Let’s take the anxiety out of sleep! with Russel Foster

Why do we have a biological clock?


Do you struggle to get up in the morning?


Does sleep affect men differently to women?


How do you know you are getting enough sleep?


Is there a link between sleep disruption and mental health?


“Most people don’t have a sleeping problem, they have an
anxiety problem”


Born in Aldershot in 1959, Russell Foster is an award winning
professor of circadian neuroscience at Oxford and the director of
the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology. 


For his discovery of non-rod, non-cone ocular photoreceptors he
received numerous awards including the Zoological Society
scientific medal. He has written numerous books, his latest being
-  Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock, and How It
Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and Health.


According to Russell, when it comes to sleep one glove does not
fit all. The notion that we need “8 hours of sleep per
day” to be healthy is nonsense says Russell. There are
numerous factors that interplay to create a good nights sleep and
each one of us is unique to the other.


Russell wants to remove the anxiety associated with sleep and get
down to the root of why we sleep the way we do. 


“To understand if you are getting enough sleep the first
thing is to ask yourself are you not feeling able to function
optimally during the day? Do you need an alarm clock? Does it
take you a long time to get up? Do you feel sluggish? Do you need
caffeine? Do you need a nap? On your time off do you oversleep?
Are you irritable? It’s listening to our bodies! And listening to
it carefully as the tired brain can delude itself to think that
it’s not tired.


In this episode Russell breaks down the biological clock and
circadian rhythm, why certain people are morning people vs night
owls, how waking up in the night isn’t necessarily a bad thing,
how sleep and mental health are linked, how morning light vs
evening light effects us and how different types of work could go
against our sleep requirements.


He really covers it all and will put you at ease if you consider
yourself someone who struggles with sleep.


A fascinating episode - Enjoy!


Lots of Love,


Dave & Steve


To find out more about Russell Foster and his work, check
out his latest book Life Time: The New Science
of the Body Clock, and How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and
Health.


This episode is sponsored by
Vivobarefoot Footwear.
Vivobarefoot Footwear have given our
listenders an exclusive 20% discount when you enter the code
HAPPYPEAR20  


Genuinely these are the only shoes you will see Dave
& Steve wearing!


Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.