Sleep better for a better body
Back in the 1980s, when Maggie Thatcher declared that she only needed four hour’s sleep on workdays in order to do her job, it divided opinion greatly. How was it possible to run a country on so little ‘down’ time? Rumour has it that she also subjected many of her ministers to this grueling schedule – often keeping them up until one or two a.m. until a matter was settled, or a speech perfected – then expecting early starts in office the next day.
How much sleep do you really need?
We all know that in order to function, sleep is vital. This is when your body grows (if you’re still in that stage of life). It’s also when it repairs, so for anyone training or looking to better their body composition, this is the time the good work is being done. We have some great tips to help you sleep better. But why do you need to sleep better?
Great sleep will help you on many levels, including:
- Keeping up your energy levels
- Boosting mood and concentration
- Keep you motivated – both in and out of the gym
- Optimise the work of your fat-burning and muscle building hormones like testosterone and IGF-1.
- Generally allowing you to feel healthier and more positive
‘REM’ sleep is the deep stage, that we all need to reach in order to claim we’ve had a ‘good’ sleep. REM refers to ‘rapid eye movement’ – when we’re most likely to dream, or to move around in bed. It accounts for 20 – 25% of the entire sleep, during which there will be an increase in growth hormone levels, which in turn leads to better skin and body composition. There will also be a decrease in the amount of cortisol in the body – a good thing, as cortisol damages muscle but aids fat gain.
However, the actual amount we need varies from person to person and again, this changes naturally as we age. But the experts all agree that the right amount of sleep for you as an individual is essential and again, that the right type of quality sleep is necessary. This means sleep that allows you to complete a full cycle, rather than waking up in the middle (making it incomplete). So how do you sleep better?
Left to our own devices, without worries, interruptions, alarms, painful ailments, dogs barking outside (etc)… we’d all find and set our own patterns. But unfortunately, we do have outside influences and commitments that all conspire to interrupt (or even stop us establishing) our patterns. So here are our tips to sleep better:
We asked David Lyon a Redditch Personal Trainer who had these tips;
Plan Your Sleep Cycle: There are several sleep phases you’ll go through during a full night. The first is the light sleep, the time you’re most likely to be woken by external influences. This is then followed by deep sleep, then the ‘REM’ state referred to earlier. A full sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes – repeated several times a night. If you wake in the middle of a cycle (i.e. an incomplete cycle, then this can account for why you may feel exhausted, rather than rested). So if you need to set an alarm, make sure you allow enough time for several ‘full’ cycles of 1.5 hours. Ideally you should plan for four or five x 90-minute sleep cycles. Don’t set the alarm to go off in the middle of one!
Avoid caffeinated drinks: We all know that caffeine is a stimulant, so it’s plain common sense not to take it before bed. Why not try some of the fantastic herbal or specialist teas available, for a quick way to sleep better. We love Clippers teas, as they are organic, non-chemical and fair-trade. They have a huge range of flavours, but if you have trouble sleeping, the ‘Sleep Easy Infusion’ is a great relaxant. They also do an infusion called ‘Snore & Peace’ which consists of the relaxants chamomile, lemon balm & lavender.
Be Careful About Napping: Many more forward-thinking companies are now recognising that it’s beneficial to ‘rest’ employees at some stage during the day, in order to counter the afternoon slump that so many of us suffer from. If your body is tired, it makes sense to rest it (the Europeans have bought into the afternoon siesta for centuries – and it works for them!) However, it’s preferable not to nap for too long – if you enter into the REM state, then this starts to mimic a full sleep, and again – you wake in the middle of a cycle and you’re more likely to feel groggy, as opposed to refreshed.
Set a schedule: If you’re late to bed one night, then early the next, your body doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going. We need routine in order to accustom ourselves to a pattern. This then becomes normal and the body adjusts.
Wind down slowly: Turn off the t.v. Take a warm bath. Read for a short while. Listen to relaxing music. Allow yourself to stop.
Know what your bedroom is for Sleep and sex. Full stop! It’s not for mind-extending activities. Keep laptops, mobiles and tv use to a minimum, ideally, do not use these devices in the bedroom. They omit blue light, which stimulates the brain. So turn off your gadgets, leave them out of the bedroom and sleep better at night.
We hope some of these tips have been useful to you, and will help you sleep better. Article by our Redditch Personal Trainer.
