Hi there and welcome back to the podcast and welcome to a rather interesting episode, all about

dream sleep and its benefits, but more specifically the benefits that you've probably never heard

about. I think many of us think of, let's say, deep non-REM sleep

as the stage that is dedicated to body restoration and repair. Whilst REM sleep or dream sleep,

with its incredibly activated brain state, is often seen as only beneficial for the mind. In today's

episode, I'm going to challenge that notion and I'm going to reveal a rather stunning truth.

REM sleep is absolutely and richly necessary for nearly all functions of your body.

And we'll reveal that REM sleep, dream sleep, far from being just a brain-centric phenomenon,

it plays a vital role and a multifaceted role in maintaining and enhancing your physical health. What are these varied functions you

may be asking? Well, let's find out because I'm going to try to describe what may be the nine

functions of dream sleep that you never knew about. First up is testosterone. Testosterone is a hormone that I'm sure many of you

have heard about it. It's essential for muscle mass, for bone density, for libido, and it's important

both for males and for females. Of course, females release testosterone in levels that are of a log order magnitude lower,

but it's still necessary for female health. And it turns out that our peak levels of testosterone

are released not during the day, not during the evening, but during sleep, and especially during REM sleep.

And this testosterone production, it follows essentially a circadian rhythm.

And sleep is critical for its regulation.

And don't forget, testosterone in both men and in women supports muscle health, as I said, it's critical

for both the sex drive of men and women, and inadequate REM sleep results in an impaired

release of testosterone, which as a consequence reduces muscle mass gains. In other words, you get muscle loss.

It also reduces libido and can produce weaker bones. And in fact, there was a great study

that was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. And what they demonstrated

...