Forward StorySleep – Forward Story

How Did You Sleep Last Night?

Mark L. Casey — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:27:27 +0000

Most mornings my wife and I ask each other “How did you sleep last night?” Let me ask you: How did you sleep last night? The answer we give is usually a combination of how long (number of hours) and the quality (e.g. “tossed and turned” or “slept like a rock”). The reason this matters is because the length and quality of sleep has an impact on how well we function during the day. If I were concerned that you would not agree with that assertion, I could point you to a lot of research that demonstrates the importance of sleep and how it affects alertness and performance. That information is only a web search away. However, I have not yet met anyone who thinks sleep is unimportant.

Until the last few years I did not think seriously about sleep. I was a night owl who thrived when the sun set and who despised the ringing of the alarm clock. Now I care about sleep because I care about how well I function during the day.

My recent focus on sleep is part of an overall improvement in health that I undertook over four years ago. When I lost weight through nutrition and began exercising regularly, my sleep improved. As the weight dropped, my snoring stopped. Now that I care more about the length and quality of my sleep, I monitor it more. In addition to losing weight, here are three habits I have developed that improved my sleep:

1. Monitor It Using Technology – I use a phone app called Sleep Cycle. It is available for both iPhone and Android phones. My fiend Kevin Wilson told me about it. This app does two things really well. First, it tracks the length and quality of your sleep. Using your smart phone’s accelerometer, the app tracks your movements in bed and correlates them to sleep phases. Each morning I can see what my sleep quality was (expressed in %) and the duration of time I was in bed (in hours and minutes). The second thing it does really well is wake me up. The app plays a low and soothing sound or a song from your music library to wake you up. The key is that the app waits to begin playing the music until you are in a light stage of sleep. Given that the music plays quietly while I am not in a deep sleep means that I awake much more easily and in a much better mood. I really cannot recommend this app too highly. Here is an example of a daily summary:

I love this quote from The Guardian on the Sleep Cycle app’s alarm function: “The result is so gentle and lovely it feels like being woken up by a mermaid stoking your hair or a unicorn nuzzling your toes.”

2. Eliminate Blue Light Before Bed – Before electric lights people generally started getting ready for bed when the sun set and awoke at sunrise. With the invention of electric lights, TVs, smart phones, etc. we have created the ability to have our eyes exposed to light well after sunset. The reason this matters is that our bodies begin producing melatonin when the lights go down. Melatonin is the sleep-inducing hormone produced by our bodies that impacts our circadian rhythms. While all light can inhibit melatonin excretion, blue light from electronics devices is especially detrimental. I try to eliminate blue light in the two hours before bed, but I have to admit that this is a challenge during football season.

3. Deep Breathing Exercise – About 30 minutes before bed I take one 400 mg tablet of magnesium glycinate. I take KAL – Magnesium Glycinate 400, 180 tablets brand, but just make sure it is magnesium glycinate instead of other chelates (like citrate).

I then get in bed and inhale and exhale very slowly eight times. This is not chest breathing, but “belly breathing.” Put your hand on your stomach and feel it rise as you inhale. Inhale through the nose, not the mouth. Remember, this is not to be done quickly. It is slow.
When I get to the maximum inhale, I typically pause for a second or two before exhaling very slowly through the mouth.
Again, when the exhale is completed, I typically pause a second or two again before the next inhale through the nose.
After my eighth exhale is finished, I then read a book. I usually read a physical paper book, but an e-reader with no backlit screen would also work. In other words, I avoid blue light devices. It usually takes less than twenty minutes for me to get very sleepy and to click off the bedside light. Also, I always sleep better when the room is completely dark.

A Word About Sleep Apnea & Jerrod Heard

Last week it was reported that Texas quarterback, Jerrod Heard, went to a sleep clinic and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. This was surprising to a lot of people because many believe that sleep apnea is an older person’s challenge. Jerrod is in his early twenties and is in top physical condition. His openness about this continues to be a source of encouragement to many people to consider their own sleep. Sleep apnea is only one of many sleep disorders that people struggle with. Let me be clear about this: None of what I have written above about how I sleep better is going to correct a sleep disorder. If you are not waking up refreshed and ready for the day at hand, please speak to your doctor and consider doing a sleep study. Thank you to Jerrod for waking us all up to the fact that even young people can experience sleep disorders.

How did you sleep last night? Use the Comment button to share your thoughts and questions about getting a good night’s sleep.

Tweets of the Week: Traveling Light, Food, Family, & Seth

Mark L. Casey — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 21:46:55 +0000

Week ending July 25, 2015

Saturday is a good day to recap the activity from our Twitter feed from the past week. Not sure what Twitter is all about? That’s OK. Neither are we (or at least it remains somewhat mysterious to us). There is no denying, however, that there is some very valuable information shared on Twitter. That is what this weekly feature is all about. Click the links below to check out the good stuff. Here are my Top Tweets from this past week, great for retweeting (whatever that is). If you missed these, follow Forward Story on Twitter.

By the way, if you are wondering what the @ and # signs are all about, these are Twitter’s way to identify the Twitter handle (@) for the person who tweeted (for example, ours is @forward_story) and to allow for an indexing or categorization of the tweet by using one or more hashtags (#). Feel free to ignore these and just follow the link for the content we are sharing with you.

Grandparents

Susan Adcox ‏@grandparent Jul 17
RT @grandmasbriefs: Grandparents: Inspire grandchildren to create their own adventures http://www.grandmasbriefs.com/home/grandparents-inspire-grandchildren-to-create-their-own-adven.html …

Susan Adcox ‏@grandparent 17h17 hours ago
Grandparents, keep outings with the grandchildren affordable by avoiding the gift shop trap. @GRANDMMagazine: http://ow.ly/P9BDz

Training & Health

Experience Life ‏@ExperienceLife Jul 18
An insightful #training program for the high-performance senior — A review of @jfriel’s #FastAfter50 http://j.mp/1Ma3l8h #healthyaging

Mark_Sisson ‏@Mark_Sisson Jul 20
Doctors of the Future: 3 Promising Trends in Medical Education | Mark’s Daily Apple http://bit.ly/1HQRs5p

Amy Kubal ‏@AmykRd Jul 20
9 sleep mistakes you’re probably making after 9pm: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/55a68429e4b0896514cff197 …

KeithNorris ‏@KeithNorris 4h4 hours ago
Epigenetics of aging. Interesting stuff. If you *really* believe age is just a number, it truly is! http://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/are-you-aging-faster-everyone-else-n387626 … @EclecticKitchen

Recipes from “Our” People

Civilized Caveman ‏@CookingCaveman Jul 18
Perfect Sweet Potatoes every time from http://www.civilizedcavemancooking.com #recipes http://pinterest.com/pin/64950419603045758/ …

Maria Emmerich ‏@MariaEmmerich Jul 18
Pizza Pot Pie http://buff.ly/1RBWlWt #LCHF #keto #lowcarb

Maria Emmerich ‏@MariaEmmerich Jul 24
Gingerbread http://buff.ly/1OwgFmN #LCHF #keto #lowcarb

Danielle Walker ‏@againstallgrain Jul 25
An easy recipe! Pressure Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup #againstallgrain #paleo #glutenfree http://grainfree.ly/1fDlgId

Maria Emmerich ‏@MariaEmmerich 8h8 hours ago
French Silk Pie http://buff.ly/1gQ75Qx #LCHF #keto #lowcarb

Wisdom from Seth

Seth Godin ‏@ThisIsSethsBlog Jul 19
Seth’s Blog: An alternative to believing in yourself http://bit.ly/1VgK5tJ

Seth Godin ‏@ThisIsSethsBlog Jul 20
Seth’s Blog: Preparing for a shark attack http://bit.ly/1I5bchs

Travels

Tim Ferriss ‏@tferriss Jul 20
How to Never Check Luggage Again http://bit.ly/1Lpsagh

Tweets of the Week: Recipes, Farmers’ Markets, Health, Free Books & More

Mark L. Casey — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 03:57:43 +0000

Week ending June 27, 2015

Here are a few recipes from people we trust:

Mark_Sisson ‏@Mark_Sisson Cool Down with Some Salted Watermelon Ice: http://ow.ly/OEz7X

Danielle Walker ‏@againstallgrain Autumn in a Bowl: Spiced Pumpkin Granola #paleo #glutenfree #againstallgrain http://grainfree.ly/1GoeKxx

Civilized Caveman ‏@CookingCaveman Pumpkin Pie smoothie, so easy and so delicious. #paleo #primal #smoothie #recipes http://pinterest.com/pin/64950419602936550/

Maria Emmerich ‏@MariaEmmerich Homemade Almond Milk http://buff.ly/1KeeLbA #LCHF #keto #lowcarb

**********

Farmers’ Market Locator

Mark_Sisson ‏@Mark_Sisson An Easy Way to Find Your Local Farmers Market. http://ow.ly/OEyoG

**********

Some great information related to health:

Why You Can’t Medicate Your Way Out Of Poor Diet & Lifestyle Choices by @TerryWahls http://mbg.io/6Rqa0Lf

Sara Gottfried, MD ‏@DrGottfried The right and left nostril may help you get back to sleep after waking in the middle of the night. Watch as I… http://fb.me/3X4tKU9pl

Experience Life ‏@ExperienceLife 2 simple stretches to loosen early-morning body stiffness this weekend http://j.mp/1wYFlM1 #stretching #exercise #bettermornings

**********

Free Books for Kids from B&N

Susan Adcox ‏@grandparent Great for the grandkids! RT @aboutdotcom: How to get free books from Barnes and Noble this Summer http://abt.cm/1fmoVtK

