Sleep is at the very centre of our wellbeing. Getting a good night's rest is crucial for both the body and mind, allowing us to repair, reset, and be ready for whatever the day throws at us. In this session, we'll be joined by sleep specialist Dr. Michael Breus to learn about the relationship between sleep and mental health and unpack how to set ourselves up to have a good night's sleep, every night.

Michael’s biography:

Dr. Michael Breus, Ph.D., is a double board-certified Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Sleep Specialist who has been in private practice for 23 years. He is the founder of sleepdoctor.com, and for over 14 years he served as the Sleep Expert for WebMD. Recently, he was named the Top Sleep Specialist by Reader’s Digest. His expertise lies in the science of sleep and peak performance as well as treating sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and more.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions

0:00 - Intro
1:50 - Michael’s journey to becoming a sleep specialist
6:30 - Why 75% of insomnia is caused by poor mental health
7:45 - How CBT (therapy) is used to cure insomnia
15:15 - How do you know whether you have a good quality sleep or not
16:30 - How should we interpret sleep metrics
17:30 - What are common disruptors of sleep
17:50 - Understanding REM and NREM sleep
19:15 - What test can you do when you have a poor quality of sleep
21:45 - Should you take supplements to improve your sleep
22:40 - What is the recommended quantity (hours) of sleep
24:15 - What can you do when you wake up at night and can’t go back to sleep
29:00 - What is a breathing technique to calm down and fall asleep
33:30 - Should you get up or try to fall back asleep
35:30 - Should you take a nap before your normal bedtime when you are tired
37:00 - What can you do if you are a light sleeper or have trouble falling asleep
38:15 - When should you seek professional help if you have insomnia
39:45 - Do sleeping pills provide you a good quality of sleep
41:45 - What can you do to get better sleep if you are a shift worker or are jet-lagged
44:50 - When is the best time to be intimate if you have a different chronotype to your partner
48:30 - How can understanding your family member’s chronotype lead to positive interactions
50:00 - What is the role of sleep hygiene and the negative impact of alcohol
52:00 - What is a normal amount of time we need to fall asleep
54:00 - What is the connection between sleep and peak performance
54:50 - What is Michael’s one wellbeing practice

Learn more about Michael Breus
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesleepdoctor

Learn more about Clearhead:
https://www.myclearhead.com/