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I have never taken any exercise
except sleeping and resting.
Mark Twain
10 Tips for Restful Sleep
By Steve Edwards
Sleep
We talk a lot about the importance of recovery from exercise and how
vital it is for our body transformation goals. Today we'll address the
most important of these recovery modalities, sleep. Dreamland is where
we make the most dramatic changes in our body's physiology. Those
changes are directly related to what we do when we're awake but, if we
don't take the precautions to ensure we get a good night's rest, our
hard work can get sidetracked. So let's take a brief look at what
happens to us when we sleep and how our daily lifestyle can improve this
fitness process.
Approximately 70 million people in the U.S. suffer from sleep-related
problems, according to the National Academy of Sleep. They also conclude
that we lose around $100 billion annually in lost productivity and
damages as a result of this. Lack of sleep affects concentration,
memory, stress levels, alertness, and physical ability. It also affects
our fitness results.
While we're at rest
When we're awake, our body is constantly wearing down. During sleep, our
body varies its behavior to rebuild itself even more efficiently. Among
other things, we make more proteins and release hormones at different
rates. So while we tend to think of sleep as a passive process, it's
actually very active.
BrainIt all begins with our brain. Instead of shutting down for the
night, our brain signals our body about what to do during the various
stages of sleep. In short, neurotransmitters (one you've probably heard
of is serotonin) signal the body that it's time to switch modes. Once
this occurs, our body begins a five-stage rebuilding process that we
call sleep.
* Stage 1 is light sleep. You've probably experienced this during boring
classes in school. Your body is barely asleep, your eyes move slightly,
and you're easily awakened, usually with a startled "jump." During this
stage, you'll often have dream-like visuals.
* Stage 2 is when the eye movements stop and your brain waves begin to
slow down.
* Brain WavesStage 3 begins deep sleep, as very slow brain waves, called
delta waves, take over the more rapid brain waves, called sleep spindles.
* Stage 4 is a deep state where all muscle movements stop. It's hard to
be woken during this state, and when you are, you're often in a groggy,
disoriented condition.
* Stage 5 is called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. In this stage, your
breathing becomes shallow, your heart rate and blood pressure increase,
your eyes jerk rapidly in all directions, and you have your wildest dreams.
We sleep in cycles wherein all five stages are completed in around
one-and-a-half to two hours. As the cycles increase, we spend less time
in deep sleep and more in stages 1, 2, and REM.
We tend to be more interested in studying our dreams and how they affect
our psyche than in what else goes on during sleep. But all five stages
of sleep are vital for maximum recovery. Furthermore, since each stage
duration tends to vary during the night, subsequent cycles are also
important. In each stage, some functions get shut down in order to
funnel more resources to others. Since we can't do this while awake,
sleep is the most efficient state of recovery.
While we're awake
CoffeeThe main things that affect our sleep are food, exercise,
medications, chemicals, and temperature. The neurotransmitters that tell
us to sleep are all influenced by these factors and can be misled. Some
of the more obvious examples of things that affect our sleep are
caffeine, which we often consume when we want to stay awake, and
medications, which usually provide warnings on their labels. But what's
also important to consider here is how some of these things affect our
sleep cycles. Certainly "sleep aids," such as alcohol, make it easier to
fall asleep but harder to get into deep sleep. Let's take a look at 10
ways we can improve our lifestyle to promote more thorough and restful
sleep.
1. Chalene's Turbo Jam®Exercise regularly. Like we weren't going to say
this! But, really, nothing promotes sleepiness like bodily damage, and
exercise is an efficient way of breaking down your system in such a way
that it can easily repair itself and grow stronger. If you're looking
for an intense workout—one that may just promote sleepiness—try P90X® or
Turbo Jam® Maximum Results. Regular exercise puts your body into a habit
of wanting to recover at night. If you exercise enough, your body will
protest and fall asleep on the spot.
The only downside to exercise can be if it's done before bed. This is a
response that varies with each individual. Some people can fall asleep
immediately after a workout (a great recovery aid is a midday nap), but
many are affected by the endorphin rush and can't get to sleep right
away. It's something you should experiment with before slotting your
workout into the evening hours.
2. Diet MealEat better. Like we weren't going to say this too. But your
overall diet also plays an important role in your sleep patterns. Many
"bad" foods, as well as gorging yourself, will make you tired, but don't
be swayed by this illusion. Swooning energy levels due to bad food may
help you fall asleep but, a lot like alcohol, it will affect your sleep
cycle and you won't sleep as well or as long as you should. A diet
consisting of mainly whole foods will keep your energy levels constant
and help your body swing toward more natural cycles and sleep patterns.
You can follow these "5 Rules for a Healthy Diet."
3. WaterStay hydrated. The downside of drinking too much water may be
waking up in the night to go to the bathroom, but this is offset by the
upside, which is heat regulation as your body goes through its various
sleep stages. A dehydrated body can't sleep or recover well, and
dehydration is one of the major factors involved in the hung-over state
you may find yourself in after a bout of drinking.
4. Sleep in a cool, dark place. Each person's tolerance levels vary, but
most everyone sleeps better in an environment that's both cool and dark.
Turn your bedroom into a peaceful place that's designed for sleep.
5. TeaWind down in the evening. A nighttime ritual can greatly increase
your chances for restful sleep. A light stretching session along with
some calming reading and herb tea is a common recipe for sleepy time. Do
keep in mind that watching the latest UFC match or reading provocative
literature may have the opposite effect on your brain. For an effective
Beachbody way to wind down, try Pajama Time from Yoga Booty Ballet®
Master Series.
6. Learn to not use an alarm. While this isn't always possible, if you
get your lifestyle in order, your sleep pattern shouldn't require an
alarm. Even if you wake up at a crazy hour to go to work, your body will
get used to it if you get into a schedule. The only time you should need
to use an alarm is for special occasions.
7. DrinkingDon't drink or smoke at night. I realize that this is when
most of you will drink and smoke if that's what you do. Since it may be
difficult to change, perhaps consider changing your patterns. Habitual
smokers tend to sleep only three to four hours at a time, which is also
the case when you're intoxicated. To offset this, begin to cut back as
the evening progresses and hydrate. Just taking enough time to begin the
restorative processes prior to bed can greatly lessen the effects of
drinking and smoking and help you sleep better.
8. Don't go to bed at a certain time. Go to bed when you're tired.
Forcing yourself to stay awake creates the wrong brain signals, as can
going to bed too early. There are times we all force ourselves to stay
awake or sleep early, but try not to make this your default mode. By
listening and responding to your body's signals you're creating habits
that you should live by. You'll probably end up going to bed around the
same time anyway—you'll just have less stress.
9. Sleeping PillsUse sleep medications only as a last resort. Most
sleeping medications are habit forming and have side effects. Of course,
most doctors will tell you this, but you must also consider that the
companies that make these drugs offer incentives for those who prescribe
them. Be wary of the information you get. There are times when sleep
medication can be handy, but it should always only be an option. It
should never be a lifestyle.
10. ActiVit® MultivitaminsSupplement your diet. Besides herb teas, such
as valerian root, you can use supplements to further ensure that your
body has the nutrients it needs to get a full night's rest. A
multivitamin, like Beachbody's ActiVit® Multivitamins or P90X® Peak
Health Formula, will help ensure that you have the high-quality
vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants your body needs to stay healthy.
Ensuring that your mineral balance is correct will further enable you to
sleep through the night. You can make a good sleep aid with some
calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C (which helps your body
absorb minerals). Three hundred to 500 mg of potassium and magnesium,
500 to 750 mg of calcium, and 500 to 1,000 mg of vitamin C are amounts
with which you'll want to experiment.
ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL THE MODERATORS
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