About SleepFlow
Welcome to SleepFlow, your ultimate destination for unlocking the secrets to a rejuvenating night's sleep. We understand the profound impact that quality sleep has on overall well-being, and we're passionate about guiding you towards a healthier, more restful lifestyle.
At SleepFlow, we believe that sleep is not just a necessity but a powerful tool for optimizing every aspect of your life. From enhancing cognitive function to boosting immune health, the benefits of quality sleep are undeniable. That's why we're committed to providing you with the knowledge, resources, and support you need to transform your sleep habits and awaken to a brighter, more energized tomorrow.
About the Founder
(Me, on the left, after a grueling grappling match)
My name is Craig the Founder of SleepFlow and I was caught up in the hustle culture of todays society just like many of you probably are. Seeing celebrities on social media boast about how much they work, how little they sleep and how much they get done. Now, while there may be outliers to the "get 8 hours of sleep" rule it is an extremely small percentage of the population and I am definitely not one of them!
I found myself trying to emulate these individuals working as an operations manager for a chain of retail stores, lifting weights 4-5 times a week, training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 4-5 times a week, long distance running, trying to start a side hustle, maintain family and friend relationships, trying to maintain a rigorous diet to keep up with my sporting endeavors. As a result, all of these activity's started eating into my sleep. Getting up earlier to try and get in my 3 hours morning routine of running, lifting weights, ice baths, saunas.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, adding extra stress and uncertainty to my already, barely holding on, nervous system. Work became more stressful and keeping up with all my hobbies became more difficult as gyms closed down.
Everything started to crumble around me, I started to become (a very exhausted) jack of all trades, master of none. My attention was so split between all these different things that I was getting nowhere fast, spreading myself super thin and then beating myself up for not being able to keep up with it all
Then one day, about a year into the pandemic I started having slightly more frequent panic attacks. I should preface that with the fact I am a naturally anxious person and have had these sorts of things happen in the past. However, this time the anxiety was much more intense and constant. Because of my "go get em" mentality I thought it was for sure some sort of vitamin deficiency or something external I needed to do. So I ramped up the vitamin intake, did more ice baths, worked out harder, quit all alcohol, Googled everything under the sun to try and "fix" me.
Guess what, it got WORSE. I mean much worse, with every new failed "treatment" my anxiety got worse. My doctors told me it was "You're just highly strung it is just anxiety, try yoga and meditation".
"Nope", I absolutely refused to take my foot off the gas (still something I struggle with to this day) in trying to solve this. One doctor ended up putting me on anti anxiety/anti depression medication which, I admit, I took for about a month and gave it up as that it not a road I wanted to go down.
I finally admitted to myself that I need to take some time to get more rest. I rode the roller coaster of rest for a few days then going all out again, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. Riding the high's of the dopamine and serotonin train I would force upon myself through through grueling workouts and insane "recovery" protocols giving myself borderline hypothermia in my ice bath and cooking myself to the verge of passing out in the sauna. Little did I know, all of these come with a plethora of stress hormones which are good, but not in the levels I was at.
Fast forward to early 2023;
I had somewhat learnt to live with all this accepting the fact this is my reality now.
For 2023 I had a New Year's resolution to read more and a book I had always been curious about was "Why We Sleep" by Dr. Matthew Walker, after hearing him on Joe Rogan's podcast years earlier, the information in this book blew me away. We are all told how important sleep is for mental and physical health but not to this degree! Things like;
- Sleeping less than 6 hours a night increases risk of heart disease by ~300%
- Recovery sleeping doesn't work. More than 3 nights of a full 8 hours are not enough to recover from 4 days of 6 hours.
- Limiting sleep to 5 hours a night for a week decreases (men) testosterone by a staggering amount, “ages you 10-15 years”.
- Sleeping pills are terrible for you and don’t help you actually sleep. Increase chance of all causes death massively
- Humans are the only species that deprive themselves of sleep
Insane right!
(Why We Sleep, By Dr Matthew Walker)
These are just to name a few that pop into my head. This book was the final nail in the coffin for me and a wake up call that I need to really evaluate my sleep and make some serious changes.
I started using this book like a bible, trying to implement everything I could into my sleep and daily activities that effect sleep. I found other like minded scientists and absorbed as much information as I could from them and started treating my sleep like a thing I NEED to do, not something that happens to me. Gone of the teenager, days of falling asleep on a couch with your shoes still on, drinking caffeine at all hours of the night, staring at screens until you pass out from exhaustion and getting up the next day fresh as a daisy. The perception of sleep dramatically needs to change, we need to be taught how to sleep properly. We live in such an unnatural world nowadays we need to combat this with certain behaviors to ensure we are getting the sleep we need. I to this day truly believe my "go, go, go" work ethic, an insatiable appetite for doing more and more combined with my anxious tendencies destroyed me mentally and physically. I am still working through this but have found an antidote in sleep.
This is why I have started SleepFlow, to help spread sleep awareness and provide drug free sleep solutions to optimize the sleep we get and to let everyone know you can't perform without deep and adequate sleep.
The mission is simple
To empower you to achieve your best sleep ever. Whether you're struggling with insomnia, battling late-night stress, or simply seeking to enhance your sleep hygiene, SleepFlow is here to help.
At SleepFlow, we prioritize science-backed solutions that are both effective and sustainable. From sleep hygiene practices to innovative sleep technology, we're dedicated to providing you with evidence-based strategies that promote long-term sleep health.
So whether you're looking to overcome sleep challenges, optimize your sleep environment, or simply learn more about the fascinating world of sleep, SleepFlow is here to guide you every step of the way. Together, let's unlock the transformative power of sleep and awaken to a life filled with energy, vitality, and joy. Welcome to SleepFlow—where better sleep begins.