The Fitness Scientist: "Even A Little Alcohol Is Hurting Your Health!" Kristen Holmes

Kristen Holmes, Vice President of Performance Science at Whoop, discusses the critical role of circadian rhythms in health and performance. Her research highlights the significant health risks associated with disrupted sleep patterns, such as increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Holmes emphasizes the importance of maintaining regular sleep-wake cycles and aligning with natural light-dark cycles for optimal health. She also explores the benefits of consistent meal timing and the impact of lifestyle choices like alcohol and technology use on sleep quality. Holmes shares personal insights on overcoming adversity and the importance of aligning daily actions with personal values to foster growth and resilience.

• Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that occur in a 24-hour cycle, primarily influenced by light and darkness.
• The master clock in the hypothalamus regulates these rhythms, affecting every cell, tissue, and organ in the body.
• Disruption of circadian rhythms, such as being awake during night hours, can lead to severe health issues, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental health disorders.

"One of the most known circadian rhythms is being asleep during the night, and it has massive health consequences."

• Being awake during nighttime hours disrupts natural circadian rhythms, leading to significant health risks.

"If you're awake for 2 hours between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. for 25 days of the year, you qualify as a shift worker."

• Even minimal night-time wakefulness can classify someone as a shift worker, increasing health risks.

• Consistent sleep-wake timing is crucial for positive psychological functioning and overall health.
• Sleep-wake timing affects workplace resilience, social networks, and mental health.
• Regular sleep patterns are linked to better performance metrics in various high-stakes professions.

"The more consistent and more stable the sleep-wake, the sleep onset and offset of these soldiers, the higher levels of positive psychological functioning."

• Consistent sleep patterns improve psychological well-being and resilience.

"Sleep-wake timing is the mother of all performance optimization behaviors."

• Regular sleep-wake timing is foundational for optimizing performance and health.

• Exposure to light, especially blue light from screens, at night disrupts circadian rhythms and affects mood and health.
• Viewing light between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. can have a pro-depressive effect, impacting motivation and mental health.

"If you're viewing light between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., it actually has a pro-depressive effect."

• Night-time light exposure negatively impacts mental health and motivation.

"We haven't adapted to blue light after dark, right after the sun goes down."

• Modern exposure to artificial light disrupts natural circadian rhythms, affecting health.

• Modern lifestyles, with constant access to light and irregular eating times, misalign with natural circadian rhythms.
• Societies without electricity demonstrate more synchronized sleep-wake patterns, suggesting natural alignment with circadian rhythms.

"We have not evolved to digest food in the middle of the night or to view light in the middle of the night."

• Modern habits conflict with natural circadian rhythms, leading to health issues.

"If you were to throw everyone in this building on a mountain in Colorado with no electricity, we will all fall asleep within 30 minutes of each other after 48 hours."

• Natural environments promote synchronized sleep patterns, highlighting the impact of artificial light.

• Sleep regularity, rather than just duration, predicts mortality and overall health.
• Stable sleep patterns improve recovery, heart rate variability, and adaptability to stress.

"Sleep regularity predicts all-cause mortality and this is just recently published."

• Regular sleep patterns are crucial for longevity and health.

"For the most elite athletes on the planet... 70 minutes of onset-offset variability at 70 minutes we will see a sharp decline in markers of recovery."

• Even small variations in sleep timing affect recovery and performance, especially in high-performing individuals.

• Irregular sleep patterns suppress melatonin production, which is linked to various disorders and diseases.
• Growth hormone, crucial for physical restoration, is released during sleep, emphasizing the importance of regular sleep for recovery.

"Reductions in circulating melatonin have been shown to be linked to every disorder and disease in the body."

• Melatonin is essential for preventing diseases, highlighting the importance of stable sleep patterns.

"If you're not going to sleep, if you're going to sleep late, you will not release human growth hormone."

• Regular sleep is necessary for the release of growth hormone, critical for physical recovery.

• Timing of meals in relation to the light-dark cycle significantly impacts metabolic health.
• Eating within an 8 to 12-hour window and avoiding late-night meals improve metabolic outcomes and recovery markers.

"If you stop eating three hours prior to when you sleep, markers of sleep and recovery are exponentially better."

