WEBVTT
00:00:55.789 -->
00:00:58.670All right, friends, welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast.
00:00:58.829 -->
00:01:02.189I am here with my dietetic intern.
00:01:02.350 -->
00:01:03.070She is amazing.
00:01:03.229 -->
00:01:07.950Her name is Emily Q, and she is literally drinking from the fire hose right now.
00:01:08.510 -->
00:01:11.069I'm having her do so many different things.
00:01:11.390 -->
00:01:16.590So today is all about, and you guys are going to learn a lot from her, as I am as well.
00:01:16.829 -->
00:01:22.750We are talking all about nutrition for managing mental health and sleep.
00:01:23.230 -->
00:01:26.189So, oh boy, what a fantastic topic.
00:01:26.430 -->
00:01:34.109Emily, I'm so excited for you to teach us all the things and give us your experience and all the goodness.
00:01:34.269 -->
00:01:36.829So thanks for uh being part of this.
00:01:37.150 -->
00:01:38.430Thanks for having me, Chris.
00:01:38.509 -->
00:01:40.189I'm super excited to jump in.
00:01:40.430 -->
00:01:41.870You should get extra credit for this.
00:01:41.949 -->
00:01:43.150That's just what you know.
00:01:44.269 -->
00:01:47.069I should send it to my professors later.
00:01:47.390 -->
00:01:47.870That's right.
00:01:47.949 -->
00:01:48.430That's right.
00:01:48.670 -->
00:01:48.990All right.
00:01:49.069 -->
00:01:52.990So if you guys are watching this on YouTube, so great little slideshow here.
00:01:53.229 -->
00:01:55.150But jump right in, Emily.
00:01:55.310 -->
00:01:57.629This is your first slide here.
00:01:57.710 -->
00:01:59.870It's all about the basics of sleep for athletes.
00:01:59.949 -->
00:02:01.150So tell us all the things.
00:02:01.229 -->
00:02:01.949Jump in.
00:02:02.430 -->
00:02:03.069All right.
00:02:03.389 -->
00:02:14.030So as athletes, no matter what sport you do, I know we're mostly about the endurance sports here, but no matter what sport you do, you're putting your body through a lot of stress in your training.
00:02:14.189 -->
00:02:24.509So it's extra important that we do everything we can to recover and just kind of redo all that muscle rebuilding from our hard training.
00:02:24.590 -->
00:02:36.590So sleep is a major factor of that, probably one of the most important things, because that's when your body kind of does like all of its resetting and everything for from the day.
00:02:36.750 -->
00:02:45.550So we I know that you might have heard that like the general recommendation is like seven, at least seven hours of sleep, maybe seven to nine.
00:02:45.789 -->
00:02:49.629But actually, endurance athletes probably need more like eight to ten.
00:02:50.030 -->
00:02:54.990So probably more than you might think, especially in those more intense training blocks.
00:02:55.710 -->
00:02:57.789I'm pretty sure somebody just fell off the treadmill.
00:02:58.189 -->
00:02:58.830Yeah.
00:03:00.270 -->
00:03:02.830Hearing that, like, wait, eight to ten.
00:03:03.310 -->
00:03:06.269There's no way I'm gonna have time for that.
00:03:06.429 -->
00:03:09.789So uh yeah, eight to ten, which is which is crazy.
00:03:10.030 -->
00:03:13.150Yeah, and this is not like you're not pulling this out of your rear end.
00:03:13.310 -->
00:03:18.989Like this is this is well referenced for athletes and uh recovery.
00:03:19.709 -->
00:03:38.750So a lot of important things are happening when we're asleep, um, like the muscle repair, like I was talking about, but also strengthening immune functions so we don't get sick and catch infections when we're in a state our bodies are in a state of stress, and also for our neurocognitive performance, too.
00:03:38.829 -->
00:03:45.469Um, as endurance athletes, we know that our sports are probably 90% mental, honestly.
00:03:45.949 -->
00:03:56.669And just the snap decision making and just like your mental state while you're in training can really make a difference in how your workout goes, how your race goes, all that stuff.
00:03:56.909 -->
00:03:57.789Yeah, totally.
00:03:58.189 -->
00:04:04.269And um, while I'm slip switching over to the next slide, Emily, what's your background in sport?
00:04:04.989 -->
00:04:08.829Yeah, so I have always done endurance sports.
00:04:08.989 -->
00:04:11.150I think I my first sport was swimming.
00:04:11.229 -->
00:04:25.790I started that when I was really young, but pretty soon after that, I picked up running when I was in elementary school, late elementary school, and I did, you know, classic track in middle school, cross country and track in high school.
00:04:26.030 -->
00:04:32.430And I actually had a brief stint on the UNC rowing team when I was in college.
00:04:32.670 -->
00:04:38.269I was uh rowing, I was a walk-on to the team and I rode for about a year and a half, which was super cool.
00:04:38.590 -->
00:04:43.709And now um now that I've been out of college for a few years, it's just been back to running for me.
00:04:43.870 -->
00:04:47.389That's probably my my first love and will always be.
00:04:47.709 -->
00:04:48.670Yeah, very cool.
00:04:48.910 -->
00:04:53.629We're um, y'all do don't don't think that I haven't tried to get her to do a traffon.
00:04:53.709 -->
00:04:55.629So um it might happen on her.
00:04:55.870 -->
00:04:57.949It still might happen, yeah.
00:04:58.430 -->
00:04:58.829Cool.
00:04:58.990 -->
00:05:00.590So yeah, now our next slide.
00:05:00.750 -->
00:05:01.709The IOC.
00:05:02.189 -->
00:05:04.430IOC, sleep and mental health.
