EPISODE 36 - Sleep, Behaviour & Your “Body Clock”: Achieving Your Performance Potential w/ Dan Pardi MS
In this episode, Dr. Bubbs sits down with sleep and behaviour expert Dan Pardi MS and CEO of HumanOS.me to talk about the latest insights on sleep and circadian biology, the internal cellular “clocks” in your body which control sleep, recovery and overall performance. Dan dives into the latest research on sleep duration and common roadblocks to high-quality sleep, he discusses how “food timing” dramatically impacts your circadian rhythms and weight gain, highlights how melatonin is a “timing” hormone (and not a sleep hormone) and shares his favourite tips for overcoming jet lag and circadian disruption. Dan shares a ton of simple, actionable tips to upgrade your mental and physical performance.
Lay-Ups – Sleep & Circadian Biology
1) National Sleep foundation suggests you get 7-9 hours of sleep per night
2) Exposure to morning light, activity and caffeine are all effective at setting your daily circadian rhythm or “body clock”
3) Lack of sleep increases cravings, particularly for higher carb (and fat) foods
Performance Hacks – Sleep & Circadian Biology
1) Employ the “colour shift” at night on your computer (not just night shift) to minimize negative impact on sleep quality
2) Melatonin - 0.3-0.5mg dose when sun goes down when trying to reset circadian rhythm and support deep sleep
3) Lumos Tech eye mask – helps to accelerate how quickly you can shift circadian rhythm when travelling across time zones
About Dan Pardi
Dan's life's work centers on how to help people live healthfully. He is the CEO of humanOS.me which leverages a novel behavior model to promote health fluency, skill development, and lifestyle insights to help people master their health practice. He does research with the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department at Stanford, and the Departments of Neurology and Endocrinology at Leiden University in the Netherlands where he investigates how lifestyle factors, like sleep, influence decision making, cognitive performance, and metabolism. Dan also works with Naval Special Warfare to help the most elite fighters in the world maintain alertness and capable mental performance under challenging circumstances. He currently serves as Board Member for StandUpKids.org, as a Council Director for the True Health Initiative, and Advisor to several health-oriented companies (Ample Meals, Fitstar, Splendid Spoon, Validic), an Editor for the Journal of Evolution and Health, and formerly, as Board Chairman for the Investigator Initiated Sponsored Research Association.
Find out more on twitter @humanOS_me and Facebook.
Check out HumanOS Radio on Soundcloud and YouTube.