Why Can’t I Sleep?

Why Can’t I Sleep?

with Dylan Petkus

Twenty-seven percent of Americans have sleep issues. What keeps us tossing and turning or waking up and having trouble falling back asleep? Today, Dylan Petkus, of Optimal Circadian Health, helps us analyze our sleep patterns and troubleshoot the issues.

What keeps us awake? For starters, anxiety. Blue light that suppresses melatonin function. A poor sleep environment. And more.

To improve our sleep quality, Dylan talks about the importance of circadian rhythm, mitochondria, environment, and mindset. And he offers concrete take-aways to help us rediscover the benefits of deep, restorative sleep.

Notes:

Highlights from the conversation include:

Dylan’s struggles with sleep while in grad school
How he experimented with different hacks to troubleshoot his sleep (like a grounding sheet)
How the five phasic-sleep patterns started around the industrial revolution
Why the hours you get to sleep before midnight count “double” for the quality of your restorative sleep
Why Dylan doesn’t recommend sleep trackers, though he understands their role
Polysomnography and why it’s the “gold standard” for understanding sleep
90% of people experience insomnia for more than one week at some point in their life
Why sleep issues are common
A framework for improving your sleep: circadian rhythm, mitochondria, environment, mindset
Why we need natural sunlight in morning and throughout the day
How avoiding artificial blue light is better for melatonin production
The way the eye is designed and the role of melanopsin
Light is important for sleep, but also hormonal/glandular function
How mitochondrial health is like slow-burning coal
Infrared and UV light in particular help with mitochondrial function
How most sleep issues are rooted in anxiety & strategies for changing the pattern of worry
The role of amygdala in insomnia
Why cell phone use interferes with sleep
How cell phone addiction is like alcohol addiction
What to do in hotels to hack them for better sleep
Dylan’s advice for broadening your understanding of health