00:05:04.670 -->
00:05:08.910Oh, do tell us the things, and you're gonna have to give some context of what IOC is.
00:05:09.230 -->
00:05:09.709Of course.
00:05:09.870 -->
00:05:13.790So the IOC it stands for the International Olympic Committee.
00:05:13.950 -->
00:05:23.470They've released a statement that acknowledges sleep as a major contributor to athletic performance and a key element of athlete mental health.
00:05:23.790 -->
00:05:54.189So in order to maximize all the benefits of sleep, they consider this like optimal sleep health to include sufficient sleep length, so that eight to ten hours we just mentioned, proper circadian alignment, so pretty much a regulated like sleep-wake cycle that your body, like if you've ever heard of the circadian rhythm, which is like your 24-hour kind of cycle, that's what it is, good sleep quality, and the absence of conditions like insomnia or sleep apnea.
00:05:54.270 -->
00:05:57.870So basically just undisturbed sleep, undisturbed deep sleep.
00:05:58.990 -->
00:06:03.470And then there's reality, what's actually happening in our house.
00:06:04.510 -->
00:06:07.310All right, so dig more into this current research.
00:06:08.110 -->
00:06:26.670Well, lots of there have been many studies on sleep and athletes, whether it's elite athletes or recreational athletes, but many studies and elite athletes have found that as many as 39% report insufficient sleep like length and 20 to 38 percent poor sleep quality.
00:06:26.830 -->
00:06:31.550So large percentage of athletes here out here are not getting enough sleep.
00:06:31.870 -->
00:06:36.270And lots of-I know you didn't say less than seven hours.
00:06:36.350 -->
00:06:42.750So I know a lot of you out there are getting less than seven hours because you think productivity is the best thing and you're gonna be such a great athlete.
00:06:42.910 -->
00:06:43.390Well.
00:06:45.150 -->
00:06:47.230Yeah, bad news for you, I guess.
00:06:48.189 -->
00:06:48.430Yep.
00:06:48.990 -->
00:06:58.750Included in this like bad sleep quality business, we've also there's a large percentage of athletes with insomnia symptoms and general like sleep disturbance.
00:06:58.990 -->
00:07:14.750And some of these consequences of not enough sleep, you can affect your uh cortisol secretion, which is the the known as the stress hormone, and increase some pro-inflammatory cytokines and which can like hinder your recovery from training.
00:07:14.830 -->
00:07:19.870We're all about the probably like inflammation can be good, but chronic inflammation is not.
00:07:20.189 -->
00:07:21.310It's not, yep, yes.
00:07:21.390 -->
00:07:23.790And CRP is something that you can test.
00:07:23.950 -->
00:07:25.870We like to test high sensitivity CRP.
00:07:26.030 -->
00:07:29.230You can test interleukin 6, it's a little bit more pricey.
00:07:29.390 -->
00:07:38.670But we also see in our genetic testing certain um genetic propensities for this being higher.
00:07:38.990 -->
00:07:51.150So if you are somebody who is going to be has a larger propensity for releasing interleukin 6, you really have to hammer down on your recovery and on your sleep.
00:07:51.310 -->
00:07:52.910So yeah, go go ahead, Emily.
00:07:53.390 -->
00:07:58.350Yeah, well, probably uh getting to the heart of the issue here that we wanted to talk about.
00:07:58.590 -->
00:08:05.310Sleep disorders are positively correlated with depression, anxiety, and perceived psychological stress among athletes.
00:08:05.470 -->
00:08:16.030So not only is your body not getting all the physical uh benefits of adequate sleep, your mental health is likely suffering because of it also.
00:08:16.430 -->
00:08:28.910We see that athletes who don't get enough sleep have higher rates of anxiety, which can cause this vicious cycle that kind of causes them to wake up frequently in the night or have terrible falling asleep because of that anxiety.
00:08:29.310 -->
00:08:31.470So negative outcomes all around.
00:08:31.790 -->
00:08:33.230Yes, not good.
00:08:33.389 -->
00:08:41.629And that's so frustrating when you are waking up in the middle of the night and then you know, and then the mind just goes crazy and then you're like, I know I need to be sleeping right now.
00:08:41.870 -->
00:08:43.950So oof, it's hard.
00:08:44.110 -->
00:08:46.269But now we're gonna talk about the fun stuff.
00:08:46.429 -->
00:08:46.909Let's go.
00:08:47.069 -->
00:08:47.629Nutrition.
00:08:47.950 -->
00:08:49.789Nutrition, yes, yes.
00:08:50.269 -->
00:08:55.149We know that nutrition, not really meant to replace conventional meds or therapy.
00:08:55.309 -->
00:09:07.870Those really have their place as well in mental health and sleep, but nutrition can definitely support the management of any mental health disorders and optimize, help basically help the medicine or therapy do its job.
00:09:08.189 -->
00:09:16.269I'm I'm glad you said that because so many folks come to us saying, I don't want to take any medication, I just want it all to be nutrition.
00:09:16.350 -->
00:09:27.710And I'm at listen, I'm I'm praising all the things nutrition, but like it really has to be a holistic role with like all the different team members coming in, right?
00:09:27.789 -->
00:09:42.110With if you're working with a psychologist, if you're working with a psychiatrist or a sports psychologist or your coach, and like, I mean, these these are this is like your crew, your people, and part of that might be pharmacological interventions, at least perhaps temporarily.
00:09:42.349 -->
00:09:50.589So there are people out there who want to help and help you perform as best as you can and nutrition, obviously, is part of that.
00:09:50.750 -->
00:09:51.709So, you know.
00:09:52.029 -->
00:09:54.269Don't let me go on too many soapboxes, Emily.
00:09:55.069 -->
00:09:57.069No, I love I love the soapboxes.
00:09:57.230 -->
00:09:59.149I I'm fully as prone to them.
00:09:59.469 -->
00:10:00.429Antioxidants.
00:10:00.509 -->
00:10:01.549I know you have that highlighted.
00:10:01.629 -->
00:10:02.589So tell us about that.
00:10:02.909 -->
00:10:03.230Yeah.
00:10:03.469 -->
00:10:12.990So it's been proven that a foundational diet for optimal mental health primarily consists of whole foods and with that have all high nutrient density.
00:10:13.069 -->
00:10:38.829Um, if you've ever heard of the Mediterranean diet, like if if you eat similarly, like it doesn't have to be exactly the same foods that are generally documented in the Mediterranean diet, but if you eat a pat a dietary pattern that's like similar to it, you usually have lots of fruits and vegetables and those contain a lot of antioxidants, which really help to eliminate oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.
00:10:39.069 -->
00:10:45.469So if you eat a lot of antioxidants, it's usually associated with better mental health outcomes.
00:10:46.349 -->
00:10:48.269But what about a pill?
00:10:48.750 -->
00:10:54.029Can I just eat all my vitamin C and vitamin E as a pill?
00:10:54.669 -->
00:11:17.789Oh, you know, you can you can take pills for vitamin C and vitamin E, but we also know that in a lot of fruits, like you know, your berries and things with those nutrients when you kind when you eat it as like a whole fruit, the all the nutrients in the fruit kind of like have synergistic effects on each other and they help each other work better.
00:11:18.029 -->
00:11:25.949So they like supplementation can help, but often eating the whole foods kind of helps you maximize those nutrients, if that makes sense.
00:11:26.189 -->
00:11:26.669Yeah, totally.
00:11:26.829 -->
00:11:26.990Yeah.
00:11:27.149 -->
00:11:29.629Again, then you get all the polyphenols that go with it.
00:11:29.870 -->
00:11:34.589And those, of course, have been isolated and studied for athletic performance.
00:11:34.829 -->
00:11:41.069And anybody who is on excess doses of antioxidants can actually be pro-oxidant.
00:11:41.469 -->
00:11:42.669Isn't that wild to think about?
00:11:42.829 -->
00:11:43.149Wow.
00:11:43.469 -->
00:11:43.870Yeah.
00:11:44.189 -->
00:11:46.750So, all right, let's get into circadian rhythm.
00:11:46.909 -->
00:11:48.110Tell us more things.
00:11:48.589 -->
00:11:56.990Yeah, so I think I touched on this a little earlier, but the circadian rhythm is kind of the body's natural sleep and wake cycle over 24 hours.
00:11:57.149 -->
00:11:59.549It's kind of based on light and dark exposure.
00:11:59.629 -->
00:12:10.110Like think about how you wake up and you feel like awake when the sun's out versus when you wake up and it's dark out in the winter and like you it you're it doesn't, you probably don't feel as awake.
00:12:10.509 -->
00:12:10.990It's harder.
00:12:11.230 -->
00:12:14.269Yeah, your body's expressing that light when you wake up.
00:12:14.509 -->
00:12:20.829And it's like we turn out all the lights when we go to sleep because it's hard to sleep when it's when when you're in a lit room.
00:12:21.069 -->
00:12:24.189That's kind of yeah, what what the circadian rhythm is about.
00:12:24.269 -->
00:12:34.189It affects your uh and you also your body also has a natural like cortisol secretion pattern that that like kind of repeats daily, and that's kind of part of the circadian rhythm as well.
00:12:34.349 -->
00:12:34.669Yep.
00:12:34.829 -->
00:12:35.309Cool.
00:12:36.110 -->
00:12:38.349And then of course we were just talking about supplements.
00:12:38.589 -->
00:12:40.589So I see a few listed here.
00:12:40.909 -->
00:12:41.549Yep.
00:12:41.949 -->
00:12:43.549Yeah, tell us about them.
00:12:44.029 -->
00:12:53.870So we know that the any disruption in the circadian rhythm can contribute to just lots of mental health conditions and just chronic disorders.
00:12:54.110 -->
00:13:02.189So if you're having trouble regulating your circadian rhythm, you don't you find that you're not really able to fall asleep or wake up when you want to.
00:13:02.429 -->
00:13:05.230Maybe vitamin B12 is a is a good one.
00:13:05.389 -->
00:13:11.949It really enhances your light sensitivity and regulates your cortisol secretion and melatonin production.
00:13:12.110 -->
00:13:20.349And speaking of melatonin, this is produced by your body naturally that kind of tells you when it's like time to go to sleep.
00:13:20.829 -->
00:13:32.909And some people have who have a disrupted circadian rhythm, they find that if they take a little bit of melatonin to like kind of help prompt their body to and tell that their body that it's time to go to sleep, that can be really helpful.
00:13:33.389 -->
00:13:38.589But we don't want to take too much because then our body will stop producing melatonin on its own.
00:13:38.829 -->
00:13:38.990Yeah.
00:13:39.069 -->
00:13:43.549So, and noting here that you've got 0.5 to three grams.
00:13:43.629 -->
00:13:54.189And of course, and this is a more uh heavily body of research that's coming out that shows that these low-dose melatonin are more effective than high dose.
00:13:54.269 -->
00:14:03.309And if you go to the store, I can tell you right now, if you go to the drugstore, you go to the grocery store, you're gonna find five grams, you're gonna find 10 grams, you're gonna find 20 grams, and people don't know.
00:14:03.469 -->
00:14:06.429And I I don't blame you, like, you know, why should you know?
00:14:06.509 -->
00:14:08.909But they're just like, I just need to get some sleep.
00:14:08.990 -->
00:14:10.909I'm just gonna grab this high dose melatonin.