• Meal timing directly influences sleep quality and recovery, emphasizing its role in health management.

"You're more primed to metabolize food closer to when you wake up in the morning."

• Early meal timing aligns with natural circadian rhythms, enhancing metabolic efficiency.

• Eating within a specific time window can significantly improve metabolic health.
• Compressing the eating window to 8-10 hours can help achieve 60% of metabolic goals.
• Meal timing is as crucial as the quality of food consumed for metabolic health.
• Eating earlier in the day and finishing meals before sunset is recommended for better metabolic outcomes.

"If we can just consolidate our eating window to 8 to 10 hours, we get ourselves like 60% of the way to our kind of metabolic goals."

• Consolidating the eating window is a significant step towards achieving metabolic health goals, even if the quality of food cannot be prioritized.

"The folks who ate a bulk of their calories before 3 p.m. had significantly better metabolic outcomes and lost more weight."

• Timing meals earlier in the day leads to better metabolic outcomes and weight loss, even without calorie restriction.

• Eating late at night can disrupt sleep by increasing heart rate and stress levels.
• There should be a gap of 2-3 hours between the last meal and bedtime to allow the body to focus on rest and recovery.
• Alcohol and late meals are major disruptors of sleep quality.

"When we are digesting food, we're basically kind of confusing our system in terms of where it should apply its resources."

• Digesting food close to bedtime diverts resources away from sleep and recovery, impacting sleep quality.

"Meal timing and alcohol are really the two biggest disruptors to a good night's sleep."

• Late meals and alcohol consumption are primary factors contributing to poor sleep quality.

• Exercising late at night can lead to increased energy levels due to elevated adrenaline and cortisol.
• There is individual variability in how exercise timing impacts sleep, but exposure to light during late workouts can signal the body to stay awake.
• Morning exposure to natural light is beneficial for setting the body's internal clock.

"Adrenaline, cortisol, like all of the kind of hormones and chemicals that you need to kind of get to a place where you can exert that energy are kind of flowing through the system."

• Late-night exercise can lead to increased energy levels due to hormonal activity, making it harder to wind down.

"You want to get Light Within 5 to 20 minutes of waking up to tell your body like it's time to go."

• Exposure to natural light in the morning helps regulate the body's internal clock and signals it's time to be awake.

• Limiting light exposure after sunset is crucial for melatonin release and sleep quality.
• Use of blue light blocking glasses and dimming home lighting can aid in reducing light exposure before bedtime.
• Even small amounts of artificial light can disrupt sleep, while natural light like the moon is not problematic.

"We want to try to restrict light basically after the sun goes down."

• Reducing light exposure in the evening is essential for maintaining proper melatonin release and sleep quality.

"Even the Little Dot on your alarm clock or your TV is going to emit enough light. We're so sensitive to light artificial light."

• Sensitivity to artificial light can impair the ability to reach deeper stages of sleep, emphasizing the need for a dark sleeping environment.

• Aligning new habits with personal values can facilitate behavioral change.
• Understanding what one values can help in making disciplined choices and breaking negative habits.
• Letting go of relationships or environments that do not support personal growth is crucial for aligning with one's values.

"You have to understand how that new habit links to your values so the things that you believe in, the things that you say you care about."

• Linking habits to personal values is essential for sustaining behavioral change and making disciplined choices.

"I had to get away from people who were engaging these behaviors, and it just was impacting me at my core."

• Removing oneself from unsupportive environments or relationships is necessary for personal growth and aligning with one's values.

• Evaluating alcohol consumption through the lens of personal values can clarify its impact on one's life.
• Casual drinking may not align with values of growth, presence, and impact.
• The principle of non-neutrality helps in assessing whether behaviors support or hinder personal values.

"In what way is this supporting my values of growth and impact and presence and compassion?"

• Evaluating alcohol consumption in relation to personal values can help determine its place in one's life.

"If you need alcohol to bond or to form a connection, there's probably something else going on that is unaddressed."

• Dependence on alcohol for social connections may indicate underlying issues that need addressing.

• Alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts, is linked to negative health outcomes, including disrupted circadian rhythms and sleep quality.
• Studies show significant reductions in melatonin production and sleep quality with alcohol intake, affecting recovery and stress management.

