Note#1- In praise of Darkness – Sleep series by Srini

In the beginning there was only darkness… Light came out of darkness..

Light and darkness are not two different and opposing things. Society has made a villain
out of darkness. Darkness is used as a synonym of all things sinister. We are trained from
childhood to look at darkness with fear.

In Hindu religion, darkness is deified – we have “Maha Kaal” and “Maha Kaali” – in religion
this could either mean “darkness” or “time” – there is close relationship between them,
but that is for another day.

There is darkness everywhere – interstellar, intergalactic…. is just darkness…

Modern living has opted for lights of high luminescence. The poor old incandescent light
of 60 watt (tungsten filament bulb) has a luminosity of 400-800 lumens whereas the
modern day LED lamps can produce same lumens at just 5 Watts. Where we had one
incandescent light now we have at least 4 LED!! – So, we are consuming 5 times more
light!!

Light has to be light ( Pun intended)

Since we fear darkness, we have created a social necessity ( business necessity?) for
bright light, whereas the number 1 villain for good sleep is LIGHT.

Many of us know of the bad impact of blue light coming out of Phones , Laptops and
Tablets

Evenings are intended to be a journey to acclimatize to emerging darkness and nighttime

is intended to be pitch-dark by nature.

So, gradual reducing of lighting and luminosity after 730 pm by

1. Slowly switching off lights and sending a signal of reducing light to eyes
2. Making the bedroom pitch-dark for sleeping
3. Immediately activating “night mode” in Laptops and Phones

Could be the first step..

You are meant to sleep in darkness. Sleep hormone Melatonin ( more about this later) is
highly impacted by luminosity.

Darkness is key to sleep. Light is an inhibitor of sleep.

Embrace darkness, start falling in love with it , darkness is the source of all light, time and
space and is a good first step to a good sleep. – To be contd….
 A primer on Circadian Rhythm (CR)
Note#2 – sleep series by Srini

• Circa – Circular – meaning the one going round and round – repeating itself
• “Di”an – Pertaining to Day – or Daily
• Rhythm – A regular & repeated pattern of movements (ups & downs) occurring naturally

CR is driven by consumption of light – (light again!) – however, research has proven that light is
not necessary and it was observed that the rhythm works more or less correctly even if someone
is locked in very dark place for a long time. But it is also proven that light can drive/influence the
rhythm.

Trivia: CR is not exactly 24 hours – it is approximately 24 hours + some 15 minutes !

The Third Eye/Body clock – known technically as “Suprachiasmatic Nuclei” ( why not a simple
name?) – of just 10,000 neurons ( brain has 100 billion) situated in the hypothalamus area of
brain, exactly above the place where the optical nerves from the left and right eye do the “X over”
to the other side of the brain, is the main controller of CR. It is impacted by the “light” signals
coming from the eyes.

Be very clear , the Third eye controls the “sleep-wake” cycle and it is sensitive to “light”!

Not all people have SAME CR!! They fall into either of the 3 types.

1. The Early Birds (25 %)

2. The Night Owls (25%)
3. The Commoners (50%)

There is approximately 1-2 hours of difference in the rhythm between the Early Birds and the
Night Owls and the Commoners fall in between. To check your type, google it – web has several
free tests. One of them is:

https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/early-bird-night-owl

It is prudent to check what type is your partner before marriage. Unknowingly this fact could
have been the sole reason for many divorces.

One’s energy levels, alertness, body temperature, heart rate all have clear correlation to the CR.
It is proven that core body temperature falls by up to 2 degree Celsius and heart rate by up to 20
beats per minute.

Modern day work environment requires one to have an average to above average energy level
and alertness throughout the day. But it is a natural fact that it is NOT. So, we resort to coffee or
tea ( impact of caffeine in a separate note later).
If we can closely observe and keep our key meetings in alignment with the CR, we may actually
get more productive. In my personal experience I have observed peak productivity between 11-
1 in pre-lunch and 4-6 in post lunch sessions.

