At this point I’m sure you’ve heard a time or two how
important sleep is, but it might have gone through one ear and out the other. Are you guilty as charged?
Today let’s go over WHY quality sleep is so important…
Sleep Fun Facts
- Sleep can be altered when the Lunar year presents with a different moon cycle!
- 5 stages of sleep occur during a full night of rest! Each cycle is 5-15 minutes long
- You should be aiming for 7-8 hours of Zzzz’s per night
- Your body creates changes and recovers from your intense Workouts while you are sleeping
- Adequate sleep is an underestimated fat burning weapon!
Sleep Deprivation
What is sleep deprivation? Sleep deprivation (aka sleep debt) happens when an individual experiences disruption in sleep patterns by staying awake due to various reasons. Sometimes we even wear it as a badge of honor because it means we are #grinding and taking #nodaysoff… Unfortunately, sleep debt is definitely not something to celebrate, and here’s why...
Sleep Deprivation Decreases...
⬇️ Energy
⬇️ Mental clarity
⬇️ Leptin levels which are the hormones responsible for satiety
⬇️ Human growth hormone which is responsible for building lean muscle mass & cell/tissue repair
⬇️ Testosterone (both women and men NEED this hormone!)
⬇️ Autophagy which is responsible for fighting infection & destruction of damaged cells)
Sleep Deprivation Increases...
⬆️ Ghrelin which is a hormone that stimulates hunger...aka you’ll be hangry!
⬆️ Cortisol which can increase insulin resistance, promoting the
loss of muscle mass, & increasing inflammation
⬆️ Increases indigestion! This causes more gas, bloating, & constipation! ...Bleh!
Sleep & Thyroid Health
- Hyperthyroidism (excess thyroid hormone), occurs when your gland produces too much thyroid hormone. This can, as a result, lead us to feel wired and jittery throughout the day, and in turn can cause you to have trouble falling asleep!
Sleep & Dieting
- Since sleep deprivation causes an impact on the hunger hormone called leptin, people binge on an increased amount of carbs and calories! Sleep deprivation will make you ravenous! This makes it so much harder to resist cravings when dieting, and lowering your chances of reaching your fitness goals.
My Top Tips to Improve Sleep
- Create a sleep routine and stay consistent! Pick a set time to fall asleep and wake up refreshed!
- Cut out blue light from electronics 2 hours before bed! Most devices nowadays offer night mode! Also, Blue light blockers are available.
- Cut out electronics 30 min before bed! Trust me, you will have such a better sleep.
- Create a comfortable environment, try and keep all tensions and worries out of your head to feel relaxed. Try Meditation or reading!
- Keep it cool! Studies have proven that we have a deeper sleep when it is in a cooler environment. 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit / 18 degrees Celsius is best.
- Use your bedroom as a bedroom! (This will allow your body to acclimate and prepare to rest)
- Avoid caffeine after 5 PM (unless you have fast caffeine metabolism!)
Creating a better sleep routine and making a point to improve your rest will not only help you recover better, but improve your quality of life mentally and physically.
If you are reading this at midnight...
get to bed!
For more from Randy check out
@confidencebyrandi
