- I've rounded up the most
common sleep questions that I've gotten from my patients, and I'm breaking them
down one by one for you. Huge thanks to Eight Sleep
for sponsoring this video. Be, whoop! (graphic chiming) How long should it take
you to fall asleep? 10 to 20 minutes on average. I know that was a quick answer, but the amount of time
it takes to fall asleep is called sleep latency. Actually, if you just close your eyes and pass out immediately, that might be a sign of sleep deprivation. On the other hand, if you often lie awake
for 45 minutes or longer before falling asleep, it could point to a sleep disorder worth discussing with your doctor, usually called insomnia. I said, "Usually," because
it's completely normal to fall asleep quickly sometimes or to occasionally have
trouble falling asleep. So don't get too worried,
unless a pattern emerges. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) Is a full tummy good for sleep? Nope. Eating a big meal close to bedtime is more likely to hurt sleep than help it. And I know like in cartoons,
they're always like, "Oh, I need a big glass of milk and some bread to fall asleep," no. Indulging and then lying down is a recipe for getting heartburn. All the acid that's secreted
can actually come up and then end up burning your esophagus, causing that terrible,
terrible heartburn pain right in the center of your chest. The best thing to do is
have a normal-sized dinner, at least two to three hours before bed, and consider that your
last meal of the day. You're starving later on,
which sometimes happens to me, and need a nighttime snack, keep it small and sleep-friendly. Remember, you want to avoid caffeine, spicy foods, and alcohol. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) Is exercise helpful or hurtful for sleep? It's absolutely helpful. In fact, research has
linked sweating it out to snoozing well over, and over, and over. If you're having trouble with sleep and you're not working out regularly, starting an exercise regimen might be one of the most
effective things you can do for improving your sleep. Getting more sleep over overall,
getting more deep sleep, feeling more refreshed when you wake up, all these things are huge. I would try and stay away from late-night, high-intensity
exercise if you can. But in general, late-night exercise is probably still better
than no exercise at all. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) What's the best sleep position? I'm a side sleeper at heart, but there's no one position that's gonna be best across the board. It really depends on your
individual preferences and health concerns. Now, if you don't have any
relevant health issues, experts will say that they
recommend back sleeping 'cause it helps keep your head,
neck, spine, hips aligned, and therefore reduces
pressure on your back. And while this isn't a
health thing exactly, back sleeping puts the least
wear and tear on your face. People don't think about that,
but facial skin is delicate. So the less you push your
face into your pillow, the better it is for wrinkles and such. Oh, oh, and if you have
sleep apnea or you snore, back sleeping is the worst, because what happens is gravity
actually makes it easier for your tongue to fall
back into your mouth or for your airway to fully relax, and therefore get obstructed. As for the worst position, probably lying face down is
like the worst ranking one 'cause it puts the most
strain on your back, on your neck, on your face. But some experts say
that it's not terrible, as long as you're comfortable and you're sleeping the
full number of hours. Something that I never knew and I actually found out while I was doing some sleep research is that how you sleep can
actually influence your dreams: how often you dream, whether or not you remember your dreams, and what you actually dream about. One study found that
people who sleep face down report more frequent erotic dreams. (person whistling) Pressure? I don't know. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) Is sleeping naked healthy? Sure, in most cases, it's probably fine. If you prefer sleeping
naked 'cause you feel cooler or, for some other reason,
you just enjoy it, go for it. And if you don't find sleeping
in the nude comfortable, there are other ways to stay cool. Wearing light, breathable
clothing like bamboo pajamas might be just as effective
as wearing nothing when it comes to temperature regulation. Direct skin-to-sheet contact could potentially expose
you to things like bacteria, dust mites, or anything
else in your bedding. So if you have sensitive
skin or severe allergies, that might be something to think about and maybe go for the pajamas. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) Does temperature really matter? Yeah, at least to some degree. Personal preference
factors in here, obviously, and I'm very biased. Some people might be able
to fall asleep easily, whether it's hot, cold,
or somewhere in between, while others might need the
temperature to be just right. And not everyone will agree
on what just right means. In fact, if you've ever had
a partner sleep with you, you've probably argued
about the thermostat once or twice before. Look, studies aren't perfectly
consistent on the matter, but experts often cite
between 60 to 68 degrees as the right range for most people. Generally speaking, too hot is a bigger problem than too cold. Your core body temperature is supposed to drop while you're asleep. And if your bedroom is really hot, that can interfere with the
natural cooling down process. A hot sleep environment has actually been linked
to poor sleep so many times in various ways. And it's not just that
it's harder to fall asleep in the steamier bedroom, it's harder to stay asleep as well. In one study, people with insomnia went to
bed wearing these cooling caps to help lower their brain temperature and then were able to
fall asleep even faster than people without
diagnosed sleep problems. Back to the questions in just a second, but first, I want to talk
to you about Eight Sleep, whose pod technology can be
added to your existing mattress to cool you down or warm
up each side of your bed. When it comes to sleep, there are so many factors
that are out of your control. Life stressors, fussy
pets, a partner who snores. I guess sometimes that's me. That's why I like the Eight Sleep Pod, which gives me the ability
to fine-tune my sleep setup. You could actually add the pad to a bed and mattress you already own, so no new mattress or bed frame needed. Once it's in place, you can
cool down each side of the bed to 20 degrees below room temperature. Nothing ruins my night's
sleep more than being hot, sweating into the sheets. With the Pod 4, that's no
