How to Fall Asleep 15 Minutes Faster

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• How to learn new skills faster

• Don’t wait to drink until you’re thirsty

• The 5-minute trick that will help you sleep faster

• Foods are super

On Our Radar 
Can You Speed Up The Process Of Learning New Skills?

Sometimes, the secret to faster progress isn’t doing more, it’s taking a pause.

Brain imaging research found that your brain “replays” what you just learned during short periods of rest, but at 20 times actual speed. The more brain replays that occurred, the faster participants improved.

In other words, rest during learning or work isn’t wasted time; it’s when your brain locks in new skills.

Researchers asked adults to learn a new finger-tapping sequence while their brains were monitored using imaging. During just 10-second rest breaks between practice attempts, participants’ brains spontaneously replayed the skill patterns they had just practiced. The more replay activity seen in the hippocampus and motor cortex, the faster participants mastered the task.

For years, scientists believed skill consolidation mainly occurred during sleep. This study suggests your brain also performs rapid-fire “mental practice” while you’re awake, especially in short, quiet pauses after focused effort.

While this study was small and used a simple lab task, it reinforces what experienced coaches already know: blasting through reps without reflection can actually slow skill development.

Whether you’re refining a new exercise or cue — like improving your squat depth or perfecting your deadlift setup — or learning something new, complicated, or technical, you might speed the learning process by pausing for 10 to 15 seconds between high-quality attempts. Take a breath, visualize the movement, and then repeat it. You’ll not only reduce physical fatigue but also give your brain the chance to encode what you just practiced.

Because the fastest way to get better might be stopping just long enough for your brain to catch up and process.

Together With LMNT 
Why 'Drink When Thirsty' Can Be Bad Advice

Ever feel cranky, foggy, or wiped out halfway through the day? Before you blame stress or lack of sleep, there’s another simple reason you might not expect.

Small amounts of water loss — too little for you to even notice — can drain your energy, dull your focus, and trigger headaches, even before you feel thirsty.

Researchers conducted a carefully controlled trial in which they compared the effects of hydration versus mild dehydration on mood, concentration, and physical comfort, both at rest and during exercise, over three separate sessions. 

The difference was clear: even losing just one liter of fluid significantly increased fatigue, tension, and perceived task difficulty. At the same time, vigor and energy levels decreased, and headache reports increased by 60 percent.

Here’s the surprising part: actual performance didn’t drop; the participant’s brains just felt like everything was harder. 

That mental strain alone can derail your focus and make your day feel like a slog. The researchers found these effects happen before most people even register thirst, suggesting that waiting until you’re thirsty means you’re already behind.

Small drops in hydration subtly increase blood osmolality — the concentration of particles in your blood — which the brain interprets as stress. That triggers fatigue, irritability, and reduced cognitive comfort long before your mouth feels dry.

If you want to stay sharp, don’t wait for thirst to tell you to drink. For most people, sipping water consistently throughout the day — aiming for about half your body weight in ounces — helps maintain energy and focus. If you often feel tired or irritable in the afternoon, try drinking 12 to 16 ounces of water before reaching for coffee. 

If water is a struggle, LMNT could be the easiest way to improve your hydration. It’s our go-to sugar-free electrolyte drink mix trusted by elite athletes, trainers, and health experts. 

Whether you’re pushing your limits or need an enjoyable calorie-free drink to ensure you don’t avoid water or reach for calorie-loaded drinks, LMNT helps replace the sodium, potassium, and magnesium you lose — without the sugar and additives lurking in typical sports drinks.

As an APC reader, get a free Sample 8-Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavors with any purchase. And remember: if you don’t love LMNT, you’ll get a full refund, no questions asked. 

When you start hydrating a little more consistently, you might be surprised how much clearer and calmer you feel.

Recovery
The 5-Minute Bedtime Habit That Helps You Fall Asleep Faster

You know that feeling when your head hits the pillow, but your brain starts listing every task you forgot to do? It’s like your mind refuses to clock out. A new study shows there’s a simple way to quiet that mental noise and fall asleep faster.

Spending just 5 minutes writing tomorrow’s to-do list before bed can help you fall asleep up to 15 minutes faster.

Researchers randomly assigned healthy young adults to one of two bedtime writing tasks: jot down everything they needed to do in the coming days, or list what they had already accomplished. Using sleep lab monitoring, they found that those who wrote to-do lists fell asleep 9 minutes faster on average. And the more detailed their lists, the quicker they drifted off, by up to 15 minutes.

The scientists believe this works through a process called cognitive offloading — getting unfinished tasks out of your head and onto paper tells your brain it no longer needs to continually rehearse or worry about them. In contrast, writing about completed activities may stimulate reflection and mental arousal, making it harder to unwind.

If your mind races at bedtime, try this: about 10 minutes before sleep, grab a pen and paper (no phones), set a 5-minute timer, and write a specific list of what you’ll do tomorrow. Instead of vague goals like “finish work stuff,” write “send email to boss, finish slide deck, order groceries.” Then close the notebook and rest easy knowing your plans are captured.

Make sure you don't write about past accomplishments or ruminate on problems. Instead, focus only on concrete future actions. And then keep the list visible to reduce anxiety about forgetting tasks in the morning. 

Foods Are Super
Tea: The Soothing Medicine for Your Gut

For millions who experience bloating, cramps, or irregular digestion, research offers a surprisingly simple solution — and it may already be in your kitchen cabinet.

Drinking tea appears to have a dramatic positive impact on digestive health and may help prevent gastrointestinal diseases. 

Scientists followed more than 430,000 adults for 11 years to see whether coffee or tea habits affected digestive health. Tea drinkers experienced consistent protection. Compared to non-drinkers, those enjoying 1 to 3 cups of tea daily had up to a 16 percent lower risk of developing IBS. Even 1 cup a day offered ameasurable benefit.

Researchers believe the difference comes down to polyphenols, the powerful plant compounds abundant in tea. These antioxidants can reduce inflammation, feed beneficial gut bacteria, and help regulate digestion without the overstimulation that caffeine-heavy coffee may cause. In other words, tea seems to calm your gut instead of agitating it.

The study also showed that tea’s benefits remained consistent across age, sex, and lifestyle factors—suggesting that its gut-friendly effects are broadly applicable. And while the research didn’t specify tea types, both green and black teas are rich in these protective compounds.

If you struggle with digestive issues or want to support your gut health, aim for up to 4 cups of tea per day. You can just experiment with different varieties, and note how your digestion feels over a few weeks. They aren’t a partner, so no discount to share, but our favorite teas are from Firebelly. Your gut — and your nerves — might thank you for a little more tea time in your life. 

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell