It’s not often I read a book that ends up having a tangible, practical benefit on my life, but “Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection” by A.J. Jacobs may be helping me sleep.
The book is about the roughly two years he spent focusing on his health, one part of the body at a time, taking in advice and research from different viewpoints in search of prolonging and improving his life.
I read two of his previous books — The Year of Living Biblically and The Know-It All — both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.
In a chapter on sleep, Jacobs writes that on the advice of a sleep specialist, he attacked insomnia by counting backward by threes. He described the strategy as “just challenging enough that it keeps my interest, and boring enough that it puts me to sleep.” Since reading this section about a week ago, I’ve been trying this method, and even with limited data, I think it works.
Jacobs describes his methodology in each section, detailing which experts he talks to and which schools of thought have been debunked by science. He tries to follow the conclusions of widely accepted studies, but as he points out, every day we hear about a new one that can take precedence in our minds: “Our brains are unduly drawn to whatever yesterday’s study revealed — look at that! bacon IS healthy — especially if the conclusion is surprising and counter-intuitive and delicious.”
You’re much more likely to believe in studies about red wine lowering the risk of heart disease if you already drink two glasses a night.
Of course for me, the crowning jewel of medical research would be a study saying the Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet is the greatest thing ever. While my results show it is amazing, Jacobs notes this is not one he sampled during his month focused on nutrition.
But even some of the things he mentions give me hope that while not perfect, I have some healthy habits. He notes the benefits of video games on eyesight, and that tapping your leg (which I do all the time) “can help cardiovascular fitness.”
In a chapter on breathing, he cites the Harvard Medical School Guide to Stress Management, which says having a “washboard stomach” encourages people to constrict their stomach muscles, adding tension and anxiety that makes them breath improperly.
I knew there was a reason I avoided all those ab workouts.
While he tries out a lot of seemingly extreme steps — like wearing noise-canceling headphones for many hours of the day and walking on a treadmill while he works (which I would try) — his general conclusion is that while we can all do a lot of things better, moderation is a great thing.
A very interesting read if you want to be a little more aware of your body, even if you’re not looking for a major life overhaul.
