Rise and shine, sleepy!
You’ve awoken, groggy and bewildered, to yet another beautiful morning bursting with
possibilities and potential.
Aren’t you lucky?
Time to shake off your slumber, wipe the sleep out your eyes, and prepare yourself for the
brand new day ahead.
Though, while we’ve got you, have you ever stopped to wonder if your morning routine
is helping or hurting you?
Because, according to science, there’s a whole range of things that you might be doing
wrong.
And hey; who doesn’t want a scientifically optimised morning?
I know I do.
I’m Stu, this is Debunked, and we’re here to sort the truths from the myths, and
the facts from the misconceptions.
Don’t use the Snooze Button
So there you are, nestled up all cosy in your bed as the night is slowly conquered by the
arrival of another brand new day.
If you happen to be the type of person who doesn’t have the luxury of daily lie-ins,
you may rely on some kind of alarm to wake you up at the right time each morning.
You also might be the kind of person who dreads the incessant screeching of your morning alarm
with the fiery passion of a thousand suns, prompting you to hit the ‘snooze’ button
for a few more precious minutes of peace and quiet.
Sorry to the bearer of bad news, but sadly you might want to stop doing that for your
own good,
...as it turns out that the snooze button is only making you sleepier and groggier.
Sleep experts have found that hitting the snooze button and lying in bed for even just
an extra ten minutes after initially waking up convinces your body that it is entering
another sleep cycle, prompting it to release hormones that induce deep sleep; yeah, the
good stuff.
This means that when you actually do get out of bed, your body will be swimming with a
cocktail of sleepy chemicals that keep you tired for much longer than you would have
been had you just gotten up when your alarm went off the first time.
While post-slumber doziness usually lasts no longer than 30 minutes, hitting the snooze
button can extend this period for up to 4 hours, even if you actually got a good night’s
sleep.
Don’t Check Your Phone Immediately After Waking Up
Now, maybe you’re not the kind of layabout who hits the snooze button every morning to
eek out the last few moments of blessed stupor.
Perhaps you’re sensible, and know that the best way to wake yourself up nice and quick
is by immediately grabbing your phone and diving head first into the polluted, toxic
slurry that is social media.
Just in case my subtle sarcasm went unnoticed, I am of course talking about the ever-nagging
desire to check your phone at every possible opportunity, and the first few seconds of
consciousness are no exception.
One study found that roughly 1 in 4 people check their phones less than a minute after
getting up each morning, while another slightly less brainwashed 34 percent wait 5 to 10 minutes.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with staying responsibly abreast of the latest news, nor
is the ability to stay in touch with people from all over the world a bad thing.
But the sheer amount of scrolling we do has some experts worried.
According to psychiatrist Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi, checking your phone as soon as you wake up
increases feelings of stress and anxiety, and interferes with your ability to prioritise
tasks.
In addition, former Google Design Ethicist Tristan Harris points out that immediately
looking at a notification-filled screen frames your experience of waking up in terms of everything
you’ve missed since yesterday, which can have a negative effect on your productivity
throughout the day.
Of course, the idea that people spend too much time on their phones in general is nothing
new.
For example, when the London-based Future Work Center surveyed nearly 2,000 workers
in the UK, they discovered a link between email notifications and higher levels of anxiety.
Another study carried out by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found a correlation
between high rates of smartphone usage and increased reports of depression in both men
and women.
And so, in order to start your day off right, maybe don’t instantly immerse yourself in
emails, reminders, constant bad news, and emotionally-manipulative social media.
Some experts have suggested waiting a certain period of time at least 30 minutes to an hour,
or completing other steps in your morning routine before checking your phone.
Of course, you could go a step further; Jari Roomer, author of the e-book ‘The Ultimate
Productivity Guide’, has suggested putting your phone on flight mode before you go to
bed,
...that way the mere act of waking up doesn’t feel like you’re being ambushed with your
own responsibilities.
Just a thought.
DON’T PEE STANDING UP
OR HOVERING OVER THE TOILET SEAT!
Sluggish and bewildered, you’ve finally managed to pull yourself up out of bed and
into a (somewhat) standing position.
Now, if you’re like me, the very first thing on your to-do list is to answer nature’s
call,
...and if you’re really like me, you may very well be accustomed to answering said
call while standing, as is tradition for the male of species.
Well too bad, fellas!
Even if you happen to have been born with an outie rather than an innie, it still might
be a good idea that you sit to pee no matter what the time of day.
“But why?”
I rhetorically hear you ask.
Well, although the ability to stand while peeing is indeed a great privilege that should
never be taken for granted, there is some compelling research that suggests sitting
down to urinate may actually be better for you.
According to research from the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, this is
because the seated position creates a “more favourable urodynamic profile”, which is
fancy science-talk meaning that the muscles around the urinary system are more relaxed,
encumbering the flow of urine less than when these muscles are engaged while standing.
This allows for a stronger and faster stream, and a more complete voiding of the bladder.
Well, for some men, anyway.
