For today's podcast episode, Leaps.org talks with Sara Mednick, author of The Power of the Downstate, a book about the science of relaxation - why it's so important, the best ways to get more of it, and the time of day when our bodies are biologically suited to enjoy it the most.
Show notes
3:10 – The definition of “upstates” and “downstates”
5:50 – The power of 6 slow, deep breaths per minute to balance the nervous system
9:05 – Watching out for mouth breathing and email apnea
13:30 – Different ways of breathing for different goals
16:35 – Body rhythms – what is heart rate variability and why is it so important?
21:05 – Are you naturally a morning or night person? Nature vs nurture
27:10 – The perfect storm that gets in the way of following our circadian rhythms
29:15 – The evolution of our pre-bedtime downstates – why it's important to check in with your cave mates
30:10 – The culture shift needed for more people to follow their circadian rhythms and improve their health
35:10 – Employers and communities can build downstates into daily work and life
38:15 – Choosing how we react to the world
41:00 – Being smarter about peak performance
45:09 – The science of pacing yourself for long-term productivity
49:42 – The science of light exposure for circadian rhythms
52:20 – Where to learn more about Sara Mednick’s research and writing
Links:
Sara Mednick’s website https://www.saramednick.com/ and her Twitter
Mednick’s recent book - The Power of the Downstate
Mednick’s book on the benefits of napping - Take a Nap! Change Your Life
The blue light blocking glasses recommended in Mednick’s book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019C3O2UE?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
An app for measuring heart rate variability - Elite HRV app https://elitehrv.com/
Thorne take-home Melatonin test
Founder Lewis Hornby and his grandmother Pat, sampling Jelly Drops—an edible gummy containing water and life-saving electrolytes.
When Lewis Hornby visited his grandmother at her nursing home afterward, he learned that dehydration especially affects people with dementia, as they often don’t feel thirst cues at all, or may not recognize how to use cups correctly. But while dementia patients often don’t remember to drink water, it seemed to Hornby that they had less problem remembering to eat, particularly candy.
Where people with dementia often forget to drink water, they're more likely to pick up a colorful snack, Hornby found. alzheimers.org.uk
Hornby wanted to create a solution for elderly people who struggled keeping their fluid intake up. He spent the next eighteen months researching and designing a solution and securing funding for his project. In 2019, Hornby won a sizable grant from the Alzheimer’s Society, a UK-based care and research charity for people with dementia and their caregivers. Together, through the charity’s Accelerator Program, they created a bite-sized, sugar-free, edible jelly drop that looked and tasted like candy. The candy, called Jelly Drops, contained 95% water and electrolytes—important minerals that are often lost during dehydration. The final product launched in 2020—and was an immediate success. The drops were able to provide extra hydration to the elderly, as well as help keep dementia patients safe, since dehydration commonly leads to confusion, hospitalization, and sometimes even death.
Not only did Jelly Drops quickly become a favorite snack among dementia patients in the UK, but they were able to provide an additional boost of hydration to hospital workers during the pandemic. In NHS coronavirus hospital wards, patients infected with the virus were regularly given Jelly Drops to keep their fluid levels normal—and staff members snacked on them as well, since long shifts and personal protective equipment (PPE) they were required to wear often left them feeling parched.
In April 2022, Jelly Drops launched in the United States. The company continues to donate 1% of its profits to help fund Alzheimer’s research.