00:14:10.990 -->
00:14:16.909And then there's so many things that we can do prior to melatonin or in conjunction with melatonin.
00:14:16.990 -->
00:14:19.469There's precursors to melatonin too.
00:14:19.789 -->
00:14:26.029So I in our practice, I like different lines of defenses prior to going to melatonin.
00:14:26.110 -->
00:14:32.269There are also some genetic links that melatonin hangs around a little bit too long in the morning, so they feel super groggy.
00:14:32.349 -->
00:14:33.549So that's an interesting one.
00:14:33.709 -->
00:14:36.029So um I'm not saying melatonin is bad.
00:14:36.110 -->
00:14:43.389I just think it's uh there's other things that we can do first, you know, like adjusting caffeine, and maybe we're gonna get into that.
00:14:43.469 -->
00:14:46.990But but first phosphatol serine, because I love this one, this is a cool one.
00:14:47.309 -->
00:15:03.870Yeah, um, phosphatidyl serine, it's uh it's a phospholipid that uh helps kind of prevent high cortisol levels at nighttime because if you if you've got higher cortisol levels at nighttime, your body's a little bit more in that like stressful state, and you'll probably have a harder time falling asleep.
00:15:03.949 -->
00:15:05.549Yeah, so it just helps you with that.
00:15:05.870 -->
00:15:09.709And that rhythm, that um that cortisol rhythm that Emily's been talking about.
00:15:09.789 -->
00:15:14.269So you want cortisol to actually be high in the morning and then it gradually drops off.
00:15:14.349 -->
00:15:16.909It's called a diurnal curve diurnal curve.
00:15:17.069 -->
00:15:22.349And another cool thing about phosphodyl serine, this is actually a really well-researched study for ADHD.
00:15:22.509 -->
00:15:24.669So speaking of mental health, right?
00:15:24.909 -->
00:15:32.909Especially in kids, but can be beneficial for other um brain health uh taken at the right time.
00:15:33.149 -->
00:15:33.549So cool.
00:15:33.709 -->
00:15:34.269All right.
00:15:34.589 -->
00:15:35.549Uh, let's see.
00:15:35.709 -->
00:15:37.870Anything else you want to pop in on that?
00:15:38.029 -->
00:15:40.189Otherwise, let's get into insomnia.
00:15:40.509 -->
00:15:42.669Yeah, and I mean ready for this one.
00:15:42.990 -->
00:15:46.349The circadian rhythm kind of comes back in all of this too.
00:15:46.509 -->
00:15:52.509So be thinking about that natural sleep-wake cycle as we talk about these other little disorders.
00:15:52.829 -->
00:15:57.309So if you've if if you've experienced insomnia, you know how much it sucks.
00:15:57.629 -->
00:16:05.149Just having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or just like finding that you're waking up way earlier than you want to and can't go back to sleep.
00:16:05.389 -->
00:16:05.709Yep.
00:16:05.870 -->
00:16:13.709Um, it really is associated with depression, PTSD, and it can even be a risk factor for dementia later on.
00:16:13.870 -->
00:16:21.789So things that might help with insomnia if you're eating a that Mediterranean like diet pattern and you're still struggling with this.
00:16:21.949 -->
00:16:23.469There's a few options.
00:16:23.789 -->
00:16:32.429Magnesium is a big one that we like to talk about that can kind of help relax your muscles and lower your cortisol levels, like we were talking about earlier.
00:16:33.309 -->
00:16:44.429And then this one I hadn't heard of until I started doing research for this podcast, which was uh the valerian root and the hops and the passion flower supplement that goes together.
00:16:44.589 -->
00:16:54.269It's uh it's usually abbreviated VHP, and it's an herbal supplement, and it can boost the GABA, the neurotransmitter, to improve your sleep length and quality.
00:16:54.509 -->
00:16:54.909Yes.
00:16:55.069 -->
00:16:58.189Oh, GABA is so wonderful.
00:16:58.750 -->
00:17:09.549Uh, you can do GABA alone, but you can also do uh there are some great like valerian root teas, too, passion flower teas that especially if you're like, oh, I don't know about all these different supplements.
00:17:09.710 -->
00:17:14.750Um that those are good places to kind of start to.
00:17:15.230 -->
00:17:15.470Yeah.
00:17:15.630 -->
00:17:21.950Speaking of tea, lavender is also proven to be really helpful in the relaxation department.
00:17:22.190 -->
00:17:31.630Like you can drink lavender tea, or even like if you have an essential oil diffuser, use that and it could help, yeah, add it in flavor to your cooking.
00:17:31.950 -->
00:17:35.630Well, dab on the on the on the wrist or on the back of your ears.
00:17:36.190 -->
00:17:37.710Yes, good stuff.
00:17:38.029 -->
00:17:38.509Yeah.
00:17:38.829 -->
00:17:53.710And then the one last one that I researched for insomnia specifically is lactium, which is a it's a milk biopeptide that again acts on GABA and has that sedative, like help you fall asleep effect as a result.
00:17:54.190 -->
00:17:54.829Very cool.
00:17:54.990 -->
00:18:02.430And tying this back into again genetics, there are some folks who need a little extra support in the GABA department.
00:18:02.509 -->
00:18:10.829You know, some of these things that are specifically acting on GABA receptors, those are good places to start if you know that that's there, or you can go straight to GABA.
00:18:11.069 -->
00:18:13.069And I know you were mentioning magnesium too.
00:18:13.149 -->
00:18:15.309There are several different types of magnesium.
00:18:15.470 -->
00:18:21.309I like to think of magnesium L3N8, which is great for anxiety, higher anxiety.