"I don't know that any amount of alcohol is going to be helpful, and we know from the literature that just one to two drinks per week can have negative implications on health."

• Alcohol's impact on health is generally negative, even at low consumption levels.

"A 2007 study with 29 young adults found that moderate doses of alcohol up to 1 hour before bedtime reduced melatonin production by nearly 20%."

• Alcohol consumption close to bedtime significantly reduces melatonin production, which is crucial for sleep regulation.

"A 2018 study of 4,908 Finnish participants found that sleep quality was reduced by 9.3% after one glass of wine and by 24% after two glasses of wine."

• Even a single glass of wine can substantially reduce sleep quality, with increasing effects as more alcohol is consumed.

• Alcohol consumption has a direct, linear relationship with decreased recovery markers such as heart rate variability (HRV).
• Even a single drink can lead to a clinically significant reduction in HRV, impacting stress management and overall recovery.

"With every drink, there is a linear relationship in the decline of heart rate variability, and it is significant."

• Alcohol consumption negatively affects recovery markers, with a clear linear decline in HRV.

"We see a 6% reduction in next day recovery after alcohol on average."

• On average, alcohol consumption results in a 6% reduction in recovery, affecting physical and mental performance.

• Caffeine consumption within 8 to 12 hours before sleep can disrupt circadian rhythms and sleep quality.
• Even if sleep onset occurs, caffeine can fragment sleep, preventing deeper sleep stages.

"Caffeine can disrupt circadian rhythms if consumed within eight to 12 hours of intended sleep."

• Timing of caffeine intake is crucial as it can significantly impact sleep onset and quality.

• Shift work is linked to a 15-year reduction in life expectancy and is classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization.
• Shift workers experience significant circadian rhythm disruptions, leading to increased vulnerability to mental health issues.

"Shift work is considered a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, and those folks make an enormous sacrifice."

• The health risks for shift workers are severe, with significant reductions in life expectancy.

"Shift workers are going to die 15 years sooner on average."

• The impact of shift work on life expectancy is profound, highlighting the severe health risks involved.

• Circadian disruptions are present in 100% of mental health issues, with social jet lag significantly increasing non-suicidal ideation.
• Variability in sleep schedules is linked to increased psychological and physiological consequences.

"For every hour of variability between weekday and weekend schedules, there is a 17% increase in non-suicidal ideation."

• Inconsistent sleep schedules significantly increase the risk of non-suicidal ideation, particularly in vulnerable individuals.

• Managing stress through proactive techniques like breathwork can enhance stress tolerance, especially in high-stress environments.
• The physiological sigh, a specific breathwork technique, effectively reduces stress and anxiety in the moment.

"Deploying breathwork as an on-demand self-regulation tool can be powerful in high-stakes environments."

• Breathwork is a practical tool for managing stress, particularly for those in high-stress professions.

"The physiological sigh, a double inhale followed by an extended exhale, reduces stress in the moment."

• This specific breathing technique is effective in reducing immediate stress and anxiety.

• Sleep debt significantly impacts executive function, decision-making, and psychological safety in professional environments.
• Leaders with sleep debt negatively affect their team's psychological safety and overall performance.

"For every 45 minutes of sleep debt, there is a 5 to 10% next day decrease in executive function."

• Sleep debt directly reduces decision-making abilities and cognitive performance.

"Leaders with sleep debt see a decrease in psychological safety of their direct reports."

• Sleep deprivation in leaders negatively impacts team dynamics and performance.

• Increased sleep debt correlates with higher accident rates and risk-taking behaviors.
• Drivers with insufficient sleep have significantly higher crash rates, emphasizing the importance of sleep for safety.

"Drivers who sleep four to five hours per day have 5.4 times the crash rate of those who sleep seven hours or more."

• Lack of sleep dramatically increases the risk of accidents, highlighting its importance for safety.

• Insufficient sleep increases the risk of physical injuries, particularly in those engaging in physical activities.
• Sustained sleep deprivation nearly doubles the risk of muscle and bone injuries.

"Less than seven hours of sleep is associated with increased risk of injury, and if sustained for at least 14 days, the risk is 1.7 times higher."

• Consistent lack of sleep significantly raises the risk of physical injuries, emphasizing the need for adequate rest.

