Ageless Athlete Newsletter. Weekly Longevity insights + behind-the-scenes. No spam ever. 🚨

Sleep is not just about feeling tired tomorrow.

In this episode, Stanford sleep researcher Dr. Martin Kawalski explains why sleep often gets harder after 50, why older adults do not simply “need less sleep,” and why getting the basics wrong for long enough may affect how well we age.

One of the biggest ideas from this conversation: sleep regularity may matter more than total hours. Martin explains why consistent sleep timing is linked to all-cause mortality, and why your body craves rhythm across sleep, meals, caffeine, training, Travel, and daily life.

We also talk about chronotypes, deep sleep, REM sleep, wearables, melatonin, alcohol, late meals, cannabis sleep gummies, naps, jet lag, and sleeping with a partner.

This is a practical conversation about building a sleep rhythm that works in real life — without turning sleep into one more thing to obsess over.

In this episode:

• Why sleep gets harder after 50
• Why older adults do not necessarily need less sleep
• The sleep habit linked to all-cause mortality
• Why regularity may matter more than chasing 8 hours
• What wearables can and cannot tell you
• Caffeine, alcohol, late meals, and 3 a.m. wakeups
• Melatonin, cannabis gummies, naps, and jet lag
• Sleeping with a partner, Intimacy, and “sleep Divorce”
• How to improve sleep without becoming obsessive

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Topics: longevity, fitness over 40, endurance training, Aging athletes, recovery, injury prevention

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Kush Khandelwal Host, Ageless Athlete Podcast

I’m Kush Khandelwal, host of the Ageless Athlete Podcast. While I come from a background as a lifelong rock climber and outdoor athlete, my work is really about something much broader: how we can all stay active, vibrant, and engaged as we age.

On the podcast, I interview world-class athletes, explorers, and health experts—but the lessons go far beyond sports. Together we explore how to keep our bodies strong, our minds sharp, and our spirits resilient—whether that means walking pain-free, picking up a new hobby at 60, or simply finding more joy in everyday life.

With almost 90 episodes, I’ve had conversations with Olympians, scientists, and ageless adventurers who prove that life after 50 can be just as bold and rewarding as any other stage. My mission is to share practical insights and inspiring stories that help all of us, athlete or not, embrace the second half of life with curiosity, confidence, and energy.