Restful Sleep – You Need a Sleep Strategy

*If you’re wondering why Monday’s post is up on a Sunday, it’s ’cause I’m about to head back to the beach house for a day or two – the mysterious land of no Internet and no phone reception. The blogospheric black hole. Enjoy today’s lesson. I have my teachers hat on today.

Good morning (afternoon, evening) class.

When we fitness and health ‘experts’ (and I use that term very loosely) talk to the masses about improving overall health, you’ll usually hear plenty of chat about our horrible dietary habits (could we hear any more – even I’m sick of it), our inability to exercise consistently, our nasty habits (drugs, alcohol, cigarettes), our need to develop an effective stress management strategy, our propensity to have our asses surgically attached to a chair or couch, our rapidly decreasing levels of incidental and occupational activity (we simply move less than we used to and therefore expend about 800 less calories per day – while ingesting the same amount) and of course, the head stuff; gotta get yer mind in the right place to get yer body in the right place. And I agree, all of the above variables are important considerations in the ‘creating your best body’ process.

However…

There’s one crucial variable which impacts on how we look, feel and function almost more than any other ingredient in the ‘optimal health recipe’, yet it rarely gets the attention it deserves; sleep. If you wanna look, feel and function like crap, simply under-sleep for a few nights in a row and bingo. Better still, miss a couple of nights sleep completely, and you’ll look and feel five years older by next Tuesday. And you’ll move like a ninety year-old, chain-smoking emphysema patient, with a busted hip.

The only two things we can’t live without for any length of time are water and sleep. Okay, maybe oxygen, but I don’t think getting adequate O2 will be a problem for you or me any time soon. Can we survive without food for a few weeks? Yep (and some of us should). What if we smoke and drink daily for a month, will that kill us? Nup (not suggesting we do though). What if we don’t exercise for a year, will that kill us? Nup, probably not (not suggesting that either). Waddabout not sleeping for a week or two? Yep, that’ll kill yer.

The often-ignored truth is that sleep plays a very significant role in overall health, but most of us don’t really think about it too much. We have no plan or strategy when it comes to ’sleeping for health’. Our sleep habits are random; hit and miss. Far too often we ignore the signals our body sends us because “we’ve got stuff to get done”. However, as is often the case, our body is smarter than our mind. If we don’t pay attention, it will make us listen, one way or the other. If only we would all pay attention to the numerous signals our body gives us (and then respond accordingly), we would be a much healthier population. The human body is an awesome organism that is constantly monitoring, adapting, healing and responding to a vast array of stimuli. It’s also constantly sending out signals which we’ve trained ourselves to ignore.

Hey Mr (Mrs) high-achiever, you know that hypertension, the shortness of breath, the increased resting heart rate, the anxiety and the loss of appetite you’re experiencing? Well call me crazy, but maybe you’re body is trying to tell you something!

Listen to your body; it knows what you need – even when you’re too stupid to recognise it!

Regular lack of sleep is one of the quickest and most effective ways to destroy your health. And many of us do it; about fifty percent of us are regularly under-slept. Many of us, constantly.

There’s lots of really cool research behind all this stuff and I could talk to you about REM (rapid eye movement) sleep (where most dreaming occurs) and the four stages of non-REM sleep (ranging from light dozing to very deep slumber) and baffle you with all the sciencey stuff, but all you really need to know for this little lesson is that sleep is something which needs to be consciously and intelligently factored into your overall health plan.

So, what happens if you don’t get enough sleep regularly?
Well, the short answer is, plenty, but perhaps I should expand on that.

1. You’ll become the proud owner of a suppressed immune system. You’ll get sick.

2. You’ll experience changes to your endocrine system (the hormone stuff). Metabolic changes, weight gain, diabetes, increased blood pressure and heart disease are just some of the possible consequences. Bummer.

3. You will be more susceptible to emotional stress and anxiety.

4. Small problems with seem like big ones. You won’t cope with everyday challenges as effectively as you normally do.

5. Your ability to learn, remember and focus will be significantly impaired.

6. You will look older. Double bummer.

7. Performance at school, work and in sport will suffer. Your ability to perform a wide range of physical and mental skills will be affected.

8. You will probably be a grumpy pain in the ass. Even more than normal.

9. Your decision-making skills will suffer. So too will your judgement.

10. If you’re a kid, you will inhibit your physical development – growth hormones are released during sleep.

11. Your co-ordination and reaction time will be impaired.

12. You will be more predisposed to sadness and depression.

13. If you work out, or you are an athlete, you won’t recover optimally.

Some interesting facts about sleep….
* While we all have different sleep requirements, the average adult needs somewhere around six to eight hours per day. Some do great on five, while others will need ten. You will need to listen to your body and discover your individual requirement.

* One third of all drivers will fall asleep while driving at least once in their lifetime.

* When you miss necessary sleep, your body goes into ’sleep debt’. Let’s say that one night you have three hours sleep instead of your normal eight, your body will be in sleep debt until you ‘repay’ those five hours. A simple solution is to sleep one extra hour for five days. To address a long-term sleep debt it is often necessary to take a holiday where there are no alarm clocks. Most people can get back to ‘normal’ within a week or two.

* Babies need around sixteen hours of sleep per day, while teenagers operate most effectively on about nine hours (of course this varies from individual to individual).

* During REM sleep your brain is as active as when you are awake, but because you muscles don’t move during REM sleep, you will not act out your dreams. Sleepwalking occurs during non REM sleep.

Where to from here? A sleep strategy for you.
The following are my suggestions only, keeping in mind that I’m not a doctor or a sleep specialist. I am simply sharing what I have found to be effective for myself and for my clients over the years.

1. Have one day per week (at least) where you don’t get up to an alarm.

2. Keep a sleep diary for 28 days. Record time to sleep, time awake, total sleep time (for the day, week, month), moods, energy levels and overall feeling of well-being. Identify patterns and individual needs. Learn to listen to, and act on, the signals your body gives you.

3. Don’t eat within four hours of bed. If you have to eat, make it a small meal.

4. No caffeine within four hours of bed.

5. Create some non-negotiable sleep rules and actually adhere to them. “I will be in bed before eleven o’clock at least five nights out of seven”.

Well, there you have it class; a little light shed on an often neglected subject. For many years I was a chronic under-sleeper (a word), but because I am a stupid alpha-male, I always ‘toughed it out’. The day I started to sleep more systematically and intelligently, and to give my body what it was screaming for, was the day my overall level of health started to improve dramatically. Literally in one week, I felt like a different person. Hopefully this information will help you transform yourself from a Sleeping Ugly into a Sleeping Beauty.

Sleep well boys and girls.