Much like you have a sleep cycle. You also have a whole bunch of other daily cycles. You have an eating cycle, a happiness cycle, even a sex cycle. There are certain times of day where your body is more receptive to different types of foods, moods, and boobs. So how do we find out what is best for us?....enter the Power of When.
Dr. Breus is the "Sleep Doctor" and has broken down the whole night owl and early bird concept into a more scientific categorization that you can use to personalize your day for optimal performance.
Lions and Dolphins and Bears...Oh My
There are four chronotypes that humans fall into. Lions, Bears, Wolves, and Dolphins.
- Lions are the early risers, most top CEOs fall into this category
- Bears are the mojority of people who operate dring "normal hours" (Those who created the 9-5 hours we all hate)
- Wolves are those who thrive at night (Most teenagers go thru this stage)
- Dolphins are never fully resting (tend to be more anxious and the majority of insomniacs)
This makes sense. As humans used to all live in caves, we needed to keep watch for sabertooth tigers and shit. We needed someone to take the early shift(lions), someone to carry us most of the day(bears), someone to take the night shift(wolves), and someone to always be on edge/light sleepers in case any of the others fall asleep (dolphins). This is key because if you are fighting to wake up early or hate yourself for snoozing you may just be fighting you natural rythym. Find your chronotype here.
I'm a dolphin. An actual dolphin, even while sleeping has half of their brain alert. For me this means I tend to get anxious easily and have difficultly getting a full nights rest....great for the tribe but not the best for me personally. This is pretty key to note. Just because something is natural to your biology or paleo does not make it good for you as an individual. (i.e. eating lots of sugar). We are a social species. A lot of our tendencies that are great for the group may be bad for us individually. (Think school, being shy around strangers, unprotected sex). This means that even if its natural for you to be an insomniac it is OK to fix it.
Why this book is so intriguing is that you can literally do everything you are doing the same. Eat the exact same diet, do the exact same exercises, and sleep the same amount of hours and if you just change when to match up with your chronotype you can increase your performance.
Eat the same exact food you are currently eating, just change the timing and potentially loose weight.
Most people have sex at a time that is convenient. What if you had sex at a time where both yours and your partners sex hormones where highest for increase passion? There may be something to that mid-day smoosh sesh after all.
There are some other great tips in this book. Below are the biggest hacks that I have tried that work for me personally and are recommended in the book for all types.
1. Powering down an hour before bed.
We kind of inherently know this yet how many of us fall asleep to the TV. Even if you can't turn your phone or laptop off get blue blocking glasses or a program to filter out blue light.
Blue light suppresses melatonin and leads to poorer quality sleep.
I have tried both these options and falling asleep is much easier if you have the right type of lighting at night.
2. Save the Carbs for Dinner
Carbs spike your insulin. Dramatic shifts in insulin give you an energy crash. If you save your cereal and bagels for dinner, that crash is well timed for beddy-by time. This is also awesome because you could eat the same exact diet you are now. Same food, same calories, but if you just change the time of the day where you consume it you could experience higher energy, better sleep, and better sex.
3. Cortisol Trumps Coffee
You think your morning coffee wakes you up...you are wrong. Your cortisol rhythym is actually what gets you up and going. Cortisol is much more powerful than caffeine and your body uses it to make you alert. If you wait a few hours after rising to have your coffee when your cortisol starts to dip you actually find you need less cups to keep you going. You feel a different more calm kind of high from the coffee that can keep you going.
Any questions on the book let me know!
-Dylan
