Sleep
Most people don’t get anywhere near enough sleep. The British Bedtime Report conducted by Atomik Research showed that almost three-quarters (74%) of people in Britain sleep less than seven hours per night, 12% said they get less than five hours a night.
Sleep is so essential that it only takes a few nights of not getting enough sleep before adverse effects pile up. I can always notice when a clients not been sleeping enough as their concentration and performance in the gym are noticably down.
This is a major problem as being sleep deprived causes many issues.
Sleep is so essential that it only takes a few nights of not getting enough sleep before adverse effects pile up. I can always notice when a clients not been sleeping enough as their concentration and performance in the gym are noticably down.
This is a major problem as being sleep deprived causes many issues.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body
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Sleep
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Tips For Getting Good Sleep
- Have regular sleep times: Your body likes routine. Try to go to bed and get up and at the same time every day. Make this a priority. Don’t try to catch up on sleep on the weekends. You can throw your body off even more by trying to catch up on sleep over the weekends, which can then make it harder to sleep during the week.
- Avoid Bright Lights Before Bed: Stop using your phone, laptop and other technology an hour before you plan on going to sleep. Exposure to light stimulates the brain keeping you wide awake when you should be sleeping. Use the hour before bed to relax and unwind before bed.
- Avoid Caffeine: I love coffee as much as anyone, but if you’re having trouble sleeping avoiding caffeine is a good idea as caffeine is a stimulant and will disrupt your sleep. At least only have caffeine early in the day as it has a half-life of 4 hours, so it takes a while to be out of your system.
- Don’t Nap Late, or For Too Lon: Naps are great, but taking them too late in the day, or napping for longer than 20 minutes can make it hard to fall asleep at night.
- Avoid Alcohol at NightMany people who trouble sleeping turn to alcohol in order to feel sleepy. This often works, but comes with frequent waking up, reduces your REM sleep, keeping you in the lighter stages of sleep causing poor sleep quality throughout the night.
- Have a Dark and Cool RoomKeep the bedroom cool for when you go to bed. We sleep better at night if the temperature in the room is kept on the cool side. Have good curtains that complexly block light and make sure to shut your curtains properly. Letting the light in the room will disrupt your sleep.
- Don’t Consume Too Much Fluid Before Bed: Drinking too many fluids can cause wake up during the night to urinate.
- Don’t Stay in Bed if You Can’t Sleep: If you’re still can’t sleep after 20 minutes, or start feeling anxious, get up and do something else relaxing until you feel sleepy. Then go back to bed.
- Don’t Take Your Problems to Bed With You: Write down anything that’s on your mind, or that needs doing the next day. Writing it down relieves the worry that you might forget about it in the morning. You’ll need to find a way to relax and not lay in bed worrying.
For more information on the importance of sleep, I recommend Matthew Walker’s book, ‘Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams’.
Matthew Walker is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Centre for Human Sleep Science.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501144316
Here he is on the Joe Rogan podcast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwaWilO_Pig
Try and make sleep a priority. It will greatly improve your mood, pysical and your mental heath