The biohacker avoids meat… but nails this crucial health factor
Ever heard of Bryan Johnson?
The man’s mission is to live forever, spending millions on “reverse aging”… avoiding the sun like a vampire… and eating a strict vegan diet (bro, who hurt you?)
Look, we obviously disagree with most of his approach. Dramatically.
But there’s ONE thing Bryan’s got right…
And it might be the most important factor in your health journey (that nobody’s talking about)…
Here’s the irony: Bryan spends millions a year on biohacks…
But this ONE thing we agree on costs zero dollars and might be the most powerful tool for radical health.
We’re talking about SLEEP.
Here’s the scary part: 1 in 3 people aren’t getting enough of it.
And when it comes to optimizing your health, getting quality sleep is right up there with eating liver…
Yes, it’s really that important.
Do you get 7-9 hours of quality sleep most nights?
Because if not, it just might be the biggest obstacle standing in the way of reclaiming your birthright to radical health.
4 nasty consequences of poor sleep
What is poor sleep? Think of it in terms of both quality and quantity. Good sleep should be deep and restful, and 7-9 hours in duration. If it doesn’t satisfy either of these criteria, its poor sleep.
#1. Poor sleep makes brain not work too good
If you aren’t getting 7 to 9 hours of deep sleep most nights, you aren’t bringing your A-Game to life.
Fact.
Because poor sleep, especially when it is habitual, significantly impacts our cognitive performance.
This means a decline in your decision-making ability, emotional regulation, productivity, creativity, focus and memory.
In fact, you could be performing at just 75% of your potential in those areas and not even know it.
You cannot catch up on lost sleep, and reaching for the coffee isn’t a solution.
There’s nothing for it but to strive for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.
Try it, and you might just realize an elite version of you appears when you get more sleep!
#2. Poor sleep increases your chances of disease and death
Many large-scale studies (e.g. here and here) demonstrate that the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life.
And a lack of sleep is also associated with increased rates of chronic disease, including heart disease, cancer, obesity, dementia and more.
Poor sleep impairs insulin signalling and increases inflammation, creating a perfect environment for metabolic dysfunction and chronic diseases to take root.
This is obvious stuff.
Sleep is so crucial to our body that it makes sense that chronically poor sleep will lead to severe problems down the road.
#3. Poor sleep sabotages your weight goals (hello, pizza cravings)
Insufficient sleep can completely derail your best intentions regarding losing weight. You could be doing everything else right, but poor sleep will literally prevent you from realizing your goals.
This is because a lack of sleep alters your appetite-regulating hormones (ghrelin and leptin), leading to increased cravings for high calorie, high sugar, high fat and salty snacks in an attempt to boost energy levels.
That’s why sleep-deprived parents will often crave a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, and why you’re most tempted to get a pizza on days when you’re hungover.
#4. Poor sleep sends your hormones into a vicious cycle
The relationship between sleep and hormones is delicate and extends far beyond the appetite-regulating hormones mentioned above.
Poor sleep leads to poor hormones and poor hormones lead to poor sleep. It’s a vicious cycle.
Poor sleep puts your body in a state of stress, and increases your cortisol levels. But melatonin, AKA the sleep hormone, needs to be in sync with cortisol for a good night’s sleep.
This is that vicious cycle we talked about, where you get further trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night. Raised cortisol is also why you get that “wired and tired” feeling.
If that weren’t enough, poor sleep tanks your testosterone (and yes, that matters for you too ladies).
The impact isn’t insignificant – the hormonal blunting effect is so large that it effectively ages a man by ten to fifteen years in terms of testosterone virility 🤦🏻
But here’s the good news… fixing your sleep doesn’t require Bryan’s million-dollar lab. Just these 4 simple steps…
4 steps to better sleep
#1 Go to bed on time (seems obvious, but be honest we all stay up too late)
#2 Block blue light after sunset (get an app on your phone or just put it away)
#3 Eat your last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime
#4 Get early morning sun to regulate your circadian rhythms
Here’s your 7-day radical sleep challenge:
Pick just ONE of these steps and commit to it for the next week.
(We recommend starting with #4 – that morning sunlight is a game-changer for your hormones AND metabolism.)
Track how you feel. Your energy. Your cravings. Your mood. Even your performance at the gym.
Because unlike Bryan Johnson’s million-dollar anti-aging protocols…
These simple, ancestral sleep habits are FREE.
And they might just be the missing piece in your journey to radical health.
The Heart & Soil Team
P.S. Got questions about sleep or other ways to optimize your health naturally? Hit reply – we read every email.
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