Heat therapy, such as using a sauna or soaking in a hot bath, may significantly improve your slow wave sleep. My latest episode delves into the fascinating intersection between exercise and passive body heating and elucidates how high energy expenditure exercise and heat exposure share nuanced mechanisms in sleep regulation. Some key aspects explored include: The surprising role of the immune system in regulating sleep through somnogenic cytokines, immune signals like IL-1B and TNF-alpha, released in response to heat stress and exercise. The interconnected nature of thermoregulation and sleep, particularly in the brain, which highlights the importance of overlapping sleep regulation and heat loss processes. This involves warm-sensing preoptic area neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus, a region known to play a crucial role in sleep regulation. The intricate, bidirectional relationship between growth hormone (GH) and slow-wave sleep (SWS). With the majority of daily GH secretion occurring during the initial phase of SWS, stimulants of SWS, such as heat exposure, can result in enhanced GH secretion, establishing a strong connection between GH and sleep regulation. The varying influence of heat on growth hormone, ranging from doubling after two 20-minute sauna sessions at 80°C, to increasing its circulation up to 16-fold after two one-hour sauna sessions at 80°C. These findings highlight the potential for heat therapy and exercise with a high rate of energy expenditure to modulate slow wave sleep through the interconnected nature of thermoregulation, immunity, exercise, and hormones. By understanding and harnessing these links, individuals can potentially enhance their sleep quality and overall health and well-being. In this episode, I discuss: (00:00) - Introduction (01:06) - Increasing pre-sleep tiredness (02:06) - Effects of exercise (04:09) - How the immune system regulates sleep (05:07) - What heat and exercise have in common (06:39) - Hormonal effects of heat (06:59) - Growth hormone (09:26) - Prolactin and sleep onset (10:39) - Effect of sexual activity (12:08) - Overlap in the brain (thermoregulation vs. sleep) (12:46) - Heat protocols and tactics Watch this episode on YouTube Show notes are available by clicking here Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox several times per month: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/premium Learn more about the premium podcast The Aliquot: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/aliquot

Dr. Axel Montagne is a chancellor's fellow and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences. His group aims to understand how, when, and where critical components of the blood-brain barrier become dysfunctional preceding dementia and in the earliest stages of age-related cognitive decline. With this knowledge, they hope to develop precise treatments targeting brain vasculature to protect brain function. More importantly his work, and that of his colleagues, provide a critical lens through which to view the contributions of vascular dysfunction (or, conversely, vascular health – if we choose to preserve it) as a critical common thread in dementia and neurodegeneration. In this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Introduction to Dr. Axel Montagne (11:44) What dementias have in common (12:42) The importance of preserving small blood vessels (in the brain) (13:38) Changes in the blood-brain barrier in aging that cause "leaking" (15:11) Predicting cognitive decline early with biomarkers – an opportunity for intervention? (16:32) Why targeting amyloid isn’t enough (18:54) The impact of the APOE4 genotype on brain vasculature (24:19) The cause of white matter damage in the brain (33:47) Why the loss of omega-3 transport affects pericytes (35:25) The role of exercise in prevention of blood-brain barrier dysfunction (35:45) Why high heart rates during exercise preserve brain function (36:49) The role of exercise in preserving vision health (40:17) Why leaky vessels damage myelin and the brain (45:31) Can you have more than one type of dementia? (47:54) Does the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier cause “type 3 diabetes"? (54:03) Why omega-3 may prevent detachment of pericytes (1:14:35) Why a hepatitis drug restored cognition in APOE4 mice (1:19:39) Why blood-brain barrier disruption results in the accumulation of amyloid-beta (1:25:14) Why lifetime hypertension increases dementia risk (1:37:13) Effects of obesity on blood-brain barrier leakage Watch this episode on YouTube Show notes are available by clicking here Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox several times per month: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/premium Learn more about the premium podcast The Aliquot: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/aliquot  