00:18:21.389 -->
00:18:26.509But some people, the the cheaper version, the cheapest version, but it's not as well absorbed magnesium oxide.
00:18:26.589 -->
00:18:33.950And then you have citrate, which tends to help loosen stools for anybody who tends to be a little bit more constipated.
00:18:34.029 -->
00:18:37.549And then there's glycinate and glycine.
00:18:37.869 -->
00:18:49.789Honestly, you can uh also supplement with glycine, but magnesium glycinate is a nice sort of gentler on the stools, helps people often fall asleep, and then there's three and eight.
00:18:49.869 -->
00:18:57.950So now that we're heading into the hotter times of the month, another thing to think about is it's lost in your sweat and we can't make it ourselves.
00:18:58.829 -->
00:18:59.309You know?
00:18:59.549 -->
00:19:04.430So, and if you ain't eating a lot of leafy greens, you're probably not getting a lot of magnesium.
00:19:04.750 -->
00:19:09.309So just like Emily said, that Mediterranean style diet is really good.
00:19:09.549 -->
00:19:09.869Cool.
00:19:10.109 -->
00:19:10.430Okay.
00:19:11.069 -->
00:19:11.869Depression.
00:19:12.109 -->
00:19:14.750I mean, depression's not cool, but tell us about it.
00:19:15.470 -->
00:19:18.029Yeah, we we know how d common depression is.
00:19:18.190 -->
00:19:38.349It's also like, especially, you might not think this at first because as athletes, we're constantly producing dopamine with all the um exercise and training that we're doing, but it's actually pretty depression's pretty common in athletes because of a lot of internal or external pressures to perform, especially if you're competing actively and like it's just part of over-training syndrome.
00:19:38.509 -->
00:19:41.869You can get that kind of chemical imbalance in your brain because of that.
00:19:42.029 -->
00:19:58.670The mechanism behind it is that like when you're training really intensely or extensively, you can initiate a stress response in the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal or HPA axis, which is just a set of glands in your body that produce a lot of hormones.
00:19:59.789 -->
00:20:03.149And speaking of pituitary, that's where melatonin comes from.
00:20:03.389 -->
00:20:03.869Mm-hmm.
00:20:04.509 -->
00:20:05.149Exactly.
00:20:05.470 -->
00:20:06.430Yeah, cool.
00:20:06.750 -->
00:20:08.029So all this relates.
00:20:08.349 -->
00:20:14.269So a little few other supplement options to talk about that can help with depression.
00:20:14.509 -->
00:20:21.230We see that vitamin D and B12 are often really low or deficient in people with depression.
00:20:21.470 -->
00:20:31.470So if you're deficient in those, if you get lab stun and find that, like, okay, this might be contributing to your depression, a lot of the times you'll be prescribed vitamin D or B12 supplementation.
00:20:31.869 -->
00:20:32.190Yes.
00:20:32.349 -->
00:20:32.589Okay.
00:20:32.750 -->
00:20:37.950And um, seeing that real real food is great, and also I find this hilarious that we're talking about sleep right now.
00:20:38.029 -->
00:20:40.670And I don't know if you can hear them or not, but my dog is snoring.
00:20:42.109 -->
00:20:42.829I love you.
00:20:43.389 -->
00:20:44.430So yeah.
00:20:44.750 -->
00:20:53.950Um, but Emily, remind us of good food sources, not necessarily of lavender, because you know, uh, but D, B12, and omega-3s.
00:20:54.349 -->
00:20:54.829Yes.
00:20:55.069 -->
00:21:05.549So vitamin D, you'll find that in your milk products, your dairy, like milk's got a lot of vitamin D, yogurt, B12.
00:21:05.869 -->
00:21:08.509I think you find that a lot in animal products.
00:21:08.670 -->
00:21:12.269So meats, uh, I think eggs, fish.
00:21:12.509 -->
00:21:12.750Yep.
00:21:12.909 -->
00:21:18.190So any vegan or vegetarian, just make sure you're getting your B12 tested.
00:21:18.430 -->
00:21:21.309The range is very broad.
00:21:21.869 -->
00:21:27.549Um, so we have slightly tighter functional ranges, especially relating to athletic populations.
00:21:27.710 -->
00:21:30.829So I like to see at least 500.
00:21:31.069 -->
00:21:38.269Uh, but again, all that you know, we're not necessarily just picking and choosing one thing, but it's all goes together.
00:21:38.430 -->
00:21:41.309And then omega-3 fatty acids, where do those come from?
00:21:41.549 -->
00:21:42.990Oh, our fatty fish.
00:21:43.149 -->
00:21:45.549Love our fatty fish and some nuts as well.
00:21:46.349 -->
00:21:46.589Yeah.
00:21:46.750 -->
00:21:48.509Are you are you a sardine person?
00:21:48.670 -->
00:21:49.710I can't do sardines.
00:21:49.789 -->
00:21:51.309That's like a hard pass for me.
00:21:51.470 -->
00:21:52.990Um, salmon is good.
00:21:53.230 -->
00:21:54.029I love salmon.
00:21:54.190 -->
00:21:56.670Sardines are like, ah, I don't know.
00:21:57.309 -->
00:21:59.230If you want, okay, you're braver than I am.
00:21:59.470 -->
00:22:08.750In my food science class, my professor, who's awesome, she's a huge fan of canned fish because of like the affordability and like the protein content.
00:22:08.990 -->
00:22:12.509And she had us all try some sardines just like on a cracker.
00:22:12.589 -->
00:22:13.710And I was kind of scared.
00:22:13.789 -->
00:22:15.549I've never had sardines before.
00:22:15.710 -->
00:22:21.389And I remember trying it, and my first thought was this wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be.
00:22:21.710 -->
00:22:25.389But it's also like I don't like actively like it that much.
