Do not underestimate the significance of sleep!
Have you ever heard the saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”? This is a really unfortunate saying as the chances are that you will die earlier if you neglect your sleep and this is just the start of the issue modern people have when talking about sleep. Generally, people don’t put enough emphasis on sleep quality or quantity and ignore the general feeling of fatigue or mask it with plenty of caffeine. This is partly due to people not understanding the necessity of sleep but it also comes down to modern lifestyles. Regardless of you chronotype people generally work something similar to a 0900-1700. This does not allow you as an individual to work to what is most comfortable for you. This fixed timescale in society does not allow all individuals to get enough, good quality sleep.
When we are awake our bodies go through a number of cycles. Created by our internal clock and external stimulus we build what is called ‘sleep pressure’. As sleep pressure increases we become more tired. This feeling and the effects of this can be masked by caffeine and creating a false environment (artificial light). The issue being is that if we work through this sleep pressure and are able to hold off on sleeping then the feeling will subside but it will come back even stronger and we must make get this sleep back. The sleep pressure continues to build, the caffeine disappears from the receptors it was otherwise blocking and the overwhelming urge to sleep strikes back. (Caffeine has a half life of around 6 hours so takes this long to get out of your system so don’t be surprised if you have a cup of coffee at 2000hrs and cannot get to sleep at 2300hrs).
When associating it with training or just your daily life, sleep is essential. When we do not get enough sleep we make more irrational decisions, our reaction times slow down, we get more irritable and our blood sugar levels do not stay level so effectively (with prolonged issues this can be detrimental to health, not just weight control!), Our recovery is also not nearly as effective when we lack sleep and if we continue through our life in a constant sleep deficit we are more likely to die younger. This list just scratches the surface on some big issues associated with lack of sleep.
Here are a few small things that you can help improve your sleep:
- Put more emphasis towards sleep and don’t sacrifice it unless absolutely necessary.
- If you do fall short of your 8hrs of sleep try to make it up in the following nights.
- Control your use of caffeine and ensure you give yourself plenty of space between caffeine consumption and your bed time.
- Limit screen time in the hours that lead up to going to bed.
- Try not to eat large meals just before going to bed as this can prevent deeper sleep.
- Consider meditation as a form of relaxation prior to sleep.
- Try to use mood lighting to imitate the effects of the going down of the sun in the evening.
Just put more emphasis on your sleep and your body will thank you!
If you want to know more about the importance of sleep then I suggest reading:
Why We Sleep – Written by Matt Walker
