Episode 11: Kirk Parsley discusses why good sleep is more important than nutrition and exercise

STEM-Talk

Dawn Kernagis and Ken Ford

Natural Sciences, Alternative Health, Science, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.7 • 706 Ratings

🗓️ 10 May 2016

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If we could only sell people on the importance of sleep as successfully as we sell them on the pleasures of sex, we’d have a much healthier—and happier bunch. This is one of sleep expert Kirk Parsley’s messages. Parsley calls sleep “the greatest elixir,” and places its importance above that of both exercise and nutrition. Yet, this simple physiological need is hard to satisfy in a society that glorifies business and overworking—and loves its electronics, which don’t exactly prepare the body for sleep. Parsley discusses these and other issues with STEM-Talk host Dawn Kernagis. He talks about how his background as a Navy SEAL led him to a career in medicine, focused on sleep. He also explains why sleep is important—and how you can get more of it. Parsley served as the Naval Special Warfare’s expert on sleep medicine, and has been a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine since 2006. He is also the inventor of the Sleep Cocktail, a supplement designed for the sleep optimization of Navy SEALs: http://www.sleepcocktails.com A much sought-after sleep expert, this podcast marks Parsley’s 100th podcast interview. You can find more information on him at his web site: www.docparsley.com. You can find his TED talk at http://tinyurl.com/pw9h7qz

Transcript

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0:00.0	I don't always listen to podcasts, but when I do, I listen to STEM talk, interviewing the most interesting people in the world of science and technology.
0:14.5	Stay curious, my friends.
0:19.8	Welcome to STEM Talk. Stem Talk, STEM Talk, STEM Talk, STEM Talk.
0:21.1	Stem Talk.
0:21.6	Stem Talk.
0:22.6	Stem Talk.
0:23.6	Stem Talk.
0:24.6	Welcome to Stem Talk, where we introduce you to fascinating people who passionately inhabit the scientific and technical frontiers of our society.
0:33.6	Hi, I'm your host, Don Cornagus, and today we have Dr. Kirk Parsley here with us.
0:38.1	Also joining us is Dr. Ken Ford, IHMC's director and chairman of the Double Secret Selection Committee
0:43.4	that selects all the guests to appear on STEM Talk.
0:46.4	Hello, Don. Good to be here with you.
0:48.6	Today's guest, Kirk Parsley, was another unanimous selection of the double secret selection committee.
0:55.0	Kirk is a physician, former Navy SEAL, businessman, and as we'll hear today, an expert on sleep and its many benefits.
1:02.0	Among those elements of health that we can control, sleep is among the most important, if not the most.
1:08.0	In today's world, it is fashionable to exclaim something like,
1:12.7	I'll sleep when I'm dead. Unfortunately, that behavior may lead to that condition, that is,
1:18.6	being dead, sooner than the speaker might hope. Folks tend to obsess about all sorts of health-related
1:24.7	issues, some important and some not, but often do not concern
1:29.1	themselves sufficiently with sleep. Dawn, I understand that you first met Kirk nearly 10 years ago now.
1:35.8	That's kind of scary, actually, but yeah, Kirk and I actually met at an undersea and hyperbaric
1:40.2	medical society meeting that was in Maui, Hawaii, so he's been a great colleague ever since.
	...

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