Is Sleep More Important Than Your Diet When It Comes To Optimal Health?

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health and Athletic Greens. Sleep is medicine, just like food is medicine, and may even be more important than diet. Sleep regulates your brain function, helps stabilize your mood, and is a time when the body heals. It’s absolutely critical for a healthy body. Sadly, over 70 million Americans don’t sleep well. This lack of sleep is degrading our health. We feel it in our energy level, it’s hard to focus, and it can even contribute to chronic illness. In this episode of my new Masterclass series, I am interviewed by my good friend and podcast host, Dhru Purohit, all about sleep and why it’s essential for a healthy body. We discuss why sleep is so important, how we can get better sleep including tips to create your own sleep ritual, and answer a variety of questions from our community. Dhru Purohit is a podcast host, serial entrepreneur, and investor in the health and wellness industry. His podcast, The Dhru Purohit Podcast, is a top 50 global health podcast with over 30+ million unique downloads. His interviews focus on the inner workings of the brain and the body and feature the brightest minds in wellness, medicine, and mindset. This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health and Athletic Greens. Rupa Health is a place for Functional Medicine practitioners to access more than 2,000 specialty lab tests from over 20 labs like DUTCH, Vibrant America, Genova, Great Plains, and more. You can check out a free live demo with a Q&A or create an account at RupaHealth.com. AG1 contains 75 high-quality vitamins, minerals, whole-food sourced superfoods, probiotics, and adaptogens to support your entire body. Right now when you purchase AG1 from Athletic Greens, you will receive 10 FREE travel packs with your first purchase by visiting athleticgreens.com/hyman. In this episode, we discuss (audio version / Apple Subscriber version): The importance of sleep (3:54 / 1:00) Three things that can improve quality of sleep (6:27 / 3:34) The risks of chronic sleep deprivation (10:31 / 7:34) Ideal hours of sleep (11:36 / 8:46) Conventional versus Functional Medicine approach to sleep problems (16:28 / 13:26) Case studies (19:34 / 16:40) Creating a sleep ritual before bed (22:25 / 19:26) My morning routine to ensure good sleep (24:24 / 21:26) Questions from our community including circadian rhythm, frequent wake ups, sleep trackers, and more (25:23 / 22:20) Mentioned in this episode: Sweet Dreams: How to Sleep Better, Lose Weight, and Live Longer Lights Out Dr. Hyman’s Sleep Master Class