Our sleep patterns tend to move up and down with our life cycle for better and worse, but good sleep is a foundation of good health. Like many, I experienced years of sleep deprivation balancing young kids, post-graduate studies, career, rental property management and home renovations all at once. Later, there came a couple of years of chronic insomnia when we were getting our firm off the ground and my mom was devolving into early onset dementia. It was then that I realized how critical sleep is to our health and ability to manage the demands of being alive. Daily meditation and writing were key tools that got me back to balance again. But today I never take sleep for granted, and prioritize it along with diet and exercise as part of a daily health regime. I wrote about one of my favorite sleep aids here last year. The discussion in this recent Eat for the Planet podcast episode is also worthwhile, here is a direct audio link.
John Shegerian is the co-founder and CEO of SOM Sleep, a company that makes an all natural, vegan, non-GMO, allergen free, non-habit forming beverage that is formulated to help individuals achieve better sleep.
In this conversation, John and I discuss what led him to found Som Sleep as well as:
* How he went from making his own sleep formula at home to teaming up with food scientists and later packers and distributors to help make this company a reality.
* Statistics related to microsleep events and the average American, that will frankly, shock you.
* The current competition in the sleep space and how he plans to grow and expand in the future.
* The plant-based food space and how overall wellness products fit in.
We spend a lot of time talking about how we can build a healthier, more sustainable food system on this podcast, but realistically, we can’t even get to that point if we don’t stop to consider our own well-being. What I like best about this interview is that it shows you don’t have to run yourself completely into the ground to be successful in the business world. In fact, if we all just got some sleep, not only would we all be more healthy, but in the end, much much more productive.
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