**********

Parents and Grandparents

Susan Adcox ‏@grandparent Amen! RT @thegrandestlove: Grandchildren can bring love and second chances with adult children http://ow.ly/OKZmd

Tweets of the Week: Recipes, Exercise, & Family

Mark L. Casey — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 17:57:46 +0000

Week of May 31, 2015

Here are a couple of recipes from people we trust:

From Gourmet Girl – Happy National Donut Day! (Entirely lowcarb and glutenfree, of course.) http://www.gourmetgirlcooks.com/2015/05/did-somebody-say-donuts-make-your.html

From Slim Palate – Blackberry Pie Bars http://slimpalate.com/blackberry-pie-bars/

**********

Some great information related to health:

From Dr. Colin Champ – (This is a link to scientific article) Obese children have different bowel bacteria: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2431/15/64

Another from Dr. Colin Champ – Seven Steps to a Perfect Night’s Sleep:

http://www.cavemandoctor.com/2015/05/28/seven-steps-to-a-perfect-nights-sleep/

From Dr. David Perlmutter – Do you really want to leave your chance of dementia to the flip of a coin? Here’s how to beat the odds. http://bit.ly/1AS6Pct

From The University of Texas – Six Tips for Staying Sharp http://news.utexas.edu/2015/05/11/six-tips-for-staying-sharp

From Mark Sisson – The Myth of Perfect Conditions: 9 Common Excuses Used to Delay Exercise http://ow.ly/NMkYC

**********

Seth Godin is always thought-provoking:

Seth’s Blog: The critic as an amateur hack

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/06/the-critic-as-an-amateur-hack.html

**********

Family and Parenting / Grandparenting

Here is an article from Susan Adcox for Grandarents – Give Grandchildren the Gift of a Special Experience http://grandparents.about.com/od/Gifts-to-Give-to-Grandchildren/fl/Give-Grandchildren-the-Gift-of-a-Special-Experience.htm

From Amy Morin – Yes, you want to protect your child, but kids really need to experience these 7 uncomfortable emotions:
http://discipline.about.com/od/teachingnewskills/fl/7-Uncomfortable-Emotions-You-Need-to-Allow-Your-Child-to-Experience.htm

Tweets of the Week: Recipes, Health, & Wisdom

Mark L. Casey — Sat, 30 May 2015 10:00:05 +0000

Week of May 24, 2015

Here are a couple of recipes from Maria Emmerich, a master of gluten-free and low carb cooking:

Low Carb Pancake http://buff.ly/1Aq7DWf

Fudgsicles http://buff.ly/1IVmf0L

**********

Some great information related to health:

A Hedge against Drought: Why Healthy Soil is ‘Water in the Bank’ https://shar.es/1rFlGK

I know it’s counter-intuitive: Why People Who Sleep Longer Achieve More http://mhyatt.us/1wSPmLK

When Daily Life Is Exercise, Everywhere Is the Gym http://www.cavemandoctor.com/2015/05/19/when-daily-life-is-exercise-everywhere-is-the-gym/

“Food should not contain ingredients, it should be an ingredient.” http://bit.ly/1Ap712w

**********

A little wisdom from two great sources:

New Podcast Episode: The Secret Power of Smiling http://mhyatt.us/1HL5lQY

How to Run a Debt-Free Business Without Running Out of Cash [VIDEO] http://bit.ly/1AhZZgg

**********

Great flood safety tips:

5 ways you can be ready when a flood hits: http://abt.cm/1PNgR5m

**********

Seth Godin is always thought-provoking:

Seth’s Blog: The do over – http://bit.ly/1IXiOrS

**********

Here is a wonderful article from Susan Adcox that speaks to grandparents helping their grandchildren cope with cancer:

When a family member is diagnosed with cancer, grandparents can help grandchildren cope: http://ow.ly/NwFc2

My Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep [Tip]

Mark L. Casey — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 15:40:26 +0000

My Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep is one of the most routine things we do. If you struggle with sleep, you may need medical attention to diagnose and solve your issues. Assuming you do not have a medical condition, though, there may be some things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep. I make no claims that this will work for you, but I will just share the routine that works for me.

About 30 minutes before bed I take one 400 mg tablet of magnesium glycinate. I take KAL – Magnesium Glycinate 400, 180 tablets brand, but just make sure it is magnesium glycinate instead of other chelates (like citrate).
I then get in bed and inhale and exhale very slowly eight times. This is not chest breathing, but “belly breathing.” Put your hand on your stomach and feel it rise as you inhale. Inhale through the nose, not the mouth. Remember, this is not to be done quickly. It is slow.
When I get to the maximum inhale, I typically pause for a second or two before exhaling through the mouth.
Again, when the exhale is completed, I typically pause a second or two again before the next inhale through the nose.

After my eighth exhale is finished, I then read a book (not an e-book, and no phones or tablets – no blue light) until I get very sleepy. This is usually less than twenty minutes. When I click the light off, the room is also completely dark.

Since I began this routine I have had high quality sleep.