage, Paleo exercises are preferred.

Reduce your body‘s exposure to harmful toxins:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 84



Drink filtered water. Most tap water contains excessive amounts of chlorine, which has (like most toxins) been linked to tiredness and fatigue (as well as heart attacks, strokes, premature senility and sexual impotency). Chlorine is used to kill bacteria and other microorganisms to make tap water ―safer‖, but it acts equally on our own cells.



Avoid cosmetics and antiperspirant with aluminum bases. Always check the label and look for ―Aluminum Chlorohydrate‖ or any other aluminum ingredient. Aside from being linked to (surprise), fatigue and insomnia, aluminum poisoning has a strong correlation to the development of Alzheimer‘s disease (it‘s neurotoxic and can pass the blood-brain barrier).



Avoid aluminum cookware. For the same reasons above. When aluminum is heated, it becomes slightly volatile and some aluminum molecules will enter the food, thus enter your mouth, and then bloodstream, and then your brain.



Buy organic produce wherever possible. Some experts say that inorganic vegetables are better than no vegetables at all, but if you can afford organic, then the decreased level of pesticides will help your energy levels.



Avoid mercury contaminated fish. Just 100 years ago, fish were a great source of nutrients. Today‘s lakes, rivers, and shorelines have been contaminated by industrial pollution (mostly from coal power plants). As I mentioned, mercury becomes toxic at very, very small concentrations. It doesn‘t take much to do damage, even if it‘s subtle. Generally, the larger the fish the more mercury it probably has (due to buildup from eating smaller fish). This makes tuna one of the worst culprits. Some experts recommend eliminating fish altogether, unless you‘re absolutely positive it comes from a safe source, or unless you‘re eating small fish like sardines.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 85

A note about fish: The reason fish are considered so healthy is because of their omega-3 fats. People in industrialized societies are dangerously deficient in omega-3s. Low omega-3s has been linked to things like poor heart health, poor brain function, depression, anxiety, and even increased rates of homicides. There are numerous reasons why an omega-3 supplement can not only be good for your overall health, but for your sleep quality and energy levels as well. Krill Oil is perhaps the best source of omega-3s. Learn more about Krill Oil and the benefits of omega-3s in the Sleep and Energy Supplements booklet included with The Power Sleep Program. The whole ―toxin‖ thing can be a bit tiring to hear, as it seems some people blow it out of proportion. But I truly believe that no matter where you stand on this spectrum, taking the above action steps can improve overall energy and sleep quality. For some, the effects might be subtle. For others, it really might be the ―missing piece‖ to their tiredness.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 86

Have you ever wondered how your body knows when it is time to sleep and when it is time to be awake? Your body uses two ―clocks‖ to control the entire sleep-wake cycle. (The sleep-wake cycle is often referred to as the circadian rhythm) One clock is a tiny bundle of neurons deep inside your brain called the SCN. There is a long wire connecting the SCN to your retinas. The SCN always knows what time it is based on exposure to light. The other clock is a sort of chemical ―buildup-and-decay‖ clock throughout your brain. This clock determines the time based on how you control your sleep schedule. Certain chemicals ―build up‖ while you‘re awake and ―decay‖ while you‘re asleep. More build-up of these chemicals in the brain indicates that it‘s later in the day. In other words, this clock ―knows‖ it‘s late if you haven‘t slept in a while. When both of these clocks are working perfectly and in sync, you will wake up at about the same time every morning (usually with the sun). You will go to bed at about the same time each night. Your sleep will be incredibly efficient – lots of deep sleep and REM. You will sleep less and feel very alert throughout the entire day. The problem is that these clocks don't always run perfectly, and don't always run in sync. 

Overexposure to artificial light at night, as well as underexposure to true sunlight during the day, will confuse the first clock (the SCN), and it will sometimes run faster or slower than 24 hours.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 87



A random sleep schedule will confuse the second clock, the chemical build-up-and-decay mechanism in the brain. Excessive, inconsistent daytime napping, combined with inconsistent wake-up times and inconsistent sleep times cause this clock to reset itself at awkward times.

If both clocks run too slow, we feel a tendency to live on 25 or 26-hour days. If one clock runs faster than the other, the whole sleep-wake system suffers. If you've ever lied awake at night, feeling very tired but unable to fall asleep, it may be because one clock is telling you it's bedtime, while the other clock is keeping you awake. Likewise, if you‘ve ever felt tired during the day, it may be because one clock is in ―sleep mode‖ while the other is in ―awake mode‖. Our goal is to get both clocks running at a 24-hour pace, and to run consistently from day to day. We want both clocks to be in ―sleep mode‖ at the same time and ―awake mode‖ at the same time. For most people, this isn‘t a difficult goal. 

To stabilize the first clock we will focus on bright light exposure during the day, and keeping our rooms pitch dark at night. This will be discussed in the next section.



To stabilize the second clock we will simply focus on keeping our sleep schedule consistent, which we‘ll discuss now.

Stabilizing the second clock can be as simple as waking up at the same time every day. This will cause the chemical build-up and decay to follow a set, predictable rhythm. To Stabilize your 2nd sleep clock:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 88



Spend a week or two waking up naturally, whenever your body tells you to. Take note of the approximate time you wake up.



Use an alarm clock to keep your wake-up times within a 15-minute window, even if you are waking up late.



If you need to shift your circadian rhythm (i.e. become an early riser), then follow the advice in the next section to slowly turn back your wake-up time.