While many of the articles you can find online referencing this research appear to suggest
the seated position is beneficial for men in general, in reality, this isn’t really
the case.
The researchers from the Leiden University Medical Centre found that an ‘improved urodynamic
profile’ from urinating while seated was only seen in men with Lower Urinary Tract
Symptoms - or ‘LUTS’ - which are a range of clinical symptoms mostly associated with
older men with enlarged prostates.
The study found that neither the standing nor the seated position made any difference
to the quality of urination in younger, healthy men, with the researchers specifically stating
in their conclusions that
“AS NO EFFECT OF CHANGING VOIDING POSITION IN HEALTHY MALES WAS FOUND, OUR STUDY DOES
NOT TRANSLATE INTO A MEDICALLY PREFERABLE POSITION FOR HEALTHY MALES TO URINATE IN”.
Indeed, there does appear to be more than a little misinformation about the supposed
health benefits men can reap by sitting down when they’re making warm lemonade.
I
In 2012, a substitute member of the Sörmland [SURM-land] County Council in central Sweden
named Viggo Hansen proposed a motion that would have required men on the council to
sit while urinating when using the office facilities.
He justified his brazen attack on the right to stand with claims that, apart from being
more hygienic, sitting while urinating reduces the risk of prostate cancer and “helps men
achieve a longer, healthier sex life”.
Both great reasons to sit while you whiz, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Well, they would be if there happened to be any evidence whatsoever to support them.
Spoiler alert... there isn’t.
So, as long as you’re reasonably healthy and not noticing any problems when you go
number one, standing up isn’t going to do you any harm.
Still, that doesn’t mean there are no good reasons to take a seat while you’re emptying
the tank; for one thing, it is far more hygienic.
In 2013, a pair of US physicists studying the cold-hard physics of urination tested
a range of options for reducing the nemesis of all standing urinators - ‘splashback’.
While a number of techniques were found to reduce the level of undesirable toilet ejecta,
the research ultimately concluded that...
“SITTING DOWN IS THE BEST SURE-FIRE WAY TO AVOID UNWANTED SPLASHING IN A TRADITIONAL
TOILET”.
Given that puddles around toilets are breeding grounds for bacteria, you might want to consider
a seated position anyway.
Apparently, substitute member of the Sörmland [SURM-land] County Council in central Sweden
Viggo Hansen was right about that one.
And while you might have thought this point on the list was just for men, there’s also
good reason for the ladies to sit and relax rather than hover over the toilet seat...
S...a position often adopted to avoid contact with the germ infested toilet seat.
Like standing, hovering also prevents the pelvic floor muscles from relaxing, which
makes it harder for women in this position to completely empty their bladders.
S“WE HAVE SHOWN SCIENTIFICALLY THAT IF YOU HOVER ON TOP OF THE TOILET, YOU ONLY EMPTY
ONE THIRD OF YOUR BLADDER.
SO YOU HOLD BACK A LOT OF URINE.
THAT IS NOT VERY GOOD FOR YOUR BLADDER BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE STAGNANT URINE IN THERE OBVIOUSLY
IT’S GOING TO PROMOTE DYSFUNCTIONAL EMPTYING OF YOUR BLADDER, AND IT’S GOING TO PROMOTE
YOU GETTING INFECTIONS.”
Thus, we can surmise that sitting to urinate is universally beneficial.
So park your bums, folks - you’ll thank us later.
DON’T SHOWER EVERY DAY
Alright, so now you’re up, you’ve peed in a healthy and hygienic position, and you’re
ready to get started with that whole daily routine thing we keep banging on about.
For many of us, if not the majority, that means hopping into the shower and lathering
ourselves up with soap to get ourselves nice and clean for the day ahead.
If that sounds like the kind of crazy shenanigans you might typically get up to, guess what?
You’re doing showers wrong too, you big wally.
As it happens, the idea that one must shower daily is a relatively novel one, emerging
only in the last few decades of the 20th century with the rise of built-in showers and baths,
and exists largely due to social pressure rather than any actual medical need or recommendation.
In fact, there is a growing consensus amongst experts that showering daily is actually bad
for you in a number of ways.
Turns out, regularly immersing yourself in a cascade of steaming hot water and aggressively
scrubbing all over with harsh soaps can play havoc with your birthday suit.
I know; I’m as surprised as you are.
Excessive showering strips away at the acid mantle, a thin layer of fatty acids and natural
body oils covering your skin that protects the body from bacteria, viruses and other
contaminants.
This can cause your epidermis to become dry and irritated, which can in turn lead to even
further skin complaints.
Showering too frequently can also remove the beneficial bacteria and microorganisms living
on your skin that contribute to your microbiome and play a crucial role in your immune system.
This is especially true if you’re overusing harsh antimicrobial soaps and cleansers like
the germaphobic maniac you are.
For these reasons, many dermatologists suggest showering only every other day, while some
go even further and state that showering as little as two or three times a week is plenty
to stay sanitary.
Ultimately, there is actually no evidence that daily showers make you any cleaner.
