Issue #441: The Most Surprising Time to Exercise
Good morning. It’s Friday, March 28th.
In today’s email:
Learn: The Most Surprising Time to Exercise
In the News: More Back Pain
Cook: Coconut Cacao Chia Pudding
Brain Games: Kyudoku
Stat of the Day
Increased risk of heart attack or stroke from chronic sleep deprivation (less than 6 hours per night). Sleep is blood pressure medication - when we don’t sleep it doesn’t go down enough and slowly increases over time leading to hypertension. (Dr. Matthew Walker)
Learn
The Most Surprising Time to Exercise
“I honestly don’t know why we talk about all this stuff when it comes to health - all that matters is sleep. I mean seriously think about it - when you get good sleep you can focus on really enjoying the day and kicking ass.
When you don’t get enough sleep - you’re dragging and just trying to survive. What else in the world has that kind of power on how we feel?”
This was a real quote from a founder that I work with - who happens to have a 1-yr old, so he knows a thing or two about sleep deprivation.
He couldn’t be more right. The amount of time we worry about getting the right supplements or even the right macros is nothing compared to high quality sleep.
Peter Attia says that if you could bottle up exercise it would be the most valuable drug in the world - but I’d argue it’s probably sleep.
Here’s how we show up in the world when we don’t get enough sleep:
We literally can’t perform up to our abilities without sleep. We’re sluggish, get agitated, make a bunch of mistakes, and just want to get through the day.
According to Matthew Walker, mental deterioration really kicks in after we’ve been awake for about 16 hours.
But it’s not just that - even one night of bad sleep (less than 6 hours for most people) leads to:
Immune system failure - 70% decline in Natural Killer Cells
Hormone imbalance - testosterone level dip as if you just aged 10 years
Blood pressure increases
Fasting glucose spikes
The effect on our immune system is so strong that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) now classifies night shift work as a probable carcinogen to cause cancer.
We’ve put together an entire Thrive25 Protocol for how to set yourself up for great sleep.
Hint - it starts by going to bed consistently at the same time and probably a little earlier by skipping late night screen time.
Unfortunately - it just isn’t going to happen every night. (Thanks NCAA for starting March Madness Sweet Sixteen games at 9:45pm ET).
So what should you do on the day after a night of too little sleep?
Most people would say that you switch up the run to a walk, the HIIT class to yoga, and just take it easy.
But Dr. Rhonda Patrick says we should do the exact opposite.
Coming from new research it shows that our mitochondria don’t function well after being sleep deprived - leading to higher glucose levels and putting us at higher risk of metabolic disease.
But getting out for the run or to the gym on those days you don’t feel like it is when you need it the most.
Exercise stops the increase in glucose and get your cells working properly again. As an added benefit, working out then sets us up for a better chance of a good night’s sleep and back on a normal schedule.
So look I get it - we’ve all had those days when our eyelids feel like they weigh 100 pounds and we rely on caffeine to make it through the day.
But if you can skip the coffee and get in a quick sweat - it might be the best prescription to get back your energy and overall longevity.
So maybe exercise is just as valuable a drug as sleep - the good news is that we’ve got a free lifetime subscription to both of them.
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H&L in the News
Back Pain’s Bitter Truth: A sweeping new study finds most treatments for low back pain barely move the needle. Only NSAIDs and a few modest therapies help - and even those offer minimal relief (NYTimes). Here's what you can do to avoid in the first place - Issues #345-347.
Wired to Wander, Built to Roam: Why are we drawn to the unknown - even when it’s uncomfortable or uncertain? Journalist Alex Hutchinson unpacks the science and soul behind our primal urge to explore, grow, and get lost. (Outside)
Talk to Your Cells: What if healing meant simply telling your cells what to do? Developmental biologist Michael Levin explores bioelectricity as the next frontier in regenerative medicine - where biology meets behavior science. (Big Think)
Cook
Coconut Cacao Chia Pudding
This Coconut Cacao Chia Pudding is pure bliss in a bowl - delicious and deeply nourishing! Packed with chia seeds for omega-3s and gut-friendly fiber, antioxidant-rich berries, and heart-healthy coconut milk full of MCTs (Medicum-Chain Triglycerides) for clean energy. Cacao adds a phytonutrient punch, making this a dessert that fuels your body and protects your cells!
Brain Games
Kyudoku
This one is a 4/5 on the difficulty scale, so block a few minutes for this one!
Kyudoku is a 6x6 grid where you need to use logic to find nine unique numbers (1 to 9) so that each row and column has a sum of 9 or less. The 9 highlighted in yellow is given.
Here’s a little help to get started. Because we know 9 is given, we can’t use 9 again (gray boxes) and we can also eliminate any numbers that would make the sum of the row or column with the given 1 more than 9 (blue boxes). Again, this is a little tougher - good luck!
Credit: Brainzilla
**For answer, scroll to the bottom of the post
Product Recs
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Thanks for another great week!
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** Brain Games Answer **
Why Thrive25
We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.
This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at team@thrive25.com.
To health!
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25, Inc. does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.