00:22:25.549 -->
00:22:27.869So I it's just so-so for me.
00:22:28.029 -->
00:22:29.230But yes, yeah.
00:22:29.470 -->
00:22:32.430I I wish I could get into it more.
00:22:32.589 -->
00:22:34.670I do like anchovies, but they're super salty.
00:22:34.750 -->
00:22:35.950I mean, you can you can rinse them.
00:22:36.190 -->
00:22:44.990I'll put them on things sometimes, but you're right, like it's so much cheaper than buying uh like, I mean, fish oils are not they're they're they're not cheap.
00:22:45.149 -->
00:22:53.470They're great, and especially if you have those high uh propensity for like inflammatory genes or you know, mental health, massive, and also great for managing triglycerides.
00:22:53.629 -->
00:22:55.470There's just so many different things that they're fantastic for.
00:22:55.789 -->
00:23:01.950But yeah, if you can canned salmon, another one, then you get extra calcium because little bones in them too.
00:23:02.269 -->
00:23:04.029So canned salmon's wonderful.
00:23:04.430 -->
00:23:06.990Think outside the can, think outside the box, you guys.
00:23:07.309 -->
00:23:10.909Forgot to mention vitamin D from sun exposure, of course.
00:23:11.149 -->
00:23:11.950So yeah.
00:23:12.190 -->
00:23:12.349Yes.
00:23:12.589 -->
00:23:24.909Although the dermatologists would all be mad at us, but maybe for a short period of time, yeah, uh, we can get our vitamin, because you can't overdose from vitamin D from the sun, but you can obviously do not great things for your skin.
00:23:25.069 -->
00:23:31.069But yeah, that's a little bit more specific to it's easy to supplement and it's generally cheaper.
00:23:31.230 -->
00:23:34.029It's a little harder to get from the diet, like you had said, milk.
00:23:34.109 -->
00:23:36.190Plant-based milks usually have it fortified.
00:23:36.269 -->
00:23:41.069But yeah, if it's not yogurt or milk or plant-based milks, or you could get it.
00:23:41.230 -->
00:23:42.509I think fish has some too.
00:23:42.670 -->
00:23:48.269So you could get a double whammy of the mushrooms, the only vegan source of vitamin D.
00:23:48.509 -->
00:23:50.269So eat your mushrooms, people.
00:23:50.349 -->
00:23:54.829And I know mushrooms are now like the thing to put in your coffee and all the other things.
00:23:54.909 -->
00:23:56.670So I mean, I'm not sad about that.
00:23:56.829 -->
00:23:57.629So it's all right.
00:23:57.710 -->
00:23:58.909So tell us about anxiety.
00:23:59.230 -->
00:24:01.069And then we just said depression and insomnia.
00:24:01.230 -->
00:24:02.029Now we're on to anxiety.
00:24:02.349 -->
00:24:03.069What do we got here?
00:24:03.389 -->
00:24:08.909This is also well, anxiety is also very common in athletes for all the same reasons that depression is really common in athletes.
00:24:08.990 -->
00:24:16.109You just have this pressure to perform and to do well in your competitions and races or whatever you have going on.
00:24:16.269 -->
00:24:28.589So it's actually well documented that like performance anxiety can like cause physical symptoms to occur while you're competing or racing, like cramping, diarrhea, nausea.
00:24:29.389 -->
00:24:31.470It's a ton of GI symptoms, really.
00:24:31.710 -->
00:24:36.029And that's also a negative cycle that we're perpetuating.
00:24:36.109 -->
00:24:43.710And like you might be anxious because you your race didn't go well because of GI symptoms, and now you're just kind of stuck.
00:24:43.950 -->
00:24:54.589So um it also Or you just generally give up, like, and not necessarily like in the event, perhaps during in the event, but like afterwards, you're like, oh, this is just too hard.
00:24:54.670 -->
00:24:56.109I'm not dealing with this anymore.
00:24:56.269 -->
00:24:59.470And then and that makes me very sad.
00:24:59.629 -->
00:25:03.149Like we need to stay active and healthy.
00:25:03.230 -->
00:25:03.789And yeah.
00:25:04.190 -->
00:25:21.389So again, with along with that Mediterranean like diet, if you need a little, a little boost in the in the calming of your anxiety, we know that your gut microbiome really plays a part in your overall mental health because of the the gut brain axis.
00:25:21.710 -->
00:25:29.069And pre- and probiotics go a long way in making sure you have a diverse and healthy gut microbiome.
00:25:29.470 -->
00:25:30.269Yeah, love it.
00:25:30.589 -->
00:25:39.470Prebiotics, especially Mediterranean diet, um, artichyps, you guys, like okay, throw them on a salad, good form of not having to buy another supplement.
00:25:40.029 -->
00:25:40.670Exactly.
00:25:40.909 -->
00:25:42.269Just eat your food.
00:25:42.430 -->
00:25:45.149Uh probiotics, we got more yogurt, kimchi.
00:25:45.869 -->
00:25:47.869Do you have any favorite probiotic foods?
00:25:48.109 -->
00:25:51.069Fermented foods um and cultured foods.
00:25:51.149 -->
00:25:52.269I I like yogurt.
00:25:52.430 -->
00:25:53.950I do fine with yogurt.
00:25:54.190 -->
00:25:54.990Yeah, yeah.
00:25:55.230 -->
00:25:55.549Cool.
00:25:55.789 -->
00:25:59.950I'm not as big of a fan of kimchi, but I had an old roommate who loved sauerkraut.
00:26:00.349 -->
00:26:00.750Yes.
00:26:00.909 -->
00:26:01.230Yeah.
00:26:01.470 -->
00:26:01.710Yeah.