I find that a lot of people have difficulty waking up at the same time every morning because they try to use self-discipline to wake up a good 2-3 hours before their natural wake-up time. Instead, work with your body‘s sleep clock by first waking up at set times each morning (even if it‘s late), then try to turn your clock back if you want to become an early riser. Why is circadian rhythm so important in sleep quality? It‘s often said that the BEST way to improve sleep is to stabilize your circadian rhythm (that is, get both of your clocks running in sync on 24-hour schedules). This is because your clocks tell your brain when to be in deep sleep and when to be in REM sleep. When the clocks are stabilized, then they will tell the brain to include lots of deep sleep at the beginning of the night, and lots of REM in the second half of sleep. If you manage to fall asleep when your clocks are not ready for sleep, then the brain will mostly sleep in stages 1 and 2.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 89

As mentioned in the previous section, one of your sleep clocks is the SCN, which knows the time of day based on light exposure. It works like this: 

During the day, your eyes are exposed to light. Your retinas send a signal to the SCN that there‘s light, and the SCN interprets this as daytime. The SCN knows to stay in ―serotonin mode‖, giving you the mental energy to stay alert.



Once night falls, it becomes very dark. The SCN tells your pineal gland to start producing melatonin. Melatonin is the ―sleep hormone‖. It can help your brain slow down.



Your pineal gland takes available serotonin and start converting it to melatonin. It takes about 1 hour before melatonin levels become so high that you feel overpowered by drowsiness and sleep becomes inevitable.



Throughout the night, the melatonin promotes Deep Sleep and REM.



Once the sun starts to come up, the SCN notices the light and tells the pineal gland to stop producing melatonin. The SCN now switches the brain into ―serotonin mode‖. The brighter the light, the more powerful the signal.

As you can see, light is your body’s ultimate timekeeping device. Whereas your wake-up time is your main determinant in your 2 nd sleep clock, it‘s the light exposure and melatonin/serotonin rhythm that stabilizes the 1st sleep clock. Light also stimulates the production of dopamine. So light exposure can actually stimulate your motivation, goal-oriented behavior, productivity, and even libido throughout the day.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 90

To get the highest quality sleep and the most energy during the day, you really want to take advantage of this melatonin/serotonin cycle (as well as the dopamine-producing effects of light). You want plenty of serotonin and melatonin at night (the serotonin is good because it helps with some of the sleep processes; and the brain also converts it to melatonin). While during the day, you want plenty of serotonin, but no melatonin. Remember, melatonin induces drowsiness, which is good at night, but bad during the day. If you don‘t let your brain fully switch to serotonin mode when you wake up, you may feel slightly tired for the first few hours of the day. Back to our hunter-gatherers. Our ancestors lived outside and were only exposed to bright sunlight. Depending on season and latitude, darkness could last for 8-14 hours per 24-hour period. Fast forward to now. We live in a 24-hour culture. We work in dimly lit office buildings. We expose ourselves to artificial light well past sundown, and we flood our sleep environments with ambient light. There are three main consequences of this type of environment: 1. Indoor lights are very weak compared to true sunlight. In the morning, these indoor lights will not fully switch your brain into serotonin mode. You will have a bit of melatonin lingering in your brain, making you drowsy, possibly throughout the entire day. 2. Indoor lights, as dim as they are, still tell our brains to stay in serotonin mode even when the sun goes down. The result: we try to go to bed with very little melatonin in our systems – either

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 91

inhibiting our ability to fall asleep or decreasing deep sleep/REM amounts when we do fall asleep. 3. Ambient light from alarm clocks, computers, street lamps, etc, cause our brain to never enter the 100%, full melatonin mode at night. When we start playing with our serotonin/melatonin cycles, we’re confusing our SCN and it never knows what time it truly is. This can cause difficulty falling asleep and/or ―25-hour days‖. Our goal is to make our melatonin/serotonin cycles as big and deep as possible. We want our brains to enter 100% melatonin mode at night, and 100% serotonin mode during the day. This will optimize sleep quality and energy levels.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 92

Melatonin

Night - Complete Darkness

Day - Sunlight exposure

Melatonin

Night - Ambient Light

Serotonin/Dopamine

Serotonin/Dopamine

Day - Dim Indoor lights

We want our hormone cycles to resemble the top graph. Lots of serotonin/dopamine during the day to maximize energy levels. Lots of melatonin at night to maximize sleep quality. The good news is that we don‘t have to shun artificial light completely. But we should take the appropriate steps to mimic our hunter-gatherer environment for optimal sleep and energy.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 93

The amount of light exposure is measured in ―lux‖. One lux is the brightness emitted by one candle. Here are ―lux‖ values for various light sources. Brightness level

Light source

0.004 lux

Starlight at night with overcast sky

0.02 lux

Clear night with no moon.

0.27 lux

Clear night with full moon.

50 lux

Family living room

300 lux

Office lighting

1,000 lux

Overcast day

10,000+ lux

Full daylight

As you can see, there are some surprising numbers here. Even on a full moon night, light exposure is only 0.27 lux – next to nothing. Our ancestors slept in essentially complete darkness. And artificial light is extremely weak. A bright lit office room might seem bright, but it‘s not even 1/10 as bright as true sunlight. Daylight provides 10,000-25,000 lux. Even on an overcast day (1,000 lux), the brightness is much stronger than indoor lighting.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 94

So if our goal is to maximize the serotonin/melatonin cycle and dopamine production, how exactly do we go about it? 

When you wake up you should expose your eyes to as much bright light as possible. The first two hours of the day are the most important. During the first two hours is where most of the serotonin and dopamine production occurs. Bright light exposure in the afternoon isn‘t quite as effective as in the morning.