longer a concern for me. The Pod 4 Ultra also comes
with an adjustable base that gives me flexibility
with how I wanna sleep, whether that's completely flat, or maybe I want my head
or feet raised a bit to take some pressure off an
overworked part of my body. And while I can control all
this with the app on my phone, I can also control the
bed by simply tapping it. And on top of that, the Pod 4 has an alarm
feature that can wake you up by vibrating your side
of the bed noise-free. To stop the alarm, all I have to do is tap
the side of the bed, so I can make my bed space
completely phone-free. I've said time and time again how a cell phone near the bed
is poison to quality rest. Studies on the tech within the Pod 4 have shown it increases total sleep time, the time you're enjoying deep sleep, and reduces the time you wake
up in the middle of the night. Click the link in the description
and use code DoctorMike, remember Doctor is spelled out, to get $350 off Pod 4 Ultra. All right, let's get
back to those questions. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) Should I let my dog sleep in bed with me? There's probably a good chance
you're already doing this. I mean, I've done this. Humans have been sleeping
alongside their pets for centuries, and up to half of
Americans, kids and adults, regularly co-sleep with their fur babies. You can find experts on
both sides of this debate and the evidence is pretty mixed so far. One study from a few years ago found that dogs slept just wonderfully in their owner's beds. The owner slept okay, too, but slightly better when their
dogs were in their bedrooms, rather than curled up right next to them. And in another study, people
who let their dogs into bed tended to report poor sleep. But cats didn't have that
same negative impact. My general guidance on this
falls into three areas. Area one, dogs are hotter than humans. It's gonna make it hard to sleep. Dogs move around a lot when they sleep. They even have those like little shakes while they're dreaming. Three, dogs are dirty. Dogs go outside, they run around. If you don't wipe their paws, they could bring that into your bed, and that's gonna be on your skin. Might end up on your face. Problems. Probably not a great thing to have in bed, but if you do, I don't blame you. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) Is a sleep divorce a valid strategy? A sleep divorce just means
sleeping in separate beds, usually rooms as well. In one 2023 survey, about 1/3 of people actually
said they were occasionally or regularly sleeping
divorced from their partners. If you sleep better alone or splitting up at night
helps with other aspects of your personal wellbeing
or your relationship, there's no shame in trying it or doing it all the time, even. If you feel weird about sleep
divorcing for any reason, talking to a therapist
might be a good idea. Or if you wanna try it out but are worried about the potential impact on your relationship, a couple's therapist could
be a good neutral party to help you navigate the decision. Studies have specifically
found that how couples sleep can influence their
relationship satisfaction. One or more partners not
getting enough shuteye has been linked to more arguing and trouble reading each other's emotions. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) Does different fabric give better sleep? Look, the job of your bedding is to help your body maintain
a good temperature for sleep. Remember, the goal is
to help you sleep cool. And while there's not a
ton of published research on this topic, the emphasis tend to be on which material helps you
stay cool rather than hot. Blankets and sheets made
from natural fibers, like cotton, linen, and bamboo, are typically more breathable, so they'll help keep you cooler than synthetic materials will. Synthetic materials really like stick on and block good circulation of air, and as a result, you get more sweating. In one study, actually, 100% cotton sheets proved
to stay cooler and drier than sheets made from
cotton synthetic blends. Another study found that
people slept better in the heat when they use linen sheets. So I think nonsynthetic is the way to go. When it comes to cotton
sheets in particular, people talk about thread count a lot. I didn't even know what that meant. This has more to do with luxury marketing more than it has to do with sleep help, because high-thread count sheets cost more 'cause they feel silkier, but that doesn't mean better sleep. In fact, there's some debate over whether lower thread
count cotton sheets might sleep a bit cooler, which would be better. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) What's the deal with sleep medications? I tend to not like using
sleep medications long-term, unless it's specifically necessary. Prescription sleep drugs, which
are also known as Z-drugs. They're like hypnotic sedatives. Ambien, you may have heard of them before. Those drugs work well to knock you out 'cause they're sedative, but they don't do a great job
at helping you stay asleep. And usually, people are
struggling to fall asleep for a reason that we can address, and therefore we might not
even need that medication, which can build up a tolerance, a dependence, all that stuff. Now, on top of it, people
use over-the-counter things: Benadryl, ZzzQuil. Those medicines can
also cause some problems 'cause they cause residual
drowsiness the next day. They could also put you in a position where you feel like you
need them to fall asleep, and long-term, there's been some preliminary
linkages to brain issues, like especially in the older population. So I tend to not use them, unless it's just like really short term. A lot of people ask me about melatonin. Melatonin is really an over-the-counter that's not a sedative, but it's to reset your circadian cycle. So when my patients are
traveling and they have jet lag, you could use melatonin to
reset your sleep schedule, but you just gotta be careful
'cause some of the dosages in these over-the-counter treatments are just absolutely absurd. Like, way too high, and too many kids are taking melatonin 'cause they think it's natural. Remember, natural
doesn't always mean safe. (graphic chiming)
(gentle upbeat music) What's the longest someone
has gone without sleep? The on-the-books record
is 18 days and 21 hours, which was set by Robert McDonald in 1986. In fact, the Guinness
Book of World Records stopped recognizing
Longest Time Awake in 1997 because there's just so many dangers associated with sleep deprivation. There's actually all sorts of dangerous Guinness World
Records that are on the books. Click here to see me reacting to them. And as always, stay happy and healthy. (gentle music)