• Sex with a partner before sleep is linked to improved sleep and recovery markers.
• The release of oxytocin during sex promotes relaxation and enhances sleep quality.

"People who report having sex before bed with a partner have better markers of sleep and recovery."

• Sexual activity with a partner positively impacts sleep and recovery, likely due to oxytocin release.

• HRV is a measure of the time interval between heartbeats and reflects the balance of the autonomic nervous system.
• Higher HRV indicates better adaptation to environmental stress and overall recovery.

"Heart rate variability is a measure of the ability to adapt to your environment in a functional way."

• HRV is a crucial indicator of recovery and stress management, with higher variability being favorable.

"A high heart rate variability is correlated with better adaptation to environmental stress."

• Greater HRV suggests improved ability to handle stress and maintain performance.

• HRV is influenced by genetics, heart size, gender, and biological sex, making it difficult to compare across individuals.
• Establishing a baseline HRV is essential as it reflects past behaviors and lifestyle choices.
• Generally, higher HRV is better, but it tends to decrease with age.
• Men typically have a higher baseline HRV compared to women.

"Every behavior you've every choice you've kind of made leading up to that moment is going to determine like your Baseline heart variability."

• This quote emphasizes that HRV is a cumulative result of one's lifestyle and health choices.

"The higher the better generally what what's the average well it depends on age so it decreases you know every year your heart variability is going to decrease."

• Indicates that while higher HRV is preferable, it naturally declines with age.

• Regular sleep-wake cycles, exposure to natural light, and stress management are crucial for improving HRV.
• Eating a protein-rich diet, especially in the morning, and avoiding late-night meals can enhance HRV.
• Polarized training, including high-intensity and low-intensity exercises, is recommended.
• Avoiding alcohol and ensuring adequate sleep are vital for optimizing HRV.

"You want to wake up at a regular time every single day you want to get a huge ballus of light as soon as you wake up."

• Highlights the importance of consistent sleep patterns and exposure to natural light for HRV.

"We want to eat a bulk of our calories in the morning you know lots and lots of protein...stop eating a few hours before bedtime."

• Suggests dietary habits that support better HRV.

• Increasing sedentary behavior is linked to lower HRV and higher mortality rates.
• Breaking up sedentary periods with short, regular movements can improve HRV.

"There's no question that sedentary Behavior...is associated with increased mortality rates."

• Sedentary behavior negatively impacts overall health and HRV.

"You want to break up your sedentary time so every you know half an hour to an hour you'd want to get up move around for 5 minutes or so."

• Encourages regular movement to counteract the effects of prolonged sitting.

• Practicing gratitude and maintaining a growth mindset can positively influence HRV.
• Psychological well-being, including optimism about the future, is linked to better HRV.
• Positive mental states can enhance productivity and health outcomes.

"Receiving gratitude...has the most powerful effect on our mood and our feelings of well-being."

• Receiving gratitude significantly boosts psychological health, which can affect HRV.

"If you don't feel optimistic about the future you don't feel like growth is possible you feel really Limited in your capabilities."

• A growth mindset contributes to a healthier psychological state and potentially better HRV.

• Motivation is tied to energy production, which is influenced by task appraisal and perception.
• Understanding personal values and aligning actions with them can enhance motivation.
• Establishing a consistent sleep-wake cycle and a consolidated eating window can initiate positive change.

"Appraisal and perception are going to work together to put a ceiling on your potential for motivation."

• Motivation is affected by how tasks are perceived and their relevance to personal goals.

"Wake up at the same time every day and get as much as light as humanly possible within that will set the tone for the rest of the day."

• Consistent routines and exposure to natural light are foundational for improving motivation and well-being.

• Identifying and living by personal values rather than setting arbitrary goals leads to lasting fulfillment.
• Values-driven actions ensure consistent performance and personal growth.
• Regular reflection on values helps in making aligned decisions and maintaining motivation.

"Growth impact tolerance compassion and presence...those are my top five values and I and I I meditate on those."

• Living by defined values guides daily actions and decisions, leading to a more fulfilling life.

"I don't evaluate success on like achieving something it it's all about my scorecard is am I living my values to my fullest."

• Success is measured by adherence to personal values rather than the achievement of specific goals.