True Health Revealed

The Incredible Power of Sleep

Episode Summary

How many hours of sleep do you need? We explore the science and the incredible power of sleep with international authority, Dr. Meeta Singh.

Episode Notes

Season 1, Episode 11 Guest: Dr. Meeta Singh

In this episode we explore the science and the incredible power of sleep with international authority, Dr. Meeta Singh. Dr. Singh is also a performance consultant for professional sports including Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, Pro Football Hall of Fame and many others. Tom and Meeta review the critical aspects of sleep including:

• the need for sleep,
• its impact on mental and physical performance,
• dementia, and
• the value of naps.

Key messages about the incredible power of sleep:

• Quality sleep promotes clearance of harmful toxins that build up through the day, reducing the risk for dementia.
• We can best cope with stressors when our bodies are well rested. Sleep is a reset button to help us face the stressors of the following day.
• You need 7-9 hours of sleep to function well.
• Naps can help meet the number of hours of sleep you need but it is not advisable too close to bedtime.
• When sleep deprived, caffeine can help with alertness and making decisions faster, but the quality of decisions may not improve (i.e., we may simply “make bad decisions faster”).
• You are less effective in general if you are sleep deprived.
• Less than 6 hours are likely to result in deficits in behavior.