You can expose yourself to bright light by: a. Taking a walk outside. b. Avoiding the use of sunglasses on your drive to work c. Use a light therapy ―sun box‖ (more on this later).

It‘s understandable if you cannot go for a full 2 hours of bright light exposure. Most of us need to crawl indoors at some point. Unfortunately, our social obligation to spend time indoors does not excuse the fact that our genes spent 2.5 million years living outdoors, and that such an environment gives us the optimal brain chemistry boost. If 2 hours of light exposure is not achievable, then 30 minutes of morning sunlight will give a sufficient boost. Even though 30 minutes won‘t give as large a serotonin/dopamine boost as 2 hours, it‘s still scientifically proven to be a better mood-booster than Prozac. You can take several steps throughout the day (though especially in the morning) to increase your bright light exposure: 1. Don’t use sunglasses. Exceptions: while skiing, eye protection is necessary since so much sunlight reflects off the snow; also, driving headlong into the sun or other times when you‘re forced to look nearly

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 95

directly into the sun. Otherwise, sunglasses aren‘t necessary and only inhibit serotonin/dopamine production. 2. When you‘re indoors, open as many window blinds as possible to let natural sunlight seep in. These are simple tricks, but they go a long way. Just remember that natural sunlight on an overcast day is still brighter than most indoor environments and your eyes & brain prefer that light to keep the melatonin/serotonin cycle strong.

Just as we have to switch on serotonin/dopamine production in the morning, we need to switch on melatonin production at nighttime. Generally speaking, in complete darkness it takes the brain about one hour to produce optimal amounts of melatonin. This is why it can be sometimes difficult to fall asleep at night if you spent all evening looking into a computer monitor with the room lights on. The best rule that has worked for me is this:  Limit light exposure as much as feasibly possible during the 1 hour window before bedtime. So if your expected bedtime is midnight, then turn off all lights at 11:00PM. This isn‘t just for insomniacs, but all ―power sleepers‖. In that last hour before bedtime you have several options: 1. If you use the computer before bedtime, then turn off all lights and turn your monitor brightness down all the way. Then put on some sunglasses.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 96

2. Turn off all lights and read by candle light, or by a dim night lamp. 3. Turn off all lights and listen to audiobooks, audio programs, etc. 4. Turn off all lights and meditate (meditation has other benefits, such as reducing cortisol levels, which will improve sleep quality—this is perhaps the best option if you‘re looking for the ultimate in sleep quality). Remember, upping your melatonin production is not just about falling asleep faster; it‘s about increasing the deep sleep and REM once you do fall asleep.

Fortunately, technology isn‘t all bad. Although artificial light has messed with our serotonin/melatonin cycles, technology has also given us light boxes. Light boxes are often recommended to those suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). During the winter months, nights are longer and days are often overcast. If you‘ve read this section carefully, you should now fully understand why you get the ―winter blues‖ – it‘s because the lack of bright light exposure inhibits healthy serotonin and dopamine production. Less serotonin and dopamine means you feel slightly more depressed and lethargic. Nearly everyone with SAD experiences huge mood/energy benefits from bright light therapy. Bright light therapy is fortunately very, very simple. You first purchase a light box (which aren‘t too expensive) and you use it every morning upon waking up. It is recommended to use the light box for at least 30 minutes and up to 60 minutes. That‘s really all that‘s needed to stimulate an adequate serotonin/dopamine boost.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 97

Light boxes are also small and portable. And most models produce about 10,000 lux of light, which is about equivalent to a sunny day outside.

Although SAD is quite common, it‘s unfortunate that the use of light boxes has been limited to people with this condition. Even if you don‘t experience the ―winter blues‖, it‘s very unlikely you are getting optimal amounts of bright light during the day, which is compromising your serotonin and dopamine production. And of course this means you‘re compromising your happiness, productivity, motivation, etc. Again, you have the option to use natural sunlight instead of a light box (my favorite method is to simply head outside for a 30 minute walk or bike ride before doing anything else that day), but light boxes can be used for when you are pressed for time, or if it‘s overcast outside.

In the serotonin/dopamine section of this guide we talked about how dopamine is your main ―productivity chemical‖. Most productivity gurus might lead you to believe that true productivity comes from having some obscenely complicated system of manila folders and to-do lists or whatever. They tell you that productivity comes from having a system and from using large amounts of self-discipline to apply that system. But the truth is, when your dopamine levels are naturally high, productivity just happens. When you‘re in the right state of mind, life really doesn‘t have to require so much effort.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 98

Your dopamine levels are supposed to receive a boost every morning. That‘s how our bodies were designed, because we always woke up with the sun‘s rays. It seems absurd to forego our body‘s natural mechanism to increase energy, mood, productivity, and libido (all due to dopamine), but that‘s exactly what we do when we wake up and spend the first few hours of the day in a dimly lit office. Ideally, we would spend as much time outside as possible. But since that is not practical for most of us, it‘s nice to have a light box to fall back on. It‘s a small investment for such a huge benefit. Can bright lights improve your grades? One recent study in Wetaskiwin, Canada equipped several classrooms with full-spectrum lights (which produce more lux than normal fluorescent lights). The students in the fullspectrum classrooms attended more classes and scored higher grades than students in classrooms with ordinary lighting.

