Stay at the Top
S5E14. Sleep smarter to THINK sharper with Dr Jemma King
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Episode notes
As humans, our superpower is a good night’s sleep, and yet we don’t protect it as much as we should. Sleep fuels everything we do in our waking life and helps us recover when our eyes are shut.
Want better sleep?
Dr Jemma King is an expert researcher in human behaviour and sleep science, and she gets to the bottom of why you’re not getting enough good sleep. You will understand how sleep impacts your physical and mental performance and why your phone is sabotaging your rest.
In This Episode Dr Jemma Shares
- Why sleep is one of the most powerful performance tools available
- The connection between sleep, stress and mental health
- Deep sleep vs REM sleep and why both matter
- Why poor sleep impacts emotional regulation and decision making
- The role of the “midnight librarian” in processing emotions and memories
- How caffeine really affects energy and sleep
- Why consistency matters more than perfection
- The relationship between nutrition, blood sugar and sleep quality
- The impact of alcohol, doom scrolling and late night stimulation
- How wearables can help improve self-awareness and behaviour change
- Practical strategies for navigating high demand seasons and parenthood
- Cold exposure, naps and recovery protocols
- Why your phone may be sabotaging your sleep and stress levels
Key Quotes
“Once you disentangle your circadian alignment, every single function inside every process of your body is affected.”
“Caffeine does not give you energy. It blocks your tired signal.”
“Sleep is the foundation that makes everything else easier.”
Timestamps
(00:00) Why sleep deprivation is causing chaos
(01:22) Why Dr Gemma became obsessed with sleep
(04:13) The modern sleep crisis
(06:50) PTSD, REM sleep and emotional processing
(08:49) Deep sleep and cleaning the brain
(11:11) Why caffeine makes you feel worse later
(12:02) Deep sleep vs REM sleep explained
(13:06) Wearables, stress and sleep tracking
(16:16) The power of sleep consistency
(19:46) Why a go-to-bed alarm matters
(20:24) The ideal morning and evening sleep routine
(26:02) Nutrition, blood sugar and sleep quality
(32:09) Self-awareness and behaviour change
(34:10) Gut health and sleep
(39:24) Navigating high stress seasons
(42:54) Cold showers and stress resilience
(44:26) Parenthood, sleep deprivation and relationships
(53:57) How to nap properly
(55:23) Doom scrolling and dopamine addiction
(59:26) Coffee, alcohol and common sleep myths
(01:02:02) Sleep vs exercise: which matters more?
(01:03:19) Dr Gemma’s strategies to stay at the top
Dr Jemma King
🟩 Buy Dr Jemma King’s book here: https://shorturl.at/V9gMp
🟩 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jemma-king-phd-76013328/
Jess Spendlove
📖 PRE-ORDER For the Long Run by Jess Spendlove 👉 https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/n423Ea
Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/
Stay At The Top
🟩 Speaker Inquiries jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/
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🟩 Follow Jess on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaspendlove/
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