The powerful effect of sleep on radical life extension was the topic of People Unlimited’s next session in our Ageless Education series.
Do you know your sleep is connected to your hormones, and your desired super longevity? Well they are, and this was proved, at People Unlimited on Monday, October 31st 2016. Dr. Kirk Parsley, a world-renowned sleep specialist known for his work with Navy Seals, and for optimizing health through improving sleep patterns, shared his wealth of knowledge on the subject at People Unlimited.
Dr. Parsley emphasized that sleep is themost important thing we can do for our healthand longevity. All hormone production is affected if we are deprived of even one night of sleep. Growth hormone, thyroid hormones, insulin, the anabolic hormones that help us live longer, and 99% of all sex hormones are made in the first 4 hours of deep sleep. Quality sleep is essential for all cellular repair since our entire immune system is working at its highest and best during sleep. The prefrontal cortex, which Dr. Parsley calls “the simulator”, is the first region to shut down after a loss of even 2 hours sleep, affecting our ability to make good choices and decisions. In short, our entire overall health and function, sex drive, everything that makes us better, faster and stronger, depends on hormones, and hormones depend on sleep.
Dr. Parsley advocates seven and a half hours of sleep a night, plus or minus 30 minutes.He says that most of what is considered aging is due to loss of hormones, and the best cure is sleep. He suggests getting hormones tested regardless of age to find out which ones are deficient, and focus on sleep and lifestyle changes to restore production. This is a better long-term plan for healthy longevity than just supplementation which doesn’t stimulate the body’s own hormone production.
During the Q&A, Dr. Parsley was very enthusiastic about naps and said there is a great deal of research on the subject. According to Parsley, naps should be kept to less than 120 minutes, and 3 hours from bedtime.
Directed by James Strole and Bernadeane, People Unlimited is an educational, lifestyle and social organization for people interested in radical life extension and physical immortality. For more information on People Unlimited events and initiatives, go to www.peopleunlimitedinc.com or call 480-949-4344.