HR processes in companies could use such simple tests to identify rhythm types and create
groups of people complementing to boost productivity. I have often seen in board rooms one
person presenting with lots of energy and some are following and some are behind! It could
simply be the difference in their CR type.

Jet lag is primarily a result due to change in CR. Time clock of the geography and your CR are not
aligned hence the lag. It is said that the lag adjusts @ 1 hour per day.

CR & Sleep – how to make it work for you

• Observe your CR and understand your CR type, hours of peak productivity – they remain
same through your life. Use the natural surge in alertness to your advantage.
• One tip to get sleep start on time is to send clear signal to the CR system in the morning
by standing in clear sunlight for at least 10 minutes ( You might get Vitamin D in the
bargain) – When CR registers that signal, it will promptly align the clock to trigger sleep in
the night – I tried this as many days as possible
• World over, people keep an alarm to wake up – Reverse the process - If only you can keep
an alarm to start sleep at same time of the night, then you WOULD NOT need an alarm
to wake up – that too grumpily – Stick to SAME time ( or in a range of 30 minutes) to go
to bed, even if you do not get sleep in the beginning.
• One should reduce exposure to light post 730PM – send clear signals that it is night time
– Candlelight dinners are brilliant way to send the message to Melatonin secretion.
 Chemistry of Sleep!
Note#3 – Sleep Series by Srini

Difficult to believe? Yes it is true. The perfect sleep is the result of complex reaction from 2 main
chemicals!

Adenosine is a neuro chemical which accumulates during “wake” and drains during “sleep”.

Imagine a specially made hour glass, but one which builds up for approx. 16 hours of our wake
cycle and drains within 8 hours of our sleep cycle.

The receptors of Adenosine inform the brain that “stock levels are up” and is time to relax & sleep.
As sleep kicks in, stock levels of Adenosine goes down and receptors send a “wake up” signal to
brain !

Adenosine is the primary inducer of sleep-wake cycle. It reduces neural activity and sets you to
start sleep.

Interestingly, Caffeine blocks the Adenosine receptors and creates OPPOSITE effect!!

There we go – as to why we feel bit fresh and brisk after a cup of coffee! – it is an illusion
we create by confusing the brain!

And the body’s excretion system works hard to flush Caffeine. It takes 5-6 hours to flush out just
50 % of this possessive chemical!!

I chose Adenosine over Melatonin as the primary sleep chemical because I wanted to impress
upon the impact of Caffeine. We take Caffeine in many forms – Coffee, Cola, energy drinks etc.

Caffeine also impacts the Dopamine and Serotonin chemical reaction thereby causing a
significant disruption of the normal neural activity.

Do let Adenosine do its job naturally you will sleep on time and naturally!

Caffeine interferes with several hormonal/neurochemical reactions related to sleep.

Do not consume Caffeine beyond lunchtime and in any case beyond 4pm.

The magical darkness hormone - Melatonin

Melatonin is the second chemical responsible for enabling “onset” of sleep. It detoxifies the body
of free radicals and other toxins.

It starts secretion as soon as darkness sets in and it peaks by the midnight.

The synthesis of melatonin occurs through a multistep complex chemical process.

• It all starts with food – food contains an amino acid called tryptophan. Foods like Milk,
oats, nuts contain more tryptophan
 • Tryptophan is absorbed from the bloodstream to the pineal gland in the brain.

• First, tryptophan is converted to another amino acid and then to a brain chemical called
Serotonin. 2 Enzymes are involved here!

• Serotonin's conversion to melatonin involves two more enzymes

All chemicals discussed here follow complex routines and they are part of a chain which amazingly
responsible for onset of sleep! And on top there is a closely coordinated play of the “Brain-Gut
complex” to get this right!