00:26:01.950 -->
00:26:02.909Was she German?
00:26:03.069 -->
00:26:08.829Because she was, uh I think her back her family background was Czech actually.
00:26:09.069 -->
00:26:09.549Oh, okay.
00:26:09.710 -->
00:26:09.950Yeah, yeah.
00:26:10.909 -->
00:26:11.069Yeah.
00:26:11.149 -->
00:26:19.149I I kimchi is fun, but if I open it in the house, it smells like something died.
00:26:19.549 -->
00:26:23.710And it's and then my kids come home and they're like, what is happening in this house?
00:26:23.789 -->
00:26:28.509So it has to be like a very has to be consumed outdoors.
00:26:28.829 -->
00:26:30.509It takes them getting used to, yeah.
00:26:30.670 -->
00:26:34.190I think my dad, my dad is the only person in my family that liked kimchi.
00:26:34.349 -->
00:26:37.869And my mom was like, whenever she bought it, she was like, This is just for you.
00:26:38.190 -->
00:26:38.750Yep, yep.
00:26:38.990 -->
00:26:41.869It's a little too funky for the rest of us.
00:26:42.589 -->
00:26:47.470Um, yeah, and our old friend Gabba is made in the gut, actually.
00:26:47.629 -->
00:26:51.950So yes, yes, keep that gut happy, you guys.
00:26:52.750 -->
00:26:53.549Love it.
00:26:54.190 -->
00:26:54.909All right, cool.
00:26:54.990 -->
00:26:57.869And then we got B complex vitamins again.
00:26:58.190 -->
00:27:12.909Yes, so that that includes your B12, I guess, but also all the other B vitamins are super important in supporting your nervous system, in producing other important neurotransmitters, serotonin, dopamine, and also in just energy production in general.
00:27:13.069 -->
00:27:16.750So they're pretty um good workhorses.
00:27:17.230 -->
00:27:24.750Uh, this one is a newer one that I didn't know about, but lithium can also help balance neurotransmitters and stabilize your mood.
00:27:24.990 -->
00:27:25.389Yeah.
00:27:25.710 -->
00:27:25.950Yeah.
00:27:26.029 -->
00:27:30.269And if you get high enough dose, that's basically like we're talking pharmacological.
00:27:30.909 -->
00:27:33.470Uh so that's not my personal like go-to.
00:27:33.710 -->
00:27:45.230That's like, I think that lithium should be taken in conjunction with a functionally informed psychiatrist who can make sure that you're supported all around.
00:27:45.710 -->
00:27:46.190Right.
00:27:46.430 -->
00:27:47.389So yeah.
00:27:47.710 -->
00:27:54.190If you don't want to go the that the pharmacological route and want to stay a little more, I guess, quote unquote, natural, yeah.
00:27:54.430 -->
00:28:01.309Also, chamomile extract and passion flower extract can also calm anxiety and things like that.
00:28:01.629 -->
00:28:02.190Yeah.
00:28:02.430 -->
00:28:04.029Um, chamomile is so great.
00:28:04.109 -->
00:28:05.470Speaking of like, you know, teas.
00:28:05.549 -->
00:28:07.389I knew we were talking about like lavender teas.
00:28:08.509 -->
00:28:13.230I like to get, especially in the summertime, a chamomile lavender tea.
00:28:13.470 -->
00:28:15.470So like two in one.
00:28:15.950 -->
00:28:19.549Um, and then I'll brew it and then I'll ice it.
00:28:19.789 -->
00:28:20.909Ooh, that sounds cool.
00:28:21.629 -->
00:28:22.109Yes.
00:28:22.269 -->
00:28:30.349And then have that with like a little, maybe if I'm feeling fancy, I'll put it in a wine glass and then add maybe a little bit of seltzer.
00:28:30.589 -->
00:28:37.389It makes me feel real fancy on like a Tuesday night when I know that I need to get up in the morning on Wednesday.
00:28:37.470 -->
00:28:40.190And uh, you know, wouldn't it be nice if I could have a glass of wine?
00:28:40.269 -->
00:28:43.149But like my sleep will hate me in the morning.
00:28:43.470 -->
00:28:56.269Of another, like really good just nutritional strategy for sleep is to reduce or eliminate alcohol and limit your caffeine intake, especially later in the day, because that can really keep you up.
00:28:56.589 -->
00:28:56.829Yeah.
00:28:57.389 -->
00:28:58.269Yeah, for sure.
00:28:58.589 -->
00:29:01.069So, but chamomile is chamomile is fun.
00:29:01.149 -->
00:29:03.789Like at, you know, sometimes you gotta go basic, y'all.
00:29:03.869 -->
00:29:06.269Just some good chamomile tea.
00:29:06.509 -->
00:29:22.750Um, maybe at the end if you're like, eh, I don't love tea again, try it iced or try it in conjunction with something else, like a chamomile passion flour combo, or you know, squeeze some lemon into it, maybe steep it with a little bit of ginger, like you know, that's yeah, you know, explore.
00:29:23.069 -->
00:29:24.029All the combinations.
00:29:24.589 -->
00:29:25.789Yeah, definitely.
00:29:26.430 -->
00:29:26.829Cool.
00:29:27.069 -->
00:29:29.629All right, so I guess we're wrapping it all up.
00:29:29.950 -->
00:29:46.509Yeah, so to if if you want like some good, like basic take-home points from this podcast episode, I guess it's just that if you're an endurance athlete, you need more sleep than the general population in order to maximize that recovery.
00:29:46.670 -->
00:30:04.909If you don't get good sleep, it could really take a toll on your mental health and just, and even if you're not like officially diagnosed with any of these things, that conditions that we talked about, like it could definitely affect your training and just your general quality of life day to day.