Dr. Brad Schoenfeld is a professor at Lehman College in the Bronx, in New York City. His research primarily focuses on muscle adaptations to strength training, muscle hypertrophy. Publishing over 300 studies in the field of exercise and sports nutrition as a scientist, Brad began his career as a competitive bodybuilder and personal trainer. In this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Introduction to Dr. Brad Schoenfeld (05:26) Why should we lift weights? (06:56) Why building bone matters (11:33) How to lift in old age (13:45) Why to lift while young (especially women) (16:21) Should children lift weights? (17:05) Does lifting stunt growth? (19:48) How to change body composition (27:22) Protein requirements (29:19) How to calculate protein needs (36:54) Protein per meal - what's the right amount? (38:18) Does time-restricted eating undermine hypertrophy? (43:19) Anabolic window: myths vs. reality (46:15) Total daily protein intake (54:49) Why aging affects muscle power (loss of type II fibers) (57:52) Power training vs. strength (59:20) Benefits of explosive power training (fall prevention) (1:03:18) How to power train with plyometrics (1:03:58) Training to failure (is it important?) (1:09:59) Rest in between sets (is it needed?) (1:11:12) Number of sets per week (1:22:31) Tips for recovery (1:33:41) Should you get sore from exercise? (1:36:47) What can you do for soreness? (without blunting hypertrophy) (1:40:16) Does aerobic exercise undermine resistance training? (1:44:46) Resistance training for endurance athletes (1:46:33) Can stretching increase muscle growth? (1:51:06) Is yoga a type of resistance training? (1:53:37) Blood-flow restriction training (1:58:37) What is Brad's routine? Watch this episode on YouTube Show notes are available by clicking here Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/premium Learn more about the premium podcast The Aliquot: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/aliquot

George Church, Ph.D. is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and of health sciences and technology at both Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Church played an instrumental role in the Human Genome Project and is widely recognized as one of the premier scientists in the fields of gene editing technology and synthetic biology.  In this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Introduction to Dr. George Church (07:13) History of the Human Genome Project (15:20) Manufacturing cell phones (with biology) (17:34) Genome Project-Write (20:03) Writing a human Y chromosome (from scratch) (20:48) What if you could eliminate viral disease? (22:51) De-extinction and reinstating lost traits and genes (27:06) The Vertebrate Genomes Project (29:47) AlphaFold and other AI tools (41:27) CRISPR vs. Base Editing (emerging tools of genetic engineering) (49:40) Why multiplex editing will change the world (52:18) Molecular flight recorder (53:31) Preventing viral spillover and enhancing livestock (57:40) PCSK9 gene therapy for cholesterol (1:00:30) Is aging an evolved program? (1:05:21) Treating aging with a combination gene treatment (1:09:04) Does animal research help us understand human aging? (1:11:40) Human organoids as a model and therapeutic (1:13:34) Could engineered transplant organs become better than the originals? (1:16:17) Embryo editing controversy (1:28:41) Gene editing for space travel (1:30:40) Can synthetic biology alleviate poverty? (1:34:07) Is in vitro fertilization and embryo selection practically similar to editing? (1:39:12) The occasional cost of brilliance (1:45:45) Eradicating disease with Gene Drive (1:48:55) Technologies to solve Lyme disease (1:51:57) Dr. Church's experience with narcolepsy as a bridge to creative insights (2:00:42) Why George encoded his book in DNA Watch this episode on YouTube Show notes are available by clicking here Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/premium Learn more about the premium podcast The Aliquot: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/aliquot

Stuart Phillips, PhD, is a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where he also serves as the director of the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence. His research centers on the roles exercise and nutrition play in influencing human skeletal muscle protein turnover and how these lifestyle factors influence body composition, especially as we age. In this episode, we discuss: (00:00) Introduction to Dr. Stuart Phillips (07:16) Why muscle is important for longevity (14:34) Is the importance of muscle mass (per se) overstated? (16:48) Is the RDA on protein too low? (19:03) Minimum vs. optimal protein intake (for athletes) (19:29) Why older adults need more protein (24:52) Caloric restriction vs. higher protein for aging (28:04) What is a catabolic crisis? (29:40) Effects of space flight on muscle (36:16) Practical tips for protein intake (39:34) Protein timing and the anabolic window (41:27) Most important factors for hypertrophy (43:57) Should we supplement leucine? (45:46) Does plant protein support hypertrophy? (56:30) Causes of anabolic resistance (58:22) What types of exercise and how much? (01:06:56) Protein and rest as tools for recovery (01:08:14) Mechanisms of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown (01:08:31) Does rapamycin inhibit hypertrophy? (01:13:07) What is Dr. Phillips doing to age well? (01:15:25) Hormonal responses to exercise (01:17:09) Sex differences in hypertrophy (01:19:38) Effect of menopause on muscle (01:20:03) Do testosterone boosters work? (01:21:56) Does growth hormone improve muscle? (01:26:30) Androgen replacement therapy (benefits vs. drawbacks) (01:31:17) Mental health benefits of exercise (01:31:54) Anti-catabolic effects of heat (01:38:19) Molecular causes of sarcopenia (01:42:35) Anti-catabolic effects of omega-3 (01:48:57) Brain and muscle effects of creatine Watch this episode on YouTube Show notes and transcript Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor