#25: Chuck Hazzard – What Most Experts Got Wrong About Sleep And How To Get The Most Out Of A Sleep Tracker

Listen to it on your favorite podcast provider: 

 If you care about sleep then you need to hear this episode! I have listened to a ton of podcast about sleep and read about the subject. But I never heard the real story about what we actually know about sleep and why this is essential to understand when hearing advice from sleep studies. If you have ever been stressed by your sleep tracking showing you that you are not getting enough deep sleep or looking into getting a sleep tracker then this is for you. 

Martin & Dasha told me several times that I had to interview Chuck Hazzard about sleep and health optimization. Thank you so much for that. This changed some of my views on sleep as Chuck might be one of the most balanced and knowledgeable people about health that I have met and at the same time extremely pleasant to talk with.

He is an ultramarathon runner and Vice President of Oura Ring which most of the experts say is the best sleep tracker on the market. 

He shares his own personal journey, what we actually know about sleep, concrete sleep tips, what is important when selecting a sleep tracker and how not to get stressed by a sleep tracker but get true value from it.  

Another important thing Chuck shares is how to navigate this complicated health space.

“Be your own scientist. You’re the best person to judge what works and doesn’t work for you. If it doesn’t cost you a lot of money, it’s worth trying. See if it helps and if it doesn’t, stop doing it before you invest big money. Do your own research. Talk to a lot of people. Don’t just trust the manufacturer.”

– Chuck Hazzard

Show notes:

01:11 – Chuck shares how he became an expert in wearable devices, sleep tracking and running long distances

04:05 – How he became a test runner

05:25 – What a sleep tracker like the Oura Ring does and how the sleep study is done

07:54 – Interesting facts about sleep from a research standpoint

12:24 – Importance of deep sleep

13:29 – Determining the best time to sleep 

14:59 – How the Oura Ring tracks temperature and changes in heart rate

17:28 – Restlessness as a component of sleep and the factors affecting it

24:50 – Insulin load and how it affects your resting heart rate at night

28:07 – Explaining what chronotype means and relating them to the four animals in the book, The Power of When by Michael Breus

32:43 – Number of hours of sleep Chuck gets and shares the gadgets that help them achieve a good sleep

35:46 – Other routines and gadgets he uses while sleeping

40:05 – The importance of eating meals in a day

43:29 – The resources Chuck goes to when he wants to learn something new

44:30 – His advice on choosing who to listen to

47:13 – Where people can follow him

47:52 – Final words from Chuck

48:38 – Wrapping up the episode with the last question from Mads to better understand REM sleep

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM CHUCK:

1. Be your own scientists.
2. Just try stuff. If it doesn’t cost you a lot of money, it’s worth trying. 
3. Do your own research, talk to a lot of people. 

PEOPLE MENTIONED:

• Ben Greenfield 
• Matthew Walker
• Jack Kruse 
• Ali Watts
• Jason Fung
• Michael Breus

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• The Power of When by Michael Breus
• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
• Listen to Joe Rogan’s podcasts
• Oura Ring
• Zeo
• Garmin
• Kickstarter
• ChiliPad
• Ooler
• EarthPulse
• Natural Calm Magnesium

CONNECT WITH CHUCK HAZZARD:

• www.chuckhazzard.com
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook