Sleep and Aging: Practical Strategies for Better Rest
Sleep is the most underutilized longevity intervention. While professionals optimize nutrition, exercise, and supplements, most neglect the 7-8 hours that determine cognitive performance, metabolic health, and biological aging. Centenarians share one trait across all Blue Zones: consistent, quality sleep. This course bridges the gap between sleep science and practical application—using wearable technology to translate research into personalized action.
Instructor:
Dr. Martin Kawalski MD, PhD, is a Sleep Medicine researcher at Stanford University investigating how consumer wearables can quantify the impact of disrupted sleep on aging processes. He is particularly interested in leveraging AI-driven solutions to enhance patient education and engagement in digital health platforms. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Kawalski founded and led innovations in sports and lifestyle electronics, including co-founding SKEO—an alpine sports safety wearable developed with Olympian Bode Miller. His extensive international experience equips him with a global perspective and an ability to collaborate seamlessly across diverse cultures and disciplines.
Agenda
April 21
Module 1: Sleep Architecture & How It Changes with Age
The neuroscience of sleep stages—N1, N2, deep sleep (N3), and REM. How sleep architecture shifts with age: what's normal, what's concerning, and why deep sleep preservation matters for cognitive longevity.
Workshop: Students analyze baseline wearable data, calculate personal sleep metrics (efficiency, stage percentages, timing consistency), and compare against age-normed benchmarks. Key Insight: Total sleep decreases ~10 min/decade, but individual variation is enormous. Know your baseline.
April 28
Module 2: Wearable Technology — What the Science Actually Says
How consumer sleep trackers work (accelerometers, PPG, temperature sensors) and what 2024 validation studies reveal about accuracy. Which metrics to trust, which to ignore.
Workshop: Device comparison lab. Students explore app features, configure settings, analyze multinight patterns, and distinguish signal from noise in their data. Key Insight: Sleep/wake detection is ~95% accurate. Sleep staging is 50-85%—useful for trends, not absolutes.
May 5
Module 3: Longevity & Centenarian Sleep Patterns
What exceptional agers teach us about sleep. Blue Zones research, the science of napping (timing matters), and why sleep regularity may trump duration for healthspan.
Workshop: Chronotype assessment, social jet lag calculation, and regularity analysis. Students compare patterns to centenarian benchmarks. Key Insight: Centenarians maintain <15-min bedtime variation. Each hour of social jet lag increases CV risk by 11%.
May 12
Module 4: Evidence-Based Sleep Interventions
Environment optimization (temperature, light, noise—with specific targets). Nonpharmacological interventions ranked by evidence: CBT-I, exercise, light therapy. Circadian strategies for age-related phase advance.
Workshop: Sleep environment audit, pre-sleep routine design, partner/household problem-solving. Students select 2-3 interventions to implement. Key Insight: Bedroom at 60-67°F and complete darkness aren't preferences—they're physiological requirements.
May 19
Module 5: Sleep Disorders & Long-Term Optimization
Sleep-disordered breathing (90% of men 60-85 meet OSA criteria), treatment options beyond CPAP, red flags requiring professional evaluation.
Workshop: Progress review comparing baseline to current data. Students create a 90-day maintenance plan with measurable goals and accountability structures.