Dr. Peter Attia

So if a person tells me I'm struggling to sleep at night and I find out they're napping during the day, the first thing I want to do is get rid of the nap. I'm going to fix the wake-up time, eliminate the nap, and then actually let them get into a better sleep cycle that way.

So if a person tells me I'm struggling to sleep at night and I find out they're napping during the day, the first thing I want to do is get rid of the nap. I'm going to fix the wake-up time, eliminate the nap, and then actually let them get into a better sleep cycle that way.

Are there any good sleep supplements that you recommend taking and that are not damaging to you?

Are there any good sleep supplements that you recommend taking and that are not damaging to you?

Yeah, there are. I mean, and I think one has to be very careful with this stuff. There's certainly evidence to suggest that as we age, melatonin levels go down, and therefore melatonin can aid, at least with sleep initiation. But it's important to know that melatonin really is only the signal to initiate sleep. It's not going to necessarily keep you asleep all night.

Yeah, there are. I mean, and I think one has to be very careful with this stuff. There's certainly evidence to suggest that as we age, melatonin levels go down, and therefore melatonin can aid, at least with sleep initiation. But it's important to know that melatonin really is only the signal to initiate sleep. It's not going to necessarily keep you asleep all night.

So if you're not doing all of the other things correctly, melatonin is going to be limited in its efficacy. So before I go down the route of supplements, I want to get everything we just talked about vis-a-vis the hygiene completely dialed in. And then, yeah, if there's still an issue falling asleep

So if you're not doing all of the other things correctly, melatonin is going to be limited in its efficacy. So before I go down the route of supplements, I want to get everything we just talked about vis-a-vis the hygiene completely dialed in. And then, yeah, if there's still an issue falling asleep

I think melatonin can be a viable tool, although I really want to make sure it's the lowest dose you can buy. They tend to sell this stuff in high enough doses to kill horses. It's not necessary. The lowest dose, which is maybe 300 micrograms, is probably all you need. At most, twice that dose, but you don't need anything north of a milligram.

I think melatonin can be a viable tool, although I really want to make sure it's the lowest dose you can buy. They tend to sell this stuff in high enough doses to kill horses. It's not necessary. The lowest dose, which is maybe 300 micrograms, is probably all you need. At most, twice that dose, but you don't need anything north of a milligram.

I think one has to experiment a little bit with other things. I find ashwagandha a little bit helpful. For others, maybe not so much.

I think one has to experiment a little bit with other things. I find ashwagandha a little bit helpful. For others, maybe not so much.

Okay, and then we'll quickly touch on the last one, which is emotional health. A lot of people think that this is not really something that matters in longevity, but you talked about this in the last chapter of Outlive and how it's really important to you and that you've recently discovered it. So do you want to talk a little bit about that and how it's important as people are aging?

Okay, and then we'll quickly touch on the last one, which is emotional health. A lot of people think that this is not really something that matters in longevity, but you talked about this in the last chapter of Outlive and how it's really important to you and that you've recently discovered it. So do you want to talk a little bit about that and how it's important as people are aging?

I think it's actually important at any age. And I think that what I imagine is so appealing about living at a place like this is you have a built-in system of friendship. I would imagine that that's probably a great source of well-being that many of your peers would be missing out on if they were living alone. I think about how little I see my parents because we live in a different country.

I think it's actually important at any age. And I think that what I imagine is so appealing about living at a place like this is you have a built-in system of friendship. I would imagine that that's probably a great source of well-being that many of your peers would be missing out on if they were living alone. I think about how little I see my parents because we live in a different country.

So I can imagine that things that we take for granted when we're young, like being close to our children or our grandchildren, aren't guaranteed when we grow older. Now, of course, she's signed a contract that says she can't leave Austin. So this won't be a problem for me.

So I can imagine that things that we take for granted when we're young, like being close to our children or our grandchildren, aren't guaranteed when we grow older. Now, of course, she's signed a contract that says she can't leave Austin. So this won't be a problem for me.

I think a social support network and some sense of purpose might be the single most important part of the emotional health toolkit as it pertains. to living longer. Every one of us knows the story of the couple that have been married for 70 years. One of them passes away and then the other one dies within a year. I don't think these are just anecdotal.

I think a social support network and some sense of purpose might be the single most important part of the emotional health toolkit as it pertains. to living longer. Every one of us knows the story of the couple that have been married for 70 years. One of them passes away and then the other one dies within a year. I don't think these are just anecdotal.