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Congratulations, you’ve bought this book just in time. I could start by listing all the ways that sleep benefits you. How it makes you smarter and stronger, calmer and more empathetic. How it improves your mood, memory and appearance and keeps the creeping dangers of weight gain, cancer cells
If you have one of the other two variants, AC or CC, then you shouldn’t drink caffeine at all and are willingly ingesting a ticking time bomb of health risks.
It’s like adding kerosene, not wood, to a campfire. Fun at the time.
The reason you should have a screen-free watershed in the hours before bed is that just one hour of phone usage before bed has been shown to delay the release of melatonin from your pineal gland. Furthermore, when it is released, your peak levels will be 50% lower. Your body can’t tell the difference between daylight and the light from your phone screen, so you’re giving it mixed messages.
If you’re someone who struggles with onset insomnia (trouble getting to sleep), and you’re following the key principles laid out in this book, then it’s likely that mental - not physical - relaxation is the final piece you need to unlock great sleep.
The military asked a man called Bud Winter, a rising star in the world of college football and track coaching (and who would later enter the Track and Field Hall of Fame) to develop a scientific method for relaxation that anybody could learn. The navy wanted its soldiers to be smarter, faster and braver, and this started with sleep.
After six weeks of practicing Winter’s technique, 96% of the aviators were able to fall asleep in 2 minutes or less, whenever and wherever they felt the need. Below is the legendary technique. - Close your eyes - Breathe slowly, deeply and regular - Take the wrinkles out of your forehead - Relax your scalp - Let your jaw sag and drop open - Relax the other muscles in your face - Relax your tongue and lips - Let your eyes go limp in the sockets - Drop your shoulders - Drop them lower - Feel the muscles in the back of your neck go limp - Relax your chest - Take a deep breath and hold it - Exhale and blow out all your tension - Tell your arms to relax, right then left - Feel a sense of well-being invading your body - Tell your legs to relax, right then left - Take three deep breaths - Let your mind go blank - Imagine you are in a big, black, velvet hammock. Everywhere you look is black - Hold this thought for ten seconds
To produce serotonin in the body, your body uses the amino acid tryptophan, which is then converted in the brain using the enzyme TPH2 into 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5-HTP). The 5-HTP is then converted to serotonin (5-HT). Look for stacks that appear designed to piggyback on this process. For example, if you find a supplement that contains both L-tryptophan, and 5HTP, then you’re onto a winner.
They’re all yours to experiment with. In the words of Bruce Lee, “Absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless. Add what is essentially your own.” GABA: Neurotransmitter that reduces anxiety. Glycine: Amino acid that suppresses cortisol. L-Tryptophan: Amino acid precursor to serotonin and melatonin. L-Theanine: Lowers anxiety and promotes relaxation. Magnesium Citrate: Decreases nocturnal cortisol levels. NAC: Aids in detoxification. Potassium Citrate: Lowers likelihood of muscle spasms. Vitamin B6: Helps convert tryptophan into serotonin. Vitamin C: Can speed up caffeine leaving the body. ZMA: An example of a stack, containing Zinc, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium.
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AI Summary
Sleep Like a Lion by Paul French presents key insights from the contemplative tradition. The 10 passages above capture the essential teachings.
Core Themes:
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Key Passages: Highlights 1, 3, and 10 are particularly representative.
This entry was generated from Readwise highlights. Expand with additional context as appropriate.