If you are traveling eastward, it is normally very difficult to reset your circadian rhythm. But light therapy makes the process easier. Prior to traveling you can wake up 60 minutes earlier each morning (which will reset your ―second sleep clock‖) and you can use a light box immediately upon waking up (which will reset your ―first sleep clock‖, aka the SCN). By using light to control your melatonin cycles, you can ―trick‖ your SCN to believing that days are longer or shorter than they really are. By using bright lights immediately upon waking up, it should only be a day or two before you‘re adapted to the new time zone.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 99

There are several light boxes available on the market. The most expensive I found was over $600. Fortunately, most aren‘t that expensive. The best one I found (and use myself) is the SunTouch Plus. It‘s one of the more affordable models, yet still emits a healthy 10,000 lux (the same as outdoors on a sunny day).

Benefits:    

Emits 10,000 lux of bright light. Small, compact. Affordable (~$160). Includes a negative ion generator (more on this in chapter 15)

Purchase, or read more here (Amazon.com): http://www.sleepwarrior.com/link/suntouch

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 100

It‘s fairly common knowledge that both caffeine and alcohol inhibit sleep. But for some people, caffeine and alcohol really aren‘t the biggest detriments to sleep quality. Instead of advising you to eliminate both completely, let‘s take a look at exactly how they affect sleep so that we can make an informed decision about how and when to include them if need be.

One of your brain's sleep-inducing chemicals is adenosine. Adenosine levels build up gradually in your brain cells throughout the day, and once a threshold level is reached, adenosine activates and turns on the ―sleep switch‖ in your brain (by slowing firing frequency of brain cells, allowing the brain to enter slow brainwave states). Note: Adenosine plays a part in the second circadian clock discussed in the previous section (i.e. the chemical ―build-upand-decay‖ clock). Caffeine inhibits the activity of adenosine, which artificially keeps your brain in awake mode. Since proper adenosine function is required for sleep, if you have caffeine in your system at bedtime, then you’re inhibiting your brain’s natural sleep-wake cycle. This is why caffeine is considered bad for sleep. By eliminating caffeine you allow your brain to follow the natural ebb and flow of the sleep-wake cycle, which will ultimately improve sleep quality and energy levels.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 101

Additionally, caffeine activates the adrenal glands, causing a surge of adrenaline. This is a good feeling in the short term, but you don't want your adrenal glands overactive during the late evening hours. The unfortunate truth about caffeine is that even in small amounts it will have these physiological changes on your body. Well after the buzz wears off, caffeine will cause disruptions in your body's sleep mechanisms, even if you don't feel it happening. Even though caffeine is notorious for keeping people awake at night, it‘s lesser known evil is that of compromising deep sleep amount even if you do fall asleep (the graph is just an example for illustration):

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 102

In my honest opinion, however, I believe there are greater health evils in this world than caffeine. Given that caffeine boosts mood and productivity in the short term, it‘s not all bad, and with the right techniques there are ways to reduce caffeine‘s negative effects on sleep while not avoiding caffeine entirely. When drinking caffeine, keep in mind the following rules:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 103

The earlier you drink caffeine, the better. Caffeine levels in your system will decrease exponentially, not linearly. What that means is that caffeine levels fall off gradually, and tapers off, never fully reaching 0:

The above curve shows what I'm talking about. Don‘t‘ worry about the technical details of the graph. It basically works like this: When you first drink caffeine, it takes about 20-30 minutes for it to fully enter your bloodstream (the absorption phase). After that, caffeine reduces gradually, at a rate defined by its ―half life‖. The half life of caffeine in your body is (for the average adult) about 5 hours. What that means is this: It takes your body 5 hours to remove half of the caffeine already in the system.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 104

Example: If you drank 200mg of caffeine at 6:00am, then at 11:00am there will be 100mg in your system. At 2:00pm there will be 50mg. At 7:00pm there will be 25mg. At midnight there will be 12.5mg. Let‘s assume that you sleep 8 hours each night. That‘s 16 hours of being awake. Assuming you drink all your caffeine immediately upon waking up, then approximately 10% will remain in your system at bedtime. Note: The half-life of caffeine varies from person to person. For most adults, it‘s between 4 and 6 hours. For those with poor liver functions (such as those with a history of alcoholism), the half life can be significantly longer. In one study, a 49-year old lady with a liver disease had a caffeine half life of 168 hours. It‘s possible that people who suffer from poor sleep metabolize caffeine more slowly. As you can see, even if you drink caffeine early in the morning, your body will still have some left by the time it's bedtime. This is why you should follow the rule: the earlier the better, and the less you need, the better. Many sleep experts might suggest to not drink caffeine 6 hours before bedtime. Assuming you metabolize caffeine at a normal rate, and assuming that you don‘t drink excessive amounts of caffeine, this is a decent rule of thumb. But it‘s a simplified rule that doesn‘t work in all situations.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 105

Caffeine Content (per cup, in mg) 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Coffee

Black Tea

Matcha Green Coke (12 Oz) Tea

Green Tea

Yerba Mate

Although coffee is the most popular caffeinated beverage, there are healthier alternatives that might even give a larger energy boost while containing less caffeine. First let‘s take a look at coffee: Coffee 

Benefits: huge amount of antioxidants



Drawbacks: high caffeine content. Coffee is considered very ―acidforming‖, meaning it drastically reduces the pH balance of your cells, which can lead to fatigue problems in the long run.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 106

Black tea 

Benefits: contains enough caffeine to give a noticeable boost.



Drawbacks: Lacks the antioxidant power of other drinks.

Matcha Green tea (Matcha is one of my favorite ―secrets‖) 

Benefits: contains over 100x the antioxidant power of normal green tea. Comes in powder form so it can be easily added to smoothies. Contains enough caffeine to give a boost, but not too much. Most grades aren‘t very expensive.



Drawbacks: ―high quality grades‖ can sometimes be difficult to find and are a bit pricey.