You also shouldn’t be spending ages in the shower either, as extended showering only
exacerbates the skin-seering effects of overdoing it.
Showering for just 3 minutes is all you need to cleanse your body of built-up dirt and
grime.
Frankly, you shouldn’t even really be using soap except on your armpits and groin areas.
This is because it is only the glands in these parts of your body that produce body odour;
cleaning your underarms and unmentionables with a gentle soap and rinsing the rest of
your body with water is more than sufficient for a hygienic and fresh-smelling bod.
So yeah.
Stop showering so much.
You’re probably showering right now, aren’t you?
Pfft.
Typical.
DON'T BRUSH YOUR TEETH AFTER BREAKFAST
Moving briskly onwards through your morning, it’s finally time to calm your rumbling
tummy and get yourself something to eat.
Though some medical professionals are beginning to contest breakfast’s overly-positive reputation
as…
“THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY”,
there’s definitely nothing wrong with a nutritious, well-balanced morning meal.
However, you should be cautious about when exactly you’re planning on eating, especially
with regards to keeping your teeth nice and healthy.
According to science, brushing your teeth too soon after you’ve eaten may actually
be doing you more harm than good.
This is because many breakfast foods and drinks, such as toast, juice, and coffee, although
we’ll get on to this witches brew shortly, are highly acidic, and when you eat them your
tooth enamel is temporarily softened as a result.
Brushing your teeth while they’re in this vulnerable state can actually damage the enamel,
which I’m sure you can understand is no bueno para tus dientes [noh BWAY-noh PAH-ruh
toos dee-EN-tays].
Because of this, most dentists and dental organisations advise you to wait a while before
brushing your teeth after you’ve eaten, especially if you’re consuming food and
drinks that are particularly acidic.
Many medical groups, such as the Mayo Clinic, say you should hold off on brushing your teeth
for at least 30 minutes, while the nervous-nellies at The American Dental Association go even
further and recommend you wait a full hour.
Madness.
Of course, you could always brush your teeth before breakfast, such as when you first wake
up.
Indeed, when you brush first thing in the morning, you also jump-start saliva production,
which helps to break your food down and naturally kills harmful bacteria in your mouth.
You’ll just have to let the lingering taste of toothpaste subside before you eat anything
though.
There’s no medical reason for that, though.
It’s just gross.
DON'T DRINK COFFEE BEFORE 9AM
Okay, you’re almost ready to step outside and face the upcoming day with gusto.
The final crucial step in your morning routine is making sure you grab yourself a cup of
everyone’s favorite legal stimulant… coffee.
Now, I know what you’re thinking - at this point, you’re scared I’m going to tell
you coffee is actually somehow extremely dangerous or evil or problematic and blah blah blah…
don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with drinking coffee.
Well, as long as you’re drinking it at the correct times, that is.
Here’s the issue - everyone has inside of them a hormone we met earlier, ‘cortisol’,
which is widely known as a potent ‘stress hormone’ owing to its significance as part
of the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response.
However, cortisol also plays vital roles in a variety of other important bodily processes,
such as reducing inflammation, regulating blood pressure, and, as we touched on before,
your sleep-wake cycle.
Studies show that cortisol levels spike between the hours of 8 and 9am as part of the body’s
natural mechanism for waking up.
Rather than adding to your level of alertness, scientists have discovered that consuming
coffee - or any other caffeinated food or drink - during peak cortisol production actually
weakens caffeine’s stimulatory effects.
Not only that, it also causes you to build up a greater long-term tolerance to caffeine.
It gets worse.
According to all these buzz-kill scientists, cortisol also spikes between noon and 1pm,
and between 5:30 and 6:30pm, so you should probably avoid caffeine during these periods
too.
Tragically, you can’t even circumvent this predicament by waking up super early or super
late, as it has also been discovered that cortisol production increases after you wake
up by up to 50%, regardless of the time.
Not only that, scientists have managed to show that travelling across time zones does
affect the timing of these cortisol spikes, which makes scheduling your morning coffee
even more of a nightmare.
As a result, it’s generally recommended that you wait at least an hour before imbibing
any caffeinated foods or beverages to ensure that they’re waking you up rather than dragging
you down.
Congratulations!
Now you’re ready to tackle your mornings head on!
If any of this information has left you feeling upset, victimised, depressed, or annoyed,
or otherwise spoilt the delicate balance of your preferred morning routine… don’t
shoot the messenger.
Blame it on science.
But in the meantime…
Would you like to learn about how the quality of sleep can outweigh the quality of diet
when it comes to your weight?
Then we’d highly recommend checking out the sleep and guts episode of the ‘Why Are
We Fat?’ series streaming on Magellan TV.
An insightful documentary series investigating the surprising causes and repercussions of
an overweight population!
Watch this and tons of other mind expanding documentaries for free by clicking on the
link in the description or visiting https://try.magellantv.com/debunked Support from Magellan TV helps us keep making
more of the content you love, so please head on over and grab yourself a free pass to some
top quality entertainment!