• DON’T intervene natural process! Supplements can’t get you anywhere near

• Beware of Caffeine! – Stop post lunch consumption

• Consume foods high in tryptophan – consult your GOQii coach

• Gut ( Serotonin storage) has its role in sleep!! So keep in clean and healthy

• Get used to darkness after dinner to catalyze natural Melatonin

Foot Notes: Adenosine has other functions like cardiac etc. This article does not deal with them. An enzyme is a

biological catalyst that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction and an amino acid is an organic acid used to make

proteins usually obtained from food. OTC Melatonin – a small dose is usually fine to get over jet lag.
 The relentless rivalry of REM & NREM
Note#4 – Sleep Series by Srini

When we sleep, we go through few stages. Prominent among them are REM and NREM.

It is observed that for some non-specific reason, there is significant movement of eyeball in all
directions rapidly during REM sleep BUT does NOT send any visual signals to brain

Hence the name Rapid Eye Movement ( REM) sleep and the opposite – Non REM sleep. Some
also say that they are “deep sleep” vs “shallow sleep” which I am not a great fan of. I believe they
are simply various stages of sleep.

IF we draw a graph of brain neural activity, the graph will look something like this

Courtesy: sleepadvisor.org and Mathew Walker.

As you can see, at the start it is the NREM which is occupying the real estate and the REM shows
up intermittently. Approximately each of the cycle lasts for 90 minutes and then it changes. But
in general we can see the domination of NREM in the first half and REM in the second half.

Interesting facts

• Dream your way to creativity: As homo sapiens came down from trees to sleep on flat
grounds, they developed REM sleep as an evolutionary advancement. REM sleep is
responsible for the evolution of creativity, memory and problem solving. It is during the
REM sleep, the neural network gets more intricately wired with new synapses being
formed. In some sense, it is the REM sleep that contributed to the supremacy of the
human over other animals.
• Early morning school timing inhibits creativity: If school, college or university starts
pretty early in the morning, quite possible that the student has to wake up early and
hence foregoes some part of REM sleep. That is NOT good news for memory and creativity
which are most critical for studies.
• Sleep algorithm is an enigma: The NREM has been measured in 4 stages depending upon
how deep it goes. Deeper it goes, body gets better rest and the housekeeping activity of
scavenging the brain of useless memory and storing of useful memory in the long term
storage area happens – this is a totally involuntary activity based on an enigma algorithm.
God / Nature is the first & best coder.
• Forgetting is beautiful: Brain decides to delete ( forget) what is relevant etc. You will
definitely not remember what breakfast you had same day last week! Forgetting is an
essential function in as much as remembering
• Striping emotion – REM heals: REM sleep is responsible for stripping emotion from past
events over time. For example, you would remember the death of a close relative. But
rarely you can recollect the emotions that were recorded when it happened. It is a
blessing in a way. It is not the Time that heals, but it is REM that heals
• 7 hours or nothing: 5 cycles of 90 minutes – 450 minutes approx. 7 hours gives you a good
full cycle. Anything less is like jumping 90 % of the well!! – short sleep leaves work undone
and there is no use. You add to the pressure of work
• There can be no sleep “Deposit” and Sleep “Loans” ( this would appeal to Finance
community!) You cannot oversleep to compensate for a past deficit nor you can
accumulate a deficit to be cured by oversleep a bit later. It is 7.5 to 8 hours a day, every
day! You would now have understood why from the chart above
• You cannot “Live your dream” – The motor activity other than breathing is all frozen
during REM stage , all muscles ( particularly limbs) are frozen – imagine you swishing your
sword or trying to run away when chased by a cobra!! Protects you from getting injured!
• You are not meant to remember your dreams. You will only remember that you had vivid
dreams or nightmares. Dreams have been subject of so many research. Only one thing is
clear – every dream is made of illogical and impossible combination. If you behave during
the day like the way you behaved in your dream, you will be in a Psycho hospital. It is the
façade or alibi as the brain is reorganizing the hard disk.
• Dreams have no meaning: Do not over analyze, dreams have no hidden meaning. If you
need to know something, why would it be revealed in your dream. It would rather appear
in Times Square visible to all.
• NREM is all about detox and growth: NREM sleep detoxifies the body, grows tissues,
improves immunity, repairs injuries. Breathing slows down, body temperature goes
down, blood pressure drops and body gets a deep relaxation to get ready for next day.
• You need both: It is NOT that NREM is a better and preferred than REM. Combined activity
and result from both is critical for overall physical and mental health.
 Sleepy notes
Note#5 – Sleep Series by Srini