00:30:04.990 -->
00:30:16.909And we know that nutrition in the forms of both whole foods and supplements can be used together with conventional meds and therapies to help treat these mental health conditions if you eat.
00:30:17.869 -->
00:30:18.909Yeah, definitely.
00:30:19.149 -->
00:30:26.509I mean, usually some of the lowest hanging fruit that I've had in my practice is moving the caffeine up.
00:30:26.750 -->
00:30:29.549Like, you know, again, we see that in genetics.
00:30:29.629 -->
00:30:33.149Some people process it really quickly and some people don't.
00:30:33.389 -->
00:30:45.309And the people who don't, you know, you could be having your coffee or uh your energy drink or your espresso or you know, or your tea, whatever it is, earlier in the day.
00:30:45.389 -->
00:30:49.309And it could take 10 to 12 hours for that to be fully out of you.
00:30:49.389 -->
00:30:50.750That's a long time.
00:30:50.990 -->
00:30:51.309Right.
00:30:51.710 -->
00:31:07.309Um you know, if you have anything that says pre-workout in it, some people are sensitive to even like a dark chocolate right before they go to bed, which you know sounds delightful, but might be just that little tiny bit of caffeine that's gonna set them off.
00:31:07.549 -->
00:31:09.309So usually that's a good place to start.
00:31:09.470 -->
00:31:12.029And then again, are you eating mostly whole foods?
00:31:12.269 -->
00:31:13.950What's your stress look like?
00:31:14.190 -->
00:31:21.149Do we need some like nervous system settling strategies to get you to sleep a little bit better?
00:31:21.309 -->
00:31:25.629So, you know, there's there's some or what you know, when is your meal time?
00:31:26.109 -->
00:31:33.869All various things that we look at as nutritionists and trying to help you optimize your sleep so that you can just generally be a better athlete.
00:31:34.109 -->
00:31:37.470So with all that said, even it is so hard.
00:31:37.629 -->
00:31:42.109It is it is so hard to at baseline to get the amount of sleep you need.
00:31:42.269 -->
00:31:57.470Like I I know at least when I was um competing in in rowing, like with the just the rough training schedule and the the hard classes and like trying to balance a social life with all of that, I was not getting enough sleep.
00:31:57.549 -->
00:32:01.389And I remember how my mental health suffered for it during that time.
00:32:01.549 -->
00:32:01.710Yeah.
00:32:02.109 -->
00:32:03.950Did you see that amongst your teammates at all?
00:32:04.430 -->
00:32:05.230Oh, absolutely.
00:32:05.389 -->
00:32:06.909I had some, I'm really lucky.
00:32:06.990 -->
00:32:10.029I think I don't like coffee and I don't really like alcohol.
00:32:10.190 -->
00:32:12.269So I've never really touched either of those.
00:32:12.430 -->
00:32:19.869But I had some teammates that were drinking like two Celsius like a day because they were just so tired.
00:32:20.029 -->
00:32:25.549So they needed the energy drink, but then all that caffeine was probably keeping them up and they probably couldn't sleep.
00:32:25.869 -->
00:32:26.990So yeah.
00:32:27.629 -->
00:32:33.389And well, like you had mentioned chronic inflammation, it's the same kind of thing with uh your adrenal glands.
00:32:33.470 -->
00:32:38.269They gotta put out adrenaline, like they uh very serve a wonderful purpose in our bodies.
00:32:38.349 -->
00:32:44.269But if we keep hammering them with all this caffeine, they just get so tired.
00:32:44.509 -->
00:32:45.149Yeah.
00:32:45.549 -->
00:32:54.430So then we dig ourselves into this deeper hole that's just so much harder to get out of uh with all this um caffeine.
00:32:54.589 -->
00:32:59.869It's you know, but there's a lot of messages around like all the different things that we have to do to like be an awesome human.
00:32:59.950 -->
00:33:25.309But at the end of the day, like, you know, if you're eating the Whole Foods, if you're um getting some exercise, but not too much, and you know, being around your social support support crew, supplementing wisely, so strategically, based on you know, your health metrics, uh, understanding your body and what it needs, then it can be hopefully ironed out and simpler than it seems.
00:33:25.389 -->
00:33:32.990And sometimes you gotta pull in, you gotta pull in some other team members for your care team to to help you in this process.
00:33:33.149 -->
00:33:34.909So uh you're not alone, right?
00:33:35.069 -->
00:33:35.309Exactly.
00:33:35.470 -->
00:33:38.190If you're struggling with sleep, or if you're struggling with mental health.
00:33:38.990 -->
00:33:41.789So you we see you out there.
00:33:42.109 -->
00:33:45.869Yeah, your providers all just wanna wanna work together and help you.
00:33:46.430 -->
00:33:47.549Yeah, for sure.
00:33:47.789 -->
00:33:55.549Um, all right, Emily, this was super helpful and I'm excited to learn more from you and have everybody else learn from you as well.
00:33:55.950 -->
00:34:14.030So, everybody out there, if you have any questions, any comments, uh send us a DM on Instagram at the Endurance Edge, however you want to you wanna get it to us, because if there's any specific topic that you want to hear about, I totally want to hopefully have Emily learn and then also you guys learn in the process.
00:34:14.190 -->
00:34:16.030So we're all learning here.
00:34:16.349 -->
00:34:17.070Absolutely.
00:34:17.389 -->
00:34:19.389I a hundred percent do not know it all.
00:34:19.550 -->
00:34:20.829I am constantly learning.
00:34:20.990 -->
00:34:26.269This is just such a fascinating journey, all to help you guys make life easier.
00:34:26.750 -->
00:34:31.389So thanks again for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast, and we will catch you next time.
