Episode Details

What if poor sleep is quietly damaging your hormones, mental health, productivity, relationships, and even shortening your life?

Russell Foster is Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and one of the world’s foremost experts on sleep, circadian rhythms, and the body clock. His pioneering research has transformed our understanding of how sleep affects physical health, mental wellbeing, hormones, performance, ageing, and disease. In this episode, Russell shares decades of scientific insight in a clear, practical way, helping us understand why sleep is one of the most powerful and overlooked pillars of long-term health.

In this episode, we explore the latest sleep science, circadian rhythms, sleep deprivation, insomnia, sleep quality, deep sleep, REM sleep, men’s health, hormones, testosterone, stress, anxiety, depression, shift work, night shifts, morning routines, chronotypes, early birds vs night owls, biological clocks, sleep recovery, catching up on sleep, melatonin, sleep tablets, sleep supplements, alcohol and sleep, screen time, blue light, podcasts for sleep, audiobooks before bed, optimal performance, cognitive function, productivity, longevity, and practical sleep tips to improve your sleep tonight. Whether you’re struggling with poor sleep, waking during the night, working shifts, or simply want to optimise your health and performance, this conversation is packed with evidence-based advice you can put into practice immediately.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:31 Sleep Theories in Science

02:52 Is Sleep More Important Than Diet?

03:24 Why Some Feel They Can Live on 5 Hours of Sleep

05:23 Biological Signs of Poor Sleep

08:10 Can You Prescribe Better Sleep for Health Issues?

09:25 Margaret Thatcher’s Poor Sleep Consequences

11:27 Can You Catch Up on Sleep?

12:40 Cristiano Ronaldo’s Abnormal Sleep Routine

16:09 Are You a Morning Person By Nature or Nurture?

19:24 Is Society Bad for Natural Night Owls?

20:36 Importance of Morning Structure for Sleep Health

22:01 Differences in How Men Vs Women Sleep

24:05 What Bad Sleep Does to the Male Body

27:15 Sleep Deprivation & Mental Health

29:22 Waking Up Stressed in the Night

35:43 How Damaging Are Night Shifts?

40:47 Simple & Practical Strategies for Night Shift Workers

43:15 Best Time of Day for Most Demanding Tasks

44:52 Melatonin & Sleep Tablets

53:25 Do Any Supplements Help With Sleep?

55:57 Using Alcohol to Wind Down & Relax

57:15 Using Podcasts or Audiobooks to Fall Asleep

59:26 Light from Screens Before Bed

1:00:55 One Thing to Improve Tonight

1:01:34 Where to Find Russell

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MAN ALIVE is presented by Voy.

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