Coke and other sodas 

Benefits: none



Drawbacks: high in sugar, which causes a larger-than-average insulin response, which of course leads to poor glucose metabolism (even in your brain cells). The sleep quality damage caused by the caffeine in Coke is negligible when compared to the damage caused by its sugar content.

Brewed green tea 

Benefits: lower caffeine content than Matcha and black tea. Higher antioxidant content than black tea. Very cheap.



Drawbacks: Minimal antioxidant content when compared to Matcha or Yerba mate.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 107

Yerba mate. Another ―secret‖ that is certainly one of the better coffee alternatives. Yerba mate is like tea, and you drink it like tea, but it‘s technically not made from the tea leaf so it‘s given its own name. 

Benefits: According to yerba-mate.com: ―In 2005, researchers at the University of Illinois studied 25 different types of mate. They found the tea to contain "higher levels of antioxidants than green tea"... and, based on cell studies, "may help prevent oral cancer." Other studies have shown yerba mate to possess up to 90% more metabolismboosting catechins than green tea!‖ Yerba mate boosts your metabolism and contains significantly more antioxidants compared to brewed green tea. Great taste (similar to most teas, but better).



Drawbacks: Somewhat difficult to find

Antioxidants are nutrients that prevent oxidative damage in the body. Oxidation is one of the processes involved in aging. Oxidation is what happens when something goes ―rancid‖, or even when old metal rusts. Oxidation is natural and happens simply as a result of your cells being alive, but a large amount of antioxidants can minimize the damage. Antioxidants are usually mentioned in their ability to preserve long-term health. But what‘s not often mentioned is their shortterm benefit: more energy. The biological process is complicated, but here‘s the basics: Every time your cells use glucose (or ketones) to produce

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 108

energy, they produce ―oxidation‖. It‘s the antioxidant‘s job to come and clean up the oxidation so that more energy can be derived from glucose. When you consume a large amount of antioxidants you may notice a temporary boost in energy and mental clarity. This is believed to be the result of a more efficient energy production within your cells under the presence of antioxidants.

Both Matcha Green Tea and Yerba Mate contain massive amounts of natural antioxidants (50-100x more than brewed green tea), yet are still light on caffeine content. The slight caffeine combined with the antioxidants give a more natural ―high‖ than coffee – there‘s also less crash. I highly recommend switching to either of these drinks if you can find them. Despite their lesser caffeine content, they can actually produce a larger energy boost than coffee.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 109

Alcohol inhibits sleep in two ways: first, it depresses the nervous system, and secondly it robs your body of a lot of energy as the liver works hard to remove it. Many people use alcohol as a sleep aid. It knocks you out by suppressing brain activity, so it gives the illusion of promoting sleep. In reality, any amount of alcohol in the system will fragment your sleep stages, meaning: 

Less continuous time in deep sleep.



Less REM.



More middle-of-the-night awakenings.

For example, WebMD states: ―Alcohol often is thought of as a sedative or calming drug. While alcohol may induce sleep, the quality of sleep is often fragmented during the second half of the sleep period. Alcohol increases the number of times you awaken in the later half of the night when the alcohol's relaxing effect wears off. It prevents you from getting the deep sleep and REM sleep you need because alcohol keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep.‖ If you ever felt less refreshed after a night of drinking, you now know why. One study has shown that long-term alcoholics may have damaged the ―sleep centers‖ of the brain beyond the point of full repair – that is, longterm alcoholics continue to experience fragmented, inefficient sleep even after abstaining. But I have to admit: For most people, the social benefit of light drinking simply outweighs the negative impact on sleep.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 110

What I must emphasize, however, is that alcohol should never be used as a “sleep aid”. If you have difficulty falling asleep, then follow the healthy sleep habits outlined in this guide, which will eliminate such difficulties. Now what about a glass of wine with dinner? Will that disrupt sleep? Well, alcohol is metabolized differently than caffeine. Caffeine has a ―halflife‖, while alcohol amount decreases linearly, so it takes a set amount of time until alcohol is 100%, completely removed from the body after drinking. BAC Level

Metabolism Time

0.10

6.66 hours

0.08

5.33 hours

0.05

3.33 hours

0.02

1.33 hours

According to the above table, if your blood alcohol content is 0.02, it will take 1 hour and 20 minutes for the alcohol to be completely removed. Generally, one glass of wine will induce a BAC of 0.02-0.04 depending on your weight. As long as you drink that glass 2-3 hours before bedtime, the alcohol will be completely out of your system and sleep will not be impaired. Alcohol is by no means good for sleep, but a glass of wine in the evening mixed with the occasional social drinking might (for some) be much less of an evil when compared to, say, sugar, excessive carbs, lack of exercise, or lack of bright light exposure.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 111

A 2005 article in the International Journal of Neuroscience analyzed the benefits of massage therapy. The scientists found that massage therapy causes the following changes in the body‘s chemistry: 

On average, cortisol decreases 31%



Serotonin increases 28%



Dopamine increases 31%

The fascinating aspect of massage therapy is not so much the fact that it decreases cortisol (i.e. reduces stress) and increases the energizer chemicals (serotonin and dopamine). The fascinating part is that these changes are huge – a 31% increase in dopamine has a very, very noticeable effect on your mood and energy levels. I mention this study because many people think ―relaxation techniques‖ are too simple and don‘t produce noticeable results. But they do. Whether it‘s massage therapy or meditation, these relaxation ―tricks‖ can be a truly useful addition to your daily routine. There are three types of tension that we experience – different relaxation techniques help different types of tension: 1. Psychological tension – feeling mentally agitated, having thoughts ―buzz‖ around in your head. 2. Muscular tension – grinding teeth, pacing the floor, and tapping your fingers are all signs of muscular tension. 3. Sympathetic arousal – an overworked sympathetic nervous system (adrenal glands, etc). You may feel an increased heartbeat, faster breathing, and cold feet and hands (because adrenaline constricts the blood vessels in the fingers and toes).

