Dr. Rhonda Patrick

On top of that, insulin, they're not making enough insulin to lower the blood glucose levels. And so you get this double whammy, almost looking like insulin resistant or pre-diabetic if you were to just look at the hard numbers. And again, this is just from not getting enough sleep for three nights in a row.

And it's not even like full-on sleep restriction where you're taking away four or five hours of their sleep. It's just one to three hours less. And so it really has profound effects on metabolism and this sort of accumulates. So there's a cumulative effect. It's called sleep debt, right? So when you're getting less and less sleep each night, it's like you build up this sleep debt.

And it's not even like full-on sleep restriction where you're taking away four or five hours of their sleep. It's just one to three hours less. And so it really has profound effects on metabolism and this sort of accumulates. So there's a cumulative effect. It's called sleep debt, right? So when you're getting less and less sleep each night, it's like you build up this sleep debt.

The good news is that, believe it or not, at least with respect to the metabolic effects and also the cognitive effects, is that exercise can help negate a lot of that. And that's what I also learned with my own personal experience.

The good news is that, believe it or not, at least with respect to the metabolic effects and also the cognitive effects, is that exercise can help negate a lot of that. And that's what I also learned with my own personal experience.

So according to research, yes. And according to my own anecdotal data, yes. And there's reasons why. So when you're doing high intensity interval training, so this is where you're going, you know, you're doing intervals that are hard. So you're going above what you normally would do if you're just going for a jog. You're going like 80, 85% of your max heart rate.

So according to research, yes. And according to my own anecdotal data, yes. And there's reasons why. So when you're doing high intensity interval training, so this is where you're going, you know, you're doing intervals that are hard. So you're going above what you normally would do if you're just going for a jog. You're going like 80, 85% of your max heart rate.

and you're doing it for a period of time that's an interval and then you kind of have a recovery period where you're going lighter, right? So you're doing a lot of vigorous intensity exercise where it's like during that interval, you can't talk because you're working out too hard. So that's the real test here. What happens when you're working out really hard like that is that you're pushing

and you're doing it for a period of time that's an interval and then you kind of have a recovery period where you're going lighter, right? So you're doing a lot of vigorous intensity exercise where it's like during that interval, you can't talk because you're working out too hard. So that's the real test here. What happens when you're working out really hard like that is that you're pushing

your energy system to utilize glucose only. And what happens is you utilize glucose only and you make a metabolite called lactate. And everyone thought lactate, this metabolite you're making when you're going hard is this waste product, byproduct, it's not useful. Turns out very, very wrong. Lactate itself is not only used by other tissues.

your energy system to utilize glucose only. And what happens is you utilize glucose only and you make a metabolite called lactate. And everyone thought lactate, this metabolite you're making when you're going hard is this waste product, byproduct, it's not useful. Turns out very, very wrong. Lactate itself is not only used by other tissues.

So when you're making lactate, your muscles are making lactate because they're using glucose. The reason they're using glucose is because your body can't get oxygen to your muscle quick enough to use oxygen as energy basically and make it through something using the mitochondria. So, basically, you're making this lactate and using glucose instead, right?

So when you're making lactate, your muscles are making lactate because they're using glucose. The reason they're using glucose is because your body can't get oxygen to your muscle quick enough to use oxygen as energy basically and make it through something using the mitochondria. So, basically, you're making this lactate and using glucose instead, right?

And the lactate then gets shuttled into the brain, it gets shuttled into the heart, into the liver. And it's not only used as a very energetically favorable source of energy, it's also what's called a signaling molecule. It's the way your muscle communicates with other parts of the body, including going back into the muscle.

And the lactate then gets shuttled into the brain, it gets shuttled into the heart, into the liver. And it's not only used as a very energetically favorable source of energy, it's also what's called a signaling molecule. It's the way your muscle communicates with other parts of the body, including going back into the muscle.

And so what lactate does is it signals to the cells, hey, make more of this or make less of this. And what it does to the muscle is the muscle's going, I'm consuming a lot of glucose here because that's the only energy I can use. I need to make a way to get more of it. And so lactate actually signals to your muscle to make transporters for glucose more of them come up.

And so what lactate does is it signals to the cells, hey, make more of this or make less of this. And what it does to the muscle is the muscle's going, I'm consuming a lot of glucose here because that's the only energy I can use. I need to make a way to get more of it. And so lactate actually signals to your muscle to make transporters for glucose more of them come up.

So transporters for glucose are kind of sitting below the surface of the muscle. They're not really letting glucose in all the time. But when lactate comes around, they wake up, they go to the surface of the muscle, and they just allow a lot more glucose to come in.

So transporters for glucose are kind of sitting below the surface of the muscle. They're not really letting glucose in all the time. But when lactate comes around, they wake up, they go to the surface of the muscle, and they just allow a lot more glucose to come in.

well, the glucose is from your food or from gluconeogenesis, the process of making glucose from other materials like glycerol, for example, or amino acids.