Hello and welcome to 4-Minute Friday where I share, in four minutes or less, the latest things I’m doing to enhance my health, develop a better mindset, make day-to-day life easier, and other shenanigans.
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Advisory to be Aware Of:
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, made quite a wave with the advisory he issued late last week.
And it’s ever present as we enter the new year when millions of Americans are embarking to conquer Dry January — a month entirely void of alcohol.
The role of the Surgeon General is to provide the U.S. public with the most current scientific evidence on how to improve/maintain health and decrease morbidity.
In his statement, Murthy made it clear that there’s overwhelmingly sufficient evidence to justify his call for alcoholic beverages to don a cancer risk label. As noted in the advisory, alcohol ranks third on the preventable causes of cancer – taking bronze behind tobacco and obesity.
While most are aware the carcinogenic nature of the latter two, alcohol is often disregarded. However, Murthy points out that over 100,000 new cancer cases each year in the United States can be attributed to excessive alcohol consumption — not to mention the thousands of fatal vehicle incidents caused by intoxicated drivers.
This comes alongside the recent data that Generation Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 — are drinking less than previous generations and many are engaging in sober lifestyles as their focus has shifted to their health and wellness.
This isn’t to say an occasional drink or two is a terrible thing. But when that “every once in a while” turns into a few glasses each evening as a nightcap, some changes might be needed.
And if you are doing Dry January and are wondering why you’re feeling more energetic/upbeat/positive than ever this month, maybe give some credit to the dryness.
Strategies to Improve REM Sleep:
The conversation on sleep hygiene has become ever prevalent in the past few years as the knowledge of its criticality has finally become vogue. The craze has been elevated further as nearly everyone is rocking a wearable device and many slumber with it on to obtain their “sleep score”.
While I do think there are some downsides to this trend, as I’ve discussed in the past (enter orthosomnia), it’s refreshing to see the masses start to prioritize sleep and reap the benefits of being well rested.
If you are one of those who received an Oura Ring or WHOOP from Santa have begun the deep dive into your data, you may be in the process of trying to dial in your sleep stages.
An important one being rapid eye movement (REM) sleep — dreaming, emotional processing, and memory consolidation occur during this stage. Put plainly, REM sleep is crucial to our mood, energy levels, and daily performance.
Thankfully, Dr. Andrew Huberman came to the rescue last week in a video he posted on Instagram with a REM sleep boosting toolkit.
And it was quite simple — spike your adrenaline early in the day.
There are four ways to accomplish this most easily.
Get cold.
Consume caffeine.
Exercise.
Get sunlight.
Sure, if you can do all four — great.
But, getting just 2 or 3 checked off every morning is fundamental in regulating your circadian rhythm to ensure you are sleepy when evening comes around. It doesn’t have to be a perfect routine either. If the version of “exercise” you can fit into your morning routine is a set of 15 jumping jacks, then do that.
Give it a go and then re-check those scores to see if it makes a difference!
What I’m Doubling Down On:
Speaking of sleep…
Fiction before bed.
I’ve said it before, but I’d be remiss not to double tap on it.
If you’re someone who struggles to feel sleepy in the evening, reading a few pages of a fiction novel might just be the trick you need.
Whether it be due to racing thoughts or just not feeling ready to hit the hay, struggling to fall asleep is incredibly frustrating.
Don’t let this fool you into taking some type of “sleepy time” medication that wreaks havoc on your ability to catch restful sleep.
Instead, pick up the first book of that trilogy that’s been collecting dust on your nightstand for ages and thank me later.
What else?
Keep your head down on those 2025 goals! The two-week mark is when some of the initial motivation wears off… now is the time to become even more disciplined and sustain the habit change!
Choose at least 2 every morning: Caffeine, Cold, Light, Exercise.
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DISCLAIMER
This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.
Thanks for the great tips, Zach! Enjoyed the podcast as well. Cheers (alcohol-free) to a great 2025!