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 112

I recommend adding as many relaxation techniques to your arsenal as possible, since each technique will ease a different type of tension. Here are a few relaxation techniques that can apply to everyone, insomniac or not: Create a beautiful mental picture – Use this one while lying in bed, just prior to falling asleep. Instead of ―counting sheep‖ or letting your mind wander aimlessly, focus instead on creating a serene environment in your mind. For example: I love the beach (who doesn't?), so I often imagine a beach environment. Build the visual imagery – deep red sunset, white sand, reflective water. Then build the auditory component – waves lapping against the shore, birds, etc. Then feel the sand under your feet, and the cool air on your skin. This picture primes your psychology to feel pleasant emotions, and helps the gradual entrance of sleep. The more visual my thinking becomes prior to sleep, the more I experience hypnagogic dreams – I love it. Abdominal breathing – This helps with all three types of tension. Lie down and notice the rhythm and depth of your breathing. Simply observe, don't try to change it. After a minute or two of observing your breath, start breathing more with your stomach, and less with your chest. This will feel weird at first. You want your stomach to move up and down, not your chest. You should notice a slight change in physiology. You'll feel a slightly different sensation. After a few minutes of this, now pause for a half a second after each out breath. While you pause, try to observe the previous breath – was it smooth, fast, or slow?

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 113

Next step is to notice the air as it comes out of your mouth or nose. Does the air feel warm? Cool? Just focus on that spot where you can feel the air coming out. This whole process might sound nonsensical, but it works – you'll feel your whole body chemistry change. You can use this prior to falling asleep. Meditation – There are many different types of meditation, but they all produce the same result: a feeling of inner harmony and calmness. Meditation can be performed at any time during the day. To meditate, you find a comfortable sitting position and either concentrate on a set phrase (transcendental meditation), concentrate on your breathing, concentrate on a still item such as a leaf or candle (Zen meditation), or put on some headphones and listen to a meditation CD. Progressive relaxation – This technique works very well for muscle tension. You lie down and tense a certain muscle group, such as the arms, then slowly release the tension and observe how your muscles feel. Move onto another muscle group, say, your legs. Don't rush, and take your time. Tip: Remember, the idea is to try as many different relaxation techniques as possible and find which ones work for your specific types of tension. Build a large arsenal of relaxation techniques so that you can use them easily at will.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 114

Everyone knows that your sleep environment is important. Probably the two biggest factors are light and air quality, although noise and temperature are also important.

Some people prefer absolute quietness, others prefer white noise, others prefer music. It turns out that a bit of noise does not negatively affect sleep so long as your mind does not find it distracting (based on several studies). Many people find that once they move to a big city, the nighttime noise is distracting. But after a few nights their minds become accustomed to it and no longer experience difficulties with sleep. There are some studies to confirm this. As a rule of thumb: if you personally don’t find the noise distracting, then it is not negatively affecting your deep sleep and REM amounts. I nevertheless recommend experimenting with different noise environments. You might be surprised that you sleep much better with white noise or soft music, for example. Here are some recommendations for experimentation: 

Music. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the famous Goldberg Variations for a prince who needed a piece to sleep to. In fact, I highly recommend the piece for sleep.



White noise. Many insomniacs use white noise machines to help them sleep.



A fan or air conditioner. Both produce white noise.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 115



Specially designed sleep CDs. Many sleep CDs use brainwave entrainment technology which can aid in the brain‘s process of slowing its brainwaves into stage 3 and stage 4 sleep.



Absolute quietness.

Temperatures below 55 and above 75 degrees Fahrenheit have been shown to disrupt sleep. (Below 13 and above 24 Celsius). People rarely keep their rooms below 55 degrees F, but commonly keep their rooms above 75 degrees F – that‘s why it‘s more common to hear the advice to cool down your room. Try to keep your room from becoming too hot or else it will fragment your sleep and decrease deep sleep amount. Again, it‘s interesting to go back to our hunter-gatherers. They slept outside in the cold, and it appears that the brain simply evolved to sleep better in mild temperatures. If your hands and feet are unbearably cold, put on some socks. This will actually help alleviate some of the extra energy the body requires to keep the extremities warm. Additionally, if your hands and feet are always cold it is likely caused by adrenal fatigue and sometimes poor serotonin levels. Either way, it is usually a sign of a hormone imbalance of some kind—and this can be fixed by, of course, reprogramming your genes through optimal diet, exercise, and light exposure.

We‘ve already discussed the importance of light. Remember that at nighttime you want your brain to be in melatonin mode. Unfortunately, your

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 116

eyes are fairly sensitive and your brain will produce less melatonin even in the presence of dim night lights. A full moon typically produces about 0.27 lux, while the street lamp outside your window might fill your room with 10-40 lux. In the presence of too much artificial light your brain will never enter 100% melatonin mode. This has bad consequences not just for sleep quality, but for long-term health as well. Remember that melatonin is your body‘s most potent antioxidant (with 60 times the antioxidant power of vitamin C). Keep your room as dark as possible at night and use the rule of thumb: you should not be able to see your finger when you hold it in front of your face. If you can see your finger, then your brain won‘t fully switch to melatonin mode. To make your room dark, just follow these two rules: 

Turn off electronic devices that produce light, or turn them away so the lights do not face you.