• Measure - Sleep is measured both quantitatively and qualitatively AND both are
important to score a perfect sleep. For you to say that you slept well – scored 10 out of
10, myriad things have to happen during the 6-8 hours. You could use some kind of
sleep measurement tools like GOQii Smart Vital, Apple Watch etc. You will get lots of
data – as CXO folks say “what gets measured gets managed”!

• Alcohol – While Caffeine inhibits adenosine receptors and hence impacts START of sleep
cycle. A small quantity of alcohol, being a sedative might help in “onset” of sleep, but as
it gets digested and metabolized, some of the chemicals released by the liver will rob
you of “REM” sleep and hence you will lose significant QUALITY of sleep.

• Bedroom – We saw earlier that bedroom should be DARK. Buy darkening curtains and
blinds.

• Cool & Clean - It is ideal to sleep with the aircon on every day so that the temperature is
uniform. Considering the air pollution, it is critical to keep an air purifier for Indian
conditions with high level of pollutants. Western blog writers have recommended 20
Degree Celsius – For Indian bodies, I reckon 24 is ideal, which is what I do.

• Equipment – Sleep equipment are the mattress, pillow, bedsheet and the comforter. DO
your research – be as passionate as you are when buying a smartphone or car.

• You earned your sleep. Sleep comfortably.

• You spend one third of your life in it! – this is NOT an expense – but an investment –
Period.

• A good benchmark for investment is invest NOT LESS THAN the value of your CAR!!

• You should also REPLACE them periodically!!

o Mattress: You literally want to bounce back to life.

Mattress should allow body heat dissipation , if possible make it cooler,
provide for the spinal contours and curves and overall invite you to sleep!
Most Mattress allow 100 days sleep trial.
Change - mattress every 7+ years or so – but do change it once a while –
Mattress is definitely NOT for your lifetime!!
Clean the Mattress – Many service providers do vacuum and dust mite
cleaning. Very important. Do not let millions of dust mites sleep along
with you in your mattress. Once in six months.
 o Pillow: Not causing pain in the neck.
Pillow varieties can be confusing – I use Memory Foam pillow. Try a few
and stick to what suits you. Once again trial is allowed here as well
Replace them once in 2-3 years

o Bed Sheet: Allowing heat dissipation to the Mattress.

Pure Cotton ( Bamboo is even better) and High Thread Count –
Minimum 300 thread count is recommended for that 5 Star Hotel feel
and conducting heat.
Replace once in 2-3 years

o Comforter: Prevents heat dissipation and allowing cooler air.

Pure Cotton and high thread count
Replace them once in 2-3 years

• Power Nap – An afternoon nap for 15 to 30 minutes is very refreshing and powerful. I
am aware of many CXOs sleeping in the office with lights switched off, wearing noise
cancel headphones and eye masks. I found it useful and do this occasionally. Just in case
you foresee working late on any day, a nap will help you keep going at full power till late
into night.

• Alarm for Starting sleep - I strongly suggest that you keep an Alarm for STARTING sleep ,
most likely you WONT NEED an alarm to wake up. Starting sleep at the SAME TIME
every day is extremely critical to have a good sleep

• Sleep Positions – Sleep how you feel comfortable. Side position with bent knees ( closer
to Fetal Position) is what suits most people.

• Next post will be on Sleep Apnea

 Sound NOT OK Please!!
Note#6 Srini on Sleep

A good sleep is ironically referred to as Sound Sleep!! While “sound sleep” is Ok, sleep with
“Sound NOT OK please”.

Snoring is the “Lead Indicator” for sleep apnea. 30 % of Males and 15 % of females snore. Most
of the male snorers beyond age 40 have a high chance of Apnea.

