170 Dr. Kirk Parsley: Sleep Science For Better Health

Feb 16, 2018

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Best of the best in physical intelligence: In today's fast paced society driven by the "hustle and grind" mentality, sleep is usually the first thing to go. With the demands of the modern world, what practical steps for sleep hygiene can we practice every day to get the most emotional, physical, and spiritual fulfillment we need to live life well?

Everyone knows that a good night's sleep will make us feel better, but science is showing the impacts from chronic sleep deprivation are more far-reaching than we realize. Not only will a lack of quality rest affect mood, feelings, and overall wellness, but it can also degrade our memory, decision-making abilities, life expectancy, and so much more.

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If we want to make drastic improvements to our mental and physical wellness, we get to ask ourselves an imperative question:

How can we remedy our sleep habits and lifestyle to maximize our wellness and live life to our fullest potential?

On this special archive episode of Wellness Force Radio #125, we explore this topic and much more with Dr. Kirk Parsley, author of the upcoming book "Sleep To Win." During this exclusive, in-person interview, Dr. Parsley uncovers the tools and strategies we need to receive all the benefits that come from making sleep a priority in our lives.

Sleep To Win: Get 10% off your box of Sleep Remedy use code WF10 at checkout

Listen To Episode 170 As Dr. Parsley Uncovers:

How he met and developed a friendship with Robb Wolf
How an impromptu interview brought him into the world of podcasting
Learn about his journey from a Navy MD to his own wellness coaching practice
Why he has always had a problem with simply "following the rules"
How we can begin to prevent disease instead of just diagnosing and treating our ailments
His dietary evolution that led him to a Paleo whole-foods style of eating
The fact that traditional medical school focuses on diagnosing disease, and fails to teach proper strategies for nutrition, sleep, exercise, and how to optimize our health
Why his Navy Seal patient's health and memory started to fade at a young age
Why a restful night's sleep can add massive productivity to our days
The data that shows fewer traffic accidents occur when school starts later in the day
The ways our lifestyle can lead to years of sleep deprivation
Why children receiving more sleep reduces delinquency, drug use, emotional disturbance, and injury in sports
The striking similarities in the symptoms of ADHD and sleep deprivation
How sleep debt causes improper function in the prefrontal cortex
What he calls the 3 components of sleep
How overstimulation in today's society affects our sleep and wellness
The difference between our circadian and ultradian rhythms
The importance of getting practical with our time management
How sleep can affect our conscious awareness
The importance of reducing our blue-light intake a few hours before going to bed
The neurochemicals and processes that prepare our bodies for sleep
How we can use supplementation and technology to get better rest
The benefits of using a sleep journal
Why technology, supplementation, and hacks can help improve sleep, but our lifestyle is the most important driving factor
How getting better sleep can lead to weight loss
Why sleep deprivation will affect our willpower and lead to decision fatigue

Top 3 Takeaways From Dr. Parsley

Technology and supplementation can aid us in receiving better sleep, but our lifestyle is the driving factor for ensuring proper rest and wellness.
We have to make sleep a priority to build better health. We can do this by eliminating activities that are non-essential and delegating tasks to free up more time.
The first prerequisite to improving our sleep is to understand the value and benefits it will add to our lives.

Power Quotes From Dr. Parsley

"We need to do things that scare and push ourselves." - Dr. Kirk Parsley

"There's a reason why professional sports have seasons. We need to recover." - Dr. Kirk Parsley

"It's completely irresponsible to diagnose somebody with ADHD if they are not receiving adequate sleep." - Dr. Kirk Parsley

"In Western Civilization, 85-90% of us are carrying around some kind of sleep debt." - Dr. Kirk Parsley

"We have to realize that we can't do everything, and slow down when necessary." - Dr. Kirk Parsley

"The first prerequisite to getting proper rest is to value the benefits of sleep." - Dr. Kirk Parsley

"To prepare for sleep, we have to decrease our interaction with the environment." - Dr. Kirk Parsley

"To improve our sleep hygiene, we have to value, plan, and schedule our sleep." - Dr. Kirk Parsley

"To me, health is having the energy, vitality, and ability to do the things I desire." - Dr. Kirk Parsley

Dr. Parsley's New Book: "Sleep To Win"

Description: Kirk R. Parsley, M.D. is a former Navy SEAL, turned physician, turned physician for the SEALs, turned health optimization consultant, turned performance enhancement and optimization coach for the most performant humans on the planet. Dr. Parsley describes why sleep is the most underused performance enhancement tool available. He details his personal, clinical, and professional development into one of the world's most respected sleep improvement experts. This book will give you the understanding of how sleep affects all aspects of performance. Whether you are a shift worker, transcontinental pilot, first responder, military, entrepreneur, corporate executive, professional athlete, or a stay at home parent, we ALL have performance goals. This Book describes how, when, where, and how much to sleep--in order to improve your performance in any area of your life. These techniques have helped A-list celebrities, physicians, teachers, professional athletes, and everyone in between. You will learn a step-by-step process to get the most performance and joy out of your life, while simultaneously reducing your risk of death and disease from all causes.

Order Dr. Parsley's new book: "Sleep To Win"

About Dr. Parsley

Kirk Parsley served as an Undersea Medical Officer at Naval Special Warfare Group One from June 2009 to January 2013. While there, he led the development and supervised the group’s first Sports Medicine Rehabilitation center. He is a former SEAL, and received his Medical Degree from Bethesda, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) in 2004. He interned in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Balboa Naval Hospital San Diego in 2005 and subsequently completed a Navy residency in Hyperbarics and Diving Medicine in 2006.

Doctor Parsley has been a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine since 2006 and has served as Naval Special Warfare’s expert on Sleep Medicine. In addition, he is certified in hormonal modulation (Age-Management Medicine). After leaving the Navy he went into concierge medicine and consulting. He continues to consult for multiple corporations, and professional athletes/teams. Doctor Parsley lectures worldwide on sleep, wellness, and hormonal optimization and is currently completing a book on sleep and health optimization.

His philosophy for wellness is simple; in order to optimize our health and get the most out of our bodies and minds, we must live more closely to the way we evolved as a species. He believes that many diseases and disorders that we accept as “inevitable” in modern society are unnecessary complications of poor sleeping habits, living in a toxic environment, eating foods we were not designed to digest, and allowing stress to overwhelm us. His passion is to help his patients and clients achieve the highest quality of life possible, and realize their health, performance, and longevity goals.

Resources Mentioned From Josh & Dr. Kirk Parsley

Sleep To Win: Get 10% off your box of Sleep Remedy use code WF10 at checkout

Dr. Kirk Parsley:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Instagram
- Linkedin
Dr. Parsley's "Sleep Remedy" supplement
Robb Wolf - "Wired To Eat"
Dr. Parsley's episode on "The Paleo Solution Podcast"
Robb Wolf's Podcast: "The Paleo Solution"
Navy Seals
NSW Events
Jack Lallane Books
Jocko Willink's Podcast
Start School Later Group
DSM-5
William Dement
Iris
F.lux
Oura Ring sleep tracker
Ben Greenfield Fitness
Robert M. Sapolsky: "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers"

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