Purchase blackout curtains to block incoming light from the window. You can purchase any black fabric (for cheap) at a local fabric store.

Negative ions are something we have not yet discussed in this guide, but we will do so now. Have you ever noticed a subtle boost in mental clarity after opening a window? Do you feel more energetic after rolling down a window in a car, as opposed to using the air conditioner? There‘s a reason for this:

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 117

The air is full of ―ions‖ (charged particles). Natural air has a high concentration of negative ions. Negative ion concentrations are particularly high near waterfalls and other water sources. For various reasons, an indoor environment has higher concentrations of positive ions. Large electronic devices in particular are known to deplete negative ions and produce positive ions in the surrounding air. Ion concentrations in the air for various environments: Highest concentration of negative ions: Near a waterfall, spring, or beach. High concentration of negative ions: Outdoors, away from an urban area. Neutral: Outdoors in an urban area. Low concentration of negative ions: Indoors. Lowest concentration of negative ions: Indoors, sitting next to several electronic devices. So what does this all mean? For a while, scientists suspected that higher negative ion concentrations improved mood, energy, and mental focus because several experiments showed this to be the case. It was not entirely clear as to why negative ions improve mood and energy, but some details are beginning to be discovered. According to Pierce Howard, PhD, author of The Owner’s Manual for the Brain, ―Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 118

brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy.‖ Air quality has a direct and immediate effect on how the brain functions. As a rule of thumb, the better the air quality of your sleep environment (the more negative ions), the better you will sleep. We will get to the connection between air quality and sleep in a moment, but for now let‘s just take a general look at how negative ion concentration affects mood and energy levels during the day. The following is a snippet from The Brain Diet, by Alan Logan, ND, FRSH: Negative air ions are natural components of air and breath, which are depleted within polluted, enclosed, and air-conditioned rooms. Negative ions are also lowered by electronic devices, particularly those found in homes and offices such as computer screens and televisions. Negative air ions are known to influence mood in a generally positive way, and are much higher in natural settings, after rain, near oceans, waterfalls, and inside woodlands. According to researched published in the journal Indoor Air (2004), negative air ions have been shown to promote our antioxidant defense system, lower blood lactate, and improve aerobic metabolism by enhancing blood flow. Research shows that small machines that generate negative air ions indoors are effective in treating seasonal affective disorder (SAD or the winter blues), and a recent study in the journal Psychological Medicine (2005) indicates that they can help lift nonseasonal depression as well. Research published in the International Journal of Biometeorology (2005) shows that patients prone to panic attacks are much less likely to experience panic after rain when negative ion count is high.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 119

… During my travels to Japan I happened to notice that some of the computer monitors were equipped with negative ion generators. I couldn‘t resist checking to see if there was some research to support this practice. Sure enough, in the pages of the International Journal of Psychophysiology (2002) there was a study by researchers from Nagoya University. They placed healthy students under stressful computer operating tasks with a negative ion generator either on or off. … During the stressful situations, those exposed to negative ions had much lower levels of stress hormone [cortisol] in the saliva and reported lower levels of anxiety. In addition, performance was enhanced while the ions were generated. Other research has noted that negative air ions can prevent migraine headaches, act as anti-depressants, combat fatigue, enhance mental performance, and even enhance physical performance. So how do negative ions do this? Aside from improving oxygen delivery, negative ions act on your brain‘s serotonin system. Negative air ions prevent the overproduction of serotonin. They let serotonin build up and break down in a more natural manner. Positive ions on the other hand appear to stimulate the overproduction of serotonin and prevent its natural breakdown. For example, ―Dr Sulman … undertook a study of 'weather sensitive' volunteers and showed that, during the time of the Sharav winds

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 120

[which carry positive ions], their bodies would produce up to ten times their normal level of serotonin‖ Source: prodigy.net Also, Negative ions accelerate the oxidative degradation of serotonin whereas positive ions have the opposite action and inactivate the enzymes which break down serotonin. We have considered serotonin to be a ―good chemical‖ for most of this guide. And this is true, serotonin is good. But when its levels are too high (such as ten times their normal levels) then we experience the ―roller coaster effect‖. That is, there are serotonin highs and lows—the body has a difficult time keeping serotonin in its healthy range. In the diet section we talked about how this can even lead to serotonin resistance, meaning the serotonin receptors in your brain are burned out. When serotonin levels are unnaturally high, this can lead to an overstimulated mind (remember, it‘s an energizer chemical). As you might imagine, negative ions are quite good for sleep. In 1969, French researcher found that the overproduction of the neurohormone serotonin caused sleeplessness and nightmares. In using a negative ion electronic air cleaner to treat a group of people experiencing sleeping problems as a result of serotonin overproduction, he found that most of them were able to sleep better (Soyka, 1991). Source: Indoorpurifiers.com

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 121

I believe that negative ions help sleep by improving the conversion of serotonin into melatonin. As mentioned, too many positive ions inhibit certain enzymes that are required for the breakdown (and thus conversion) of serotonin into melatonin. In other words, it seems that sleeping in a room with too few negative ions and too many positive ions are indirectly reducing your melatonin levels, thus your deep sleep and REM. In the worst case, positive ions may contribute to outright insomnia.

Negative ion generators are available, but there are a few tips to start off with that don‘t require the investment: 

Sleep in a room without electronics, or be sure to turn all electronics off (small alarm clocks are probably harmless, but large desktop computers with large monitors certainly are.)