During sleep, the body parts relax and for few of us, the muscles around the air passage – throat
and tongue - collapses ( relaxes!) and obstructs the airway.

• Stops flow of air to lungs

• Breathing stops!!
• Oxygen level in the blood goes down – less than 90 %, Co2 rises
• Brain detects the low level and URGENTLY REACTS!

The brain sends signals to wake up, but to the collapsed parts only (normally the person still
continues to sleep – hence he just does not know the issue!!) and then the cycle continues.

During Apnea, there are complex harmful hormonal reactions in the body.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/more_evidence_untreated_sleep_apnea_shown_to_raise_metabolic_and_cardiovascular_stress

Sleep Apnea kills slowly! – Sleep Apnea unleashes Diabetes and Hypertension ( and lethargy of
course) and myriad of other diseases.

I first noticed that I may have apnea since I felt very sleepy in office meetings! That they were
boring is another reason, but I felt sleepy in ALL meetings! I was tired and lethargic.

My “sound sleep” was like a Lion’s Roar!! I heard my recordings! – first it was my wife who talked
about it then even my sons, who sleep in the adjacent room! That is the time, coincidentally,
GOQii folks were discussing about sleep apnea, CPAP machines etc. There was a free
polysomnography (sleep test) was going on offer and I grabbed one. The results confirmed mild
version of apnea and I promptly purchased a Philips APAP (more advanced than CPAP) machine.

I struggled to get used to sleeping with a face mask but as I got used, the benefits were telling!

I invariably woke up fresher, singing a song and ready to Carpe Diem!

I was more attentive in meetings! (Asking even tougher questions!) and then the health benefits
were pouring in – my hypertension plummeted, and the quantum of medicines dropped – my
overall quality of life improved
The reason why I shared my personal story bit more elaborately,

• I had a sleep problem that resulted in

o Low productivity
o Stress and strain as I worked hard to compensate for the low productivity
o Irritability due to poor sleep – bad 360 degree feedback!
o I was taking more coffee to stay awake – resulting in further loss of sleep –
caught in a vicious cycle ( read caffeine and sleep in blog no 3)
o Suffered from an avoidable hypertension issue for at least 15 years and took all
kinds of beta blockers etc. resulting in even deadlier side effects
• And I HAD NO CLUE and sadly NOT EVEN MY DOCTORS
• NO doctor EVER asked me ANY questions about my snoring or sleep quality – NOT a
comment on the Doctors, but on the system, treat for the “symptoms” that we narrate.
• Therefore, YOU ARE ACCOUNTABLE for your health.
• Talk to your body, understand the signals ( language of body) it is sending – even better,
measure it regularly
• In Mumbai, I found just two sleep doctors in Google – I consulted with one of them.
(Just 2 for Maximum City?? No wonder Mumbai is a city that does not sleep!!)
• I read Matthew Walker’s book on Sleep, read many blogs and watched many Videos
• Used CPAP Machine, understood its readings, correlated with GOQii smart watch
readings and made corrections to lifestyle.
• Invested in upgrading my bedroom
• Experimented with few foods ( next/last blog) and adapted what was suiting me.
• Then finally decided to share in LINKEDIN, because, that is my community!

Summary

• Sleep Apnea is MORE common than what gets detected and treated!
• Sleep Apnea is NOT JUST a HEALTH PROBLEM. It is the BIGGEST KILLER Of Productivity
– HR FOLKS, note this!
• Low productivity results in even more hard work for knowledge workers
• Responsible for ALL MAJOR lifestyle chronic illnesses like Diabetes and Hypertension
• If you feel sleepy in the office BEFORE LUNCH, then watch out, you may have sleep
apnea whether or not you snore. ( feeling a bit sleepy in second half is ok)
• If you are over 40, then strongly advise to consult a sleep doctor and take a
polysomnography test. Make it part of the Master Check Up
• If you snore, then do not wait, get yourself tested for apnea.

Modern CPAP and APAP machines are fantastic, they are as comfortable as they can get and
they give you a comprehensive MIS on your sleep the next day!

