Welcome to the Dr. Gundry Podcast, where Dr. Stephen Gundry shares his groundbreaking

research from over 25 years of treating patients with diet and lifestyle changes alone.

Dr. Gundry and other wellness experts offer inspiring stories, the latest scientific advancements,

and practical tips to empower you to take control of your health and live a long, happy

life.

Could fixing your sleep extends your lifespan?

Okay, you wash your car, your clothes, your house, your dog, your dishes.

You, but do you wash your brain? That's right. If you're not getting enough sleep,

you're not giving your brain the proper cleaning cycle. And I'm not telling you anything you

don't already know. But without at least seven hours of sleep each night, it's literally

cutting years off your life. And sadly, it's probably cutting years off of your memory.

So how in the world is losing sleep short in your lifespan? Well, let me count the ways.

Studies show a higher risk of cognitive decline earlier than normal.

Chronic lack of sleep can lead to depression, which can lead to skipping exercise,

and quite frankly, poor eating choices. There's been phenomenal research on the lives of shift

workers. The lack of sleep correlates strongly with insulin resistance, metabolic inflexibility,

overeating, and dramatic increase of cancer in shift workers. Now, let me give you a personal

example. As a resident in surgery and heart surgery in the United States, particularly as a chief

resident in heart surgery, the chief resident was literally on call 24 hours a day, 30, 365 days,

a year. That meant if someone came in with a heart attack in the middle of the night and you were

asleep, that meant you were doing that operation. And if you had a full schedule the next day,

so what? You didn't sleep. The longest I ever went without sleep was four days,

...