The narrator, a drummer, recounts a personal story about having a false alarm of a heart attack in 2010, which turned out to be severe anxiety due to sleep deprivation. The doctor advised him to get at least seven hours of sleep per night. After researching sleep deprivation, the narrator discovered that his lifelong problem of insomnia could be solved using rhythm, specifically a technique he calls "brain tapping" or a steady, repetitive drumming pattern. By lightly tapping his legs and slowing down his breathing, he was able to fall asleep easily and improve the quality of his sleep. He then shares this technique with his audience, guiding them through a 30-second exercise to help them fall asleep faster and sleep better.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator had a hospitalization in October 2010 where he was initially thought to be having a heart attack.
2. The narrator's doctor later told him that he was actually experiencing severe anxiety, not a heart attack.
3. The doctor informed the narrator that he needed at least 7 hours of sleep per night to stay healthy.
4. The narrator had been consuming large amounts of energy drinks, coffee, and sugar, which contributed to his anxiety and sleep deprivation.
5. The narrator began researching sleep and sleep deprivation after his hospitalization.
6. According to a Harvard Business study, the impairment from 4 hours of sleep per night is similar to the impairment from drinking 5 regular beers.
7. 35% of adults in the US (86 million people) are sleep-deprived, and 87% of teenagers are chronically sleep-deprived.
8. Sleep deprivation is considered an emerging global epidemic, affecting low-income people and women the most.
9. The narrator discovered that rhythm can help with falling asleep.
10. The narrator had been leading drumming workshops since 1999 and used a drumming exercise to help people relax.
11. The narrator developed an exercise called "brain tapping" that uses the "frequency-following response" to help people fall asleep.
12. The "frequency-following response" is a phenomenon where the brain follows repeating, rhythmic patterns.
13. The brain tapping exercise involves lightly tapping on the legs at the speed of a ticking stopwatch, followed by slow breathing.
14. The exercise is 30 seconds long and can be repeated for up to 3 minutes for better results.