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TToday, at the age of 63, I am in great physical, mental and energetic shape. A wide range of performance metrics and biomarker data reinforce this belief. I got here not by luck, but by effort and by prioritizing lifespan: the time you spend in good health, free of disease. I am on a personal mission to maintain this optimal health over the next decade, so that I can intercept the next generation of treatments in development that promise to slow, stop, and even reverse aging.

Over the past decade, my primary focus has been studying the field of human longevity with a specific focus on lifespan. I immersed myself in research and devoured publications in the areas of biotechnology, nutrition, exercise, sleep and, more recently, artificial intelligence for health and longevity. I interviewed renowned scientists on my Moonshots podcast and on stage during my longevity conferences. I even launched XPRIZE Healthspan, where more than 440 teams are currently competing for $101 million to see what can most effectively reverse the ravages of aging. Finally, I am in close company with dozens of top scientists and doctors who work closely with me in the various companies I have founded or co-founded.

People often ask me the same question I’ve been asking these longevity luminaries for years: What can you do to live longer and healthier? The answer is so rich and varied that I wrote a comprehensive guide sharing the tools I personally use today to maximize my own health. THE Longevity Guide includes how to exercise to build muscle and VO2 max, advanced diagnostics available now for preventative care, supplements and medications that optimize cellular and overall body function, how to create and maintain a healthy state spirit of longevity and personalized approaches to women’s health. I am grateful to be able to draw on the cutting-edge ideas of my friends who are leading experts in longevity science.

A good night’s sleep is one of the most important (and underappreciated) keys to prolonging your health. It rejuvenates the body, stimulates cognitive functions and strengthens your immune system. It is the foundation of your health and longevity.

Learn more: Therapists share the one piece of advice that changed their lives

Sleep expert Matthew Walker, director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley and author of the excellent book Why we sleepstates that sleep is the most effective thing we can do to restore our mental and physical health each day. There is a direct relationship between the quality of your sleep and the length of your life, and almost no one can sleep less than six hours a night without harming their health.

For most people, getting eight hours of regular sleep improves memory retention, improves concentration, increases creativity, stabilizes emotions, strengthens the immune system, improves sports performance, and wards off life-threatening illnesses like cancer and heart disease. .

Still not convinced? Here are three powerful examples:

1. The difference between a good night’s sleep and a bad night’s sleep is a 100% to 60% decrease in the brain’s ability to retain new facts. It’s the difference, as Walker says, between “passing a test and failing miserably.”

2. Going twenty-four hours without sleep is equivalent to having a blood alcohol level of 0.10%, which is above the legal limit for driving in most places.

3. A sleepless night with just four hours of sleep resulted in a 70% reduction in the activity of your natural killer cells (which fight infections and cancer). Remarkably, natural killer cell activity returns to baseline levels after a night of normal sleep.

Sleep doesn’t get the respect it deserves. It’s often the first thing people sacrifice to make time for almost anything else, whether it’s hobbies or work. But the popular belief that “you can sleep when you’re dead” is fundamentally detrimental to our health, happiness and longevity.

For example, regularly sleeping less than six or seven hours per night doubles your risk of cancer and may increase the likelihood that you will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Insufficient sleep can also contribute to major psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression.

One of Walker’s key lessons is that if humans could have evolved the ability to get along with less sleep, we would have. We are most vulnerable to predation and least productive while we sleep. Yet, throughout evolution, our bodies have retained the need for eight hours.

Learn more: How to Stop Checking Your Phone Every 10 Seconds

Insufficient sleep can have serious consequences metabolic And hormonal consequences. When individuals lack sleep, the body essentially enters a state of malnutrition. “If you adopt the mentality of ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead,’ ironically you will both have a shorter life and the quality of that life will be much worse as a result,” Walker said on stage at our conference on longevity. This year. He then pointed to a study that found young, healthy men were limited to five hours of sleep for five nights. The result? Their testosterone levels dropped to the equivalent of a person 10 years older. “Five hours a night for five nights will age a man by a decade,” Walker pointed out, noting that it also affects female reproductive hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.

Lack of sleep also leads to cognitive and metabolic disorders. A study that limited people to four hours of sleep for four nights found that those people, whose blood sugar levels had previously been normal, were classified as prediabetic at the end of the trial. This highlights the profound metabolic consequences that insufficient sleep can cause in a very short period of time.

Already convinced? Here are 9 tips to optimize your sleep.

1. Aim for 7 to 9 hours: Sleep of less than 7 hours can lead to significant metabolic, cognitive and cardiovascular disorders.

2. Improve sleep efficiency: Walker emphasizes that efficiency is crucial. You can get an idea of ​​your sleep with sleep trackers like Oura or WHOOP. Anything below 85% (time spent in bed sleeping or awake) requires special attention.

3. Maintain regular sleep habits: Regularity is more important than quantity when it comes to long-term health benefits. Walker recommends going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, with only a +/- 25 minute difference.

4. Align your sleep with your chronotype: Everyone has a chronotype, whether it’s morning or evening. Your goal should be to gradually adapt to a healthy sleep schedule that respects your natural tendencies. For example, if you’re a night owl, start with a bedtime close to when you naturally feel sleepy, like 11:30 p.m., and gradually shift it by 15 to 30 minutes every few nights.

5. Time your exercise correctly: For optimal sleep quality, it is best to complete the exercise 90 minutes before bed, which gives your body plenty of time to cool down.

6. Also eat at the right times: It’s best to finish eating at least two hours before bed, which gives your body time to digest and reduces indigestion while sleeping.

7. Managing stress before sleeping: To avoid “tired and tense” syndrome before bed, consider journaling, taking a hot shower, meditating, or meeting up with a friend.

8. Practice good sleep hygiene: An hour before bed, dim the lights in your bedroom by 70%. If you must use your phone, only do so while standing and put it away when you lie down. Remove clocks from view to avoid watching time pass.

9. Monitor yourself for sleep apnea: Sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, reduces oxygen levels and can lead to increased risks of heart disease, diabetes and cognitive decline. Your doctor may order a sleep study, or you can use tools like the SnoreLab app to track signs like loud snoring or gasping for air. If symptoms appear, seek professional evaluation.

Excerpt from Longevity Guide: How to Slow, Stop and Reverse Aging – and NOT Die of Something Stupid

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