And more importantly, they have high quality air filters, which filters pollutants and smaller
dust particles – Added benefit! ( I am saddened to see how black they get in Mumbai in just
under 2 weeks)
 Sleep - Tips and Summary
Note#7 – Srini on sleep

Internet is full of various tips and advises for sleep. I have given some website reference for you
to visit should you need. Given below are what I personally experimented and benefited over
last couple of years.

Day Time

1. Pretty much the sleep preparation process starts from the time you wake up!!
2. What You do in the daytime impacts how you sleep. Sleep is not just a standalone event to happen
in the evening. Sleep is designed to unwind , scavenge, reorganize and rebuild from the activities
of the day.
3. So, be cognizant of what you do in the daytime
a. Get some Sunlight, especially first thing in the morning. This sends a clear signal to “Body
Clock” that it is Daytime – it will automatically set up the night time!!
b. Try walking without any footwear on earth during morning walk. Immensely helps.
c. No Coffee/Cola after 1300 hours – I found impact of tea is milder on sleep. A 4pm. Masala
tea with ginger etc. is ok.
Evening

4. It is named “Light” appropriately! – keep it even lighter, get used to dim lights post dinner. Light
is Number 1 inhibitor of onset of sleep.
5. I have two sets of lights in my house – one for “illumination and celebration” and one with dim
lights conducive to induce melatonin secretion.

Dinner

6. 30 minutes before dinner, take 1-2 spoon of Apple Cyder Vinegar with 1 spoon of honey in 1 glass
of water. Works wonders for sleep, digestion, acidity, GERD etc.
7. Jain timings for dinner is the best. Between 6-7pm max. You do not want your digestion process
working during sleep.
8. Stop intake of water before 90 minutes of sleep if you are above 45.

Preparing to sleep

9. 30 minutes before your scheduled sleep time, start unwinding. Phone can be kept outside the
bedroom or better switch it off. Reading a hardcover book is a great way to induce sleep. I use to
read a book on macroeconomics !!
10. Pranayama is a great way of preparing the body for sleeping. I found the following useful
a. 4-8 method – Inhale through nose for count of 4 and exhale through mouth for count of
8 – ask me if you do not yawn and feel sleepy at the end of 3 minutes
b. Shitali Pranayama – 3-4 rounds – cools the body
c. Ujjayi – 3-4 rounds – strengthens the throat muscles – works against collapsing during
snoring
11. Lavender Essential Oil – apply ONE DROP of good quality lavender essential oil on your pillow. You
will sleep like a baby. Do not use more than one drop, I do not want to get a call from your boss!!
12. Deep sleep infusion tea by Luke Coutinho available in Amazon. Fantastic stuff.
 13. If you can get your Ayurveda or Siddha doctor to prescribe “Ven Thamarai (white Lotus) Churna”,
mix it with a half-cup of warm milk and honey 60 minutes before going to sleep. Non habit forming
and sleep inducing medicine. Not just helps in onset of sleep, but helps in overall quality through
all stages of sleep.

Bedroom

14. Darkness is friend of sleep. Pitch dark room.

a. No Night light etc.
b. Use a sleep mask for eyes if needed.
c. Go for movement sensing light in case you get up in night. Many options available
15. Airconditioned room is best – cool temperature is essential to a good sleep. Set what is
comfortable to you. 24 degrees is generally ok for Indians. (web prescribes 20 degrees which is
American Standard)
16. On bedroom accessories, I have covered in previous blogs
17. Bed is reserved for unwinding and sleeping – so avoid working or eating from bed.

Sleeping well is essential to a good career for knowledge workers. Sleep builds memory, creativity,
innovation and problem solving skills which are crucial and cannot be replaced by “Artificial Intelligence”.

References and further reading for the sleep enthusiast.

1. Why we sleep – a book by Matthew Walker, the Sleep Guru

2. http://www.sleepadvisor.org/ a website with wealth of content
3. http://www.thesleepdoctor.com/ The one and only Dr Michael Breus