Open the window. Even if you live in an urban environment (which, due to the pollution, has less negative air ions), the outdoor air is better than indoor air.



If possible, do not sleep next to an air conditioner. Air conditioners deplete negative ions more than anything. If you need to keep the room cool (which improves sleep quality), then try not to sleep directly adjacent to the air conditioner.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 122

Negative ions are not just good for sleep quality, but for energy levels during the day as well. A few pages back I quoted the Japanese study that showed that negative ions improve concentration significantly in computer work environments. As someone who works several hours at a time at a computer, this really hit home for me. I have always noticed that working at a computer for too long left me exhausted. Strangely, I think the effect was stronger when I used large CRT monitors—now I use small laptops, where the exhaustion effect isn‘t as bad, but still noticeable. (Several companies, by the way, started using negative ion generators in their work environments to improve mood and productivity of employees—the smart companies use wide-spectrum bright lighting as well). A few tips: 

Get a breath of fresh air throughout the day. Just take a few moments to step outside. Take in the negative ions to prevent serotonin exhaustion.



Spend as much time outside as possible.



Open windows.



In the car, roll down the window instead of using the air conditioner.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 123

And lastly, you can use a light box that has a negative ion generator built in. To my knowledge, there is only one such model. It was mentioned in the light exposure section of this guide (chapter 12). More info can be found at the product‘s Amazon.com page: http://www.sleepwarrior.com/link/suntouch

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 124

If you follow the information in this guide you should truly see a huge change in not just your sleep quality, but your overall quality of life. The information only works when you put it into practice. By following good health practices you can reprogram your genes and step off all the body chemical ―roller coasters‖ that lead to highs and lows in energy and mood. You can stabilize your blood glucose, insulin, serotonin, dopamine, melatonin, and cortisol – once these chemicals are working properly you will experience energy levels and sleep quality like you‘ve never experienced before. I know all this information seems like a lot. It may be overwhelming. But making these changes is often easier than you might think. My energy problems I experienced several years ago were severe, and I hope that you don‘t have to go through the same thing I did. I couldn‘t focus, I couldn‘t stay motivated, I slept way too much, I was always tired, and the progress in my life slowed to a crawl. But I slowly started making changes. After a few dietary changes I noticed my energy returning. After a few more tweaks in diet and exercise I felt back to ―normal‖. But I didn‘t stop—I became happily obsessed with finding every trick to improve my health, energy, and sleep. With carefully tuned diet, exercise, light exposure, and sleep schedule, I now feel a serotonin/dopamine high so strong that I literally have more energy than I know what to do with. My energy is given a cortisol jump-start when I wake up in the morning and it remains consistently high for a good 16 hours more. In the last couple hours of the day I notice my brain slowing down, at which point I simply relax, read, or meditate into a gradual transition into deep sleep.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 125

I‘m now 100% convinced that this is the way humans are supposed to feel. I‘m convinced that this high-energy state was normal to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Some of the lifestyle tricks can be implemented immediately. Bright light therapy (for energy and productivity enhancement, not just for SAD) will give benefits right away. Paleo exercises also give immediate benefit that can be implemented today. (Isn‘t it nice to know that doing less chronic cardio and more enjoyable exercises actually gives a bigger energy boost, takes less time, and does less oxidative damage to your cells?) Other changes will manifest over time. Some adrenal fatigue experts say that extreme cases of adrenal fatigue can take 1-2 years to fully heal. Dietary changes, especially, require persistence. If you are coming off a standard Western diet (lots of bread, fake foods, etc) then an immediate switch to a ―real food diet‖ won‘t be pleasant. For the first two to three weeks, your body will be:  



Adapting to a smaller glucose intake, which requires the ―reprogramming‖ of your cells to utilize more ketones as energy. Adapting to less serotonin. In a modern diet, serotonin levels are highly dependent on carbs and insulin. When you make the switch, your serotonin levels and receptors will take a few weeks to restabilize (mood and emotions become much more stable when you let your brain handle serotonin production instead of making it reliant on high-carb meals). Adapting to a much lower intake of toxins. All foods have some level of toxins (fruits and veggies come equipped with ―nature‘s pesticides‖), so a toxin-free diet is impossible. But the toxin levels in fake foods (grains have extremely high phytate and tannin levels) is so high that switching to a ―real food diet‖ will come with its fair share of ―detox‖ effects.

And there‘s also the psychological adaptation that goes along with eating new foods. Nevertheless, I find the change to be worth it.

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com

P a g e | 126

With regards to diet, not everyone prefers the ―band-aid‖ approach of getting the pain over with at the start. A gradual change can work just as well. Start by removing refined sugar and adding leafy green vegetables (by eating salads or green smoothies). Make other changes along the way. And lastly, remember that the benefits of these lifestyle changes extend far beyond energy levels and sleep quality. Just to give you an idea, ever since I started following these rules of diet, exercise, light therapy, air quality (negative ions), caffeine intake (via yerba mate and Matcha green tea), and relaxation techniques (meditation), I‘ve noticed the following changes:          

super clear skin whiter eyes thicker, healthy-looking hair depression and mood swings are nonexistent more feelings of being happy for no reason better sense of smell (weird, I know) greater ability to think creatively more physical stamina increased focus, easier to enter the ―flow‖ state productivity requires little thought or self-discipline, it just happens

When you optimize your genes and body chemistry, amazing things just happen. It‘s not that hard, and the effort it does take is paid back tenfold. Thank you for reading.

To your health and happiness, Jeff Munroe

Copyright © Jeff Munroe

www.SleepWarrior.com