The Woman Who Helps NBA Stars To Sleep: Stop Having Showers Just Before Bed! Dr Cheri Mah

Quicker decision making and faster reaction times, here's how you sleep like an Olympian

Dr Cheri Mah is a sleep scientist and Professor at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Centre, specialising in the relationship between sleep and performance in elite athletes.

0:00 Intro
01:59 What do you do and why do you do it?
04:22 Who do you work with?
07:06 What are the misconceptions about sleep?
10:46 Study that increases performance by 12%
14:11 NBA players losing based on schedule
17:03 Players who slept more sprinted faster
18:49 Athletes who have changed their careers by focusing on sleep
22:05 Where to start getting better sleep?
23:18 Does sound/music hurt sleep quality?
24:39 Does temperature matter?
26:44 Food timing for better sleep
29:09 The food to eat before bed that will destroy your sleep
34:03 What to do for a racing mind?
35:34 What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
39:40 Emotional link to better sleep
41:44 Perception change on the importance of sleep
44:01 Cognitive performance and sleep
47:49 Sleep debt and how it works
52:22 Muscle memory and its connection to sleep
54:35 What's a nappucino?
56:05 Do naps work?
57:39 Is the snooze button bad?
01:00:10 Are there different chronotypes?
01:02:46 Does school start too early for kids?
01:04:32 What parents should know
01:07:47 Sleeping travel tips
01:12:13 Sleeping drugs
01:16:01 Does sex before sleep hurt quality of sleep?
01:17:34 What is the most popular question Cheri Mah gets asked?
01:20:21 How common is sleep apnea?
01:22:17 What excuses do we hear for prioritizing sleep?
01:23:52 Sleep and injury proneness
01:25:35 Waking up early makes Steven hungry
01:27:32 Is waking up in the middle of the night normal?
01:29:15 How much does alcohol affect my sleep
01:30:10 Guests last question

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[TheDiaryOfACEO]

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[ImanBhia]

Part 1:
1. We should be well rested; we need to find the perfect amount for us.
2. We can add 15min of sleep slowly into our schedule, this equals to more than 3hours more of sleep.
3. Make your sleep environment like a cave (black curtain, eye mask, ear plug, white noise machine, cool temperature 16–20-degree cellulose).
4. An hour and a half before sleep go to shower as a final timing for showering.
5. Avoid huge meals before bed time (snacks are okay like cereal and milk, peanut butter, some vegetable, nuts, yogurt).
6. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, fired fatty meals, tomato-based food (due to acid reflux), sugar.
7. For a racing mind: stretching, write down your thoughts, journaling, write a to do list (OUTSIDE of bed)
8. Before being deprived of sleep, sleep more (sleep debt).
9. Muscle memory: sleep after you have learned something new so it could be stored.
10. Nappuccino is another word for a coffee nap. A nappuccino takes advantage of the synergy effect that arises when caffeine and a power nap are combined.

[jos]

"Sleep is not the end of today it's the beginning of tomorrow." Somehow that mindset really helps me. Great video :)

[michaelgrayman]

I was going to go to bed early but this looks interesting so I’ll stay up too late to watch.

[chinpoeykhoo]

What a closing words "sleep is not the end of the day, it's the beginning of tomorrow"🙂
Another great episode and content from CEO Diary!

[chuckleberrypi]

"sleep is not the end of today, it's the beginning of tomorrow" such a great way to reframe my relationship with sleep. try to start your day as best as you can

[jgtbym]

I also appreciate that Dr Mah acknowledged she couldn’t answer his question about the relationship between nutrition and sleep but offered that research is progressing. Wise, intelligent and humble people don’t pretend they know something when they actually don’t.

[dakacklator]

The problem lies in work schedules. If you have an hour drive, and you work 8-5, you get home by 6pm, and have to leave by 7am. This gives you 11 hours total in travel and work, and if you go to bed to get up for 6:30am you are looking at 10:30pm. So you work 11 hours for 4.5 hours of free time. Awful, and results in revenge procrastination.

[sportysbusiness]

I'm a night owl too and always struggled to get up early in order to get to school on time. ALL the major exams in my life, including my degree, were all at 9am, meaning I was never at my best. I've always said this was really unfair. As an adult I've played international sports at all times of the day and night. The early morning games were awful for me, the late at night games were awesome. Society is so set up for morning people that I became self employed so I was able to set my own sleep schedule!

[wonderingaround]

I felt you interrupted this lady on a few occasions she was explaining something, and ruined the flow of her answers.

[jupianna]

Towards the end she said something incredible that will help me way more than any of my therapies I’m getting for borderline disorder.
“The sleep is not the end of today, it’s the beginning of tomorrow.”
This mindset shift is priceless for me. Specially after explaining the effects.
Had trouble falling asleep for years, because it feels like the end of everything…
Thank you!! 🙏🏻

[coolhashluke]

These kinds episodes are actually important and valuable to the growth of human society

[Sophiascott]

For everyone out there that want to change health habits, I would recommend reading book called The 21 former doctor secrets by rachel morgan, she is talking behind industry

[Nikyv]

I’m so serious about my sleep! I hate when I get poor sleep. I feel it so much the following day.

[ScarlettJeann]

As a person living with chronic illnesses sleep is very important and I wasn't sleeping at all. After I read about her and her study I decided to change a lot of things and my sleep is much better now. I still have bad nights, especially when I'm in a lot of pain. But overall things are better.

[baconegger]

She is incredibly well spoken. Almost never says umm. Great guest!

[Karaya]

This is really the most perfectly timed video I personally have ever watched. Makes so many things make sense for me. I’m not an athlete. I’m a student, a transplant recipient, and about to graduate from college in order to change careers. To say I am burned out is an understatement. But just before I saw this, I rec’d advice from my stepmom that changing my habits in sleep will change my whole life. It’s been 2 days, I’m listening to this video, implementing improvements and though I have a 15 hour sleep debt still, it was 20+ three days ago.

I wish this was around when I was in high school. It would have made my life a whole lot easier and better tbh. Thank you!

[WorkWise-]

It is amazing that knowledge is freely available.

[juliemacanas]

Long discussion but night shift workers was not discussed.

[elisa-beary]

I’ve been watching & listening to this pod for years. I’ve learned SO much & being too wayyy too much in my daily life. You have such interesting guests that we don’t often hear from, so much practical information & I love all the leaders in their respective industries findings over the course of decades. Beyond excited to continue seeing you grow, well deserved!!💜💜💜