In the world of combat sports, optimizing performance extends beyond physical training and nutrition—sleep plays a critical role. Maladaptive sleep behaviors, such as inconsistent sleep schedules and inadequate sleep duration, can significantly impair an athlete’s performance by reducing cognitive function, reaction time, and recovery ability. Understanding these impacts is crucial for athletes and coaches seeking to enhance performance through more effective sleep strategies.
#433: Greg Potter, PhD – The Bidirectional Relationship Between Sleep and Diet
The relationship between our diet and sleep is bi-directional; i.e. sleep impacts diet and diet impacts sleep. Therefore, we can examine the impact of sleep timing, duration and other dimensions on our dietary intake. And then also examine the impat of both overall diet and specific nutrients on improving/worsening sleep.
#328: Meeta Singh, MD – Sleep, Immunity & Mental Health
Find the podcast on your app of choice hereGuest InformationMeeta Singh, MD Dr. Meeta Singh is a board-certified sleep medicine doctor and is currently the service chief of the sleep medicine at the Henry Ford sleep laboratory in Michigan. She did her training in psychiatry at the Mayo clinic and a sleep fellowship at the Henry Ford hospital. She is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology as a psychiatrist and sleep medicine sub-specialist.In this episode we discuss: What sleep actually does that makes it so crucial Impact of sleep on immune function Impact of sleep on psychological …
#325: Kirk Parsley, MD – Stress, Sleep & Anxiety During a Pandemic
Find the podcast on your app of choice hereGuest InformationDr. Kirk Parsley Doc Parsley is a former SEAL, and received his Medical Degree from Bethesda, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) in 2004. He served as an Undersea Medical Officer at Naval Special Warfare Group One from 2009 – 2013. While there, he led the development and supervised the group’s first Sports Medicine Rehabilitation center. Doc Parsley has been a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine since 2006 and has served as Naval Special Warfare’s expert on Sleep Medicine. After leaving the Navy he went into concierge …
How Sleep & Nutrition Interact
The relationship between nutrition and sleep is a two-way interaction: 1) the impact of sleep on diet, and 2) the impact of diet on sleep. This statement lays out the evidence on each.
#244: Ian Dunican, PhD – Sleep & Impact of Weight Cutting
Guest BioIan Dunican, PhD Ian is currently the Director and Principal Consultant of Melius Consulting and has a PhD from the University of Western Australia (UWA), where he worked with elite sporting organisations/athletes to optimise sleep, recovery and performance. He is also the Director of Sleep4Performance and an Adjunct Researcher at Monash University, Australia. Ian has worked with elite and highly trained athletes at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), West Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS), professional teams in Super Rugby, Australian Rules Football, Basketball, Swimming, Ultrarunners and Martial Arts such as Boxing, & MMA. He is an ultrarunner, completing over …
#241: Elise Facer-Childs, PhD – Circadian Phenotypes, Brain Function & Athletic Performance
Guest BioElise Facer-Childs, PhD Elise Facer-Childs is currently a Research Fellow at the Centre for Human Brain Health at the University of Birmingham. She has done research on sleep, circadian rhythms and neuroimaging. She works with human participants to uncover the impact that our body clocks can have on brain structure and function, genetics, physiology and performance. Elise has presented her research at an International Conference for the European Biological Rhythms Society (EBRS)/World Chronobiology Congress (WCC) and has given presentations at the UK’s largest circadian conferences (UK Clock Club). In This Episode We Discuss Understanding circadian phenotypes Neuroimaging (fMRI) to …
SNR 213: Greg Potter – Chronobiology & Chrononutrition (Research Breakdown)
Chronobiology researcher Greg Potter is on the podcast to breakdown two recent research studies in the area of chronobiology and chrononutrition. Guest Bio Greg Potter, PhD Greg is currently just finishing up his PhD at the University of Leeds in the UK. His research focus on chronobiology; looking at circadian rhythms, light-dark cycles and the potential for meals to entrain peripheral circadian clocks. Two Research Papers Examined in this Episode: Paper One: Stothard et al., 2017 – Circadian Entrainment to the Natural Light-Dark Cycle across Seasons and the Weekend Paper Two: McHill et al., 2017 – Later circadian timing of food intake is associated …
SNR #209: Amy Bender, PhD – Sleep Better: Practical Evidence-Based Recommendations
Sleep researcher Dr. Amy Bender discusses the most current evidence-based recommendations for optimizing your sleep for health and athletic performance. Guest Bio Amy Bender, PhD Dr. Bender is the Clinical Program Director of Athlete Services at the Centre for Sleep & Human Performance and is also an adjunct professor of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. She received her PhD and Master of Science degrees in Experimental Psychology from Washington State University in Spokane, WA specializing in sleep EEG. Her current research focuses on the relationship of sleep and recovery on athletic performance in Canadian National Team athletes. Her research …
SNR #73: Borge Fagerli – Circadian Rhythms & Nutrient Timing
Episode 73: Borge Fagerli discusses how meal and nutrient timing can be an important factor in health when considering the effect on circadian rhythms. Get the podcast on iTunes (iOS) Get the podcast on Stitcher (Android app) Get podcast RSS feed Click Here to Get Podcast Transcripts Guest Bio Borge Fagerli Borge is a Norwegian strength coach who looks deep at lifestyle factors and underlying health. He advocates a nutritional approach he terms the BioRhythm Diet, which looks at the connection between diet and circadian rhythms. In this episode we discuss: Circadian rhythms The role of diet in affecting circadian rhythms …
Kirk Parsley, MD – Sleep, Performance & Testosterone
Dr. Kirk Parsley Dr. Kirk Parsley served as the Undersea Medical Officer at Naval Special Warfare Group One (NSWG-1) from June 2009-Jan 2013. While there he developed and supervised the group’s first sports medicine rehabilitation center. He is a former SEAL (BUD/s class 164), and a graduate of the military’s medical school in Bethesda, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) in 2004. His internship was in Obstetrics and Gynecology, at Balboa Naval Hospital in 2005. He then completed a Navy residency in Hyperbarics and Diving Medicine in 2006. Doctor Parsley served as Naval Special Warfare’s expert on Sleep Medicine, …