Pushing the body to run on minimal rest or engaging in disruptive pre-sleep rituals actively accelerates the aging process and compromises overall health, according to Dr. Eric Berg DC. In a recent video from his channel, Dr. Eric Berg DC identifies seven common, yet dangerous, nighttime bad habits that are easily avoided but critically damage sleep quality, hormone restoration, and the body’s essential repair cycles. The consumption of junk food carbs or sugar right before bed is ranked by Dr. Eric Berg DC as a highly detrimental habit. This includes items like bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, biscuits, and sugar. The resulting rise in blood sugar blunts the natural nighttime spikes of growth hormone. Growth hormone is the main hormone responsible for fat burning, repairing tissues (especially protein), and helping to gain muscle mass. If glucose shuts down this process, it nullifies the benefits of a workout performed earlier in the day and prevents repair. Furthermore, eating sugar creates a blood sugar roller coaster that can "ruin your sleep," often causing individuals to wake up around 2:00 or 3:00 AM. This poor sleep affects blood sugar the next day, often leading to grogginess, irritation, and intense cravings for sweets and snacks, making it "very difficult" to stick to a healthy program.
Another ubiquitous habit is the use of screens or lights, especially blue light, two hours before bed. Light suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone that "puts pressure in your body to go to sleep". Dr. Eric Berg DC notes that it takes only eight lux—a "tiny bit of light"—to suppress melatonin, while a smartphone emits about 30 lux. Suppressing melatonin inhibits the ability to achieve deep delta wave sleep and REM sleep. Melatonin is not just for sleep; it is a "very powerful antioxidant," even more crucial than glutathione for detoxification and helping to repair DNA. Suppressing it means the body misses out on vital hormone and DNA repair. The best approach, Dr. Eric Berg DC suggests, is to dim the lights about an hour before sleep, wear blue blockers, and avoid computer screens and bright lights, keeping things as dim as possible.
Using alcohol to fall asleep is another major pitfall. While alcohol may trick a person into sleeping, the body is not focused on repair, rejuvenation, or detoxification. Instead, the body must prioritize detoxifying the alcohol. This means the person does not get the essential cleaning and repair that should occur during sleep, thus "not getting the benefits of sleep". Alcohol also raises cortisol and adrenaline, introducing stress signals, and severely depletes Vitamin B1. A B1 deficiency the next day can manifest as anxiety, nervous tension, and an inability to relax.
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A late-night snack of junk food, particularly fried items and those containing seed oils, is highly disruptive. Seed oils are inflammatory. Eating fried foods or seed oils, such as potato chips fried in grease, before bed puts stress on the gallbladder, leads to bloating, and sends signals to the brain that it is time to wake up, resulting in unrestful sleep. These "oxidative seed oils" also neutralize melatonin, lowering its effectiveness in detoxifying and repairing the brain and body. Additionally, a craving for salt before bed (often satisfied by chips or salty popcorn) can indicate low sodium levels, which alone can "raise cortisol" and put the liver in overdrive, hindering its ability to detoxify the rest of the body.
Taking sedating antihistamines or sleeping pills before bed is also a concern. Dr. Eric Berg DC advises checking with a doctor but notes that these drugs often induce a "fake sleep" that is not genuinely refreshing. People typically wake up feeling "groggy and very tired," and research shows side effects include less focus, concentration, and memory the next day. Compounding the problem is the need for an increasing dosage over time to achieve the same effect.
Another major habit to avoid is sleeping next to your cell phone, particularly underneath a pillow or very close to the head. Both the charging cable and the phone emit electromagnetic fields ("bad energy") that can affect the brain and interfere with sleep cycles. These electromagnetic fields have a "huge effect on blunting melatonin," inhibiting the ability to feel tired, sleep deeply, and achieve restorative sleep. Dr. Eric Berg DC strongly recommends putting the phone on airplane mode or keeping it away from the body, especially when it is recharging.
Finally, sleep deprivation itself is a serious health hazard. Pushing oneself to get by on five, six, or even six and a half hours is not sufficient; the ideal range is seven and a half to eight hours. Going to bed closer to midnight can disrupt the entire circadian rhythm. Dr. Eric Berg DC stresses that less than six hours of sleep creates a staggering 70% drop in killer T cells, which increases the risk for cancer and viral infections. The inability to purify toxins due to sleep deprivation also spikes the risk for conditions like diabetes and dementia. A study showed that just six days of getting only four to five hours of sleep can induce insulin resistance in healthy individuals or turn someone with existing insulin resistance into a pre-diabetic. Dr. Eric Berg DC emphasizes that not sleeping turns off the body’s survival genes.
