Sleep:
Part 1
One supplement to rule them all, one supplement to find
them, one supplement to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
Intro:
“There are two types of people in the world, givers
and takers. The takers may eat better but the givers sleep better” Marlo
Thomas.
"Let sleep be thy supplement" Someone smart.
We all know the benefits of quality and optimal sleep,
weather it is improved function, well-being, energy levels or training
performance. A good night of it can set you up for a great day and a bad night of it can have you hating life at every corner. How much more can be said about the life changing benefits of
improving the quality of your sleep?
It is mostly touted as a recovery tool in
health and fitness circles but it is really so much more than just that.
What can you do?
A number of things by all accounts. Exercise has been
found to enhance quality and quantity of sleep, just ensure you are not
exercising immediately before bed as you may be still in “exercise mode” rather
than sleep mode.
Getting rid of blue light can be a game changer for
being able to switch off and actually begin the process of drifting off. Many
people will be in bed early but have a selection of laptops, phones, tablets or
even TV’s ready to greet them when they hit the hay.
Even if you need your
phone for an alarm the simple placement of it at farthest point away from your
bed can enable you not become distracted and surf the web for half the night.
Reading a book can be a great idea to take you away for the screen and also
help you unwind if you find a particularly engrossing read.
I cannot stress the importance of a quality mattress.
Last year I was fortunate enough to move into a house with a brand new memory
foam mattress in every room. Having a bed that moulds itself to your contours rather than the
other way round can be a fantastic aid you finding that perfect sleeping
position and stops you from tossing and turning throughout the night.
A game changer in sleep quality and quantity for
myself personally was a cold shower right before bed. Research has shown that
lowering core body temperature can affect your circadian rhythms by sending
signals to your brain to enter sleep mode (1). That clean, fresh and generally
stress free feeling accompanying the reduced body temperature really sets up
for a good night’s sleep and hopefully it is something you can work into your
daily schedule.
Bottom line as always is results may differ from
person to person but you won't ever know your own responses until you try. In
part 2 I will look at how nutrition can play a major role in sleep quality and
quantity also.
Yours in snore gainz,
Eoin
#EMF #Resultsbasedtraining #Allabroadthegaintrain
References:
1. E.
D. Buhr, S.-H. Yoo, J. S. Takahashi. Temperature as a Universal Resetting Cue
for Mammalian Circadian Oscillators. Science, 2010; 330 (6002): 379
DOI:10.1126/science.1195262
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