I dont know what the deal is this year
But personally, i am heading into round 3 (its only March) with cold and flu like symptoms ---
I am already caught up on Breaking BAd and the Walking Dead (at least whats on Netflix) - and am slowly working my way through Parks and Recreation --- but enough is enough
Its enough to drive a guy or gal crazy
In the meantime though , i am going to write a little bit about something that is near and dear to my heart ------ sleep
My thoughts on sleep have been met with some amusement from some of my non-professional colleagues ----- evidently the need for sleep is still seen as a sign of weakness
--- just dont tell this guy
There are people out there (many people) who swear that they dont need any more than 5 hours or so of sleep a night ---
A lot of these folks are so caffeinated during the day with coffee, sodas, sugars and other stimulants that it almost serves to mask the need for sleep .
But here's the thing about masking sleep -- its also been said that people never really get accustomed to sleep loss, they just become less aware of how impaired they are, even as performance starts to decline - and the decline can start so slowly you dont even know it
Yes -- im yawning too just thinking about it
Lets look at a couple of different issues
1) Lights (BIG DUHHHHH ) ---but soft blue light , like is emitted from computer screens and energy efficient light bulbs, is something we are sensitive to for some reason --- start turning /em off and down an hour before beddy time if possible
probably not doing yourself many favors staying up in bed an extra hour a night internet surfing on an ipad either , sadly enough
2) Directly tied in to lights is our recent (within the last 20 years - and really bad in the last 10 ) dependence on technology --- like i mentioned , -- laying up in bed looking at Facebook on a tablet while your partner snores away in dreamland is exactly what i am talking about.
Our brains process more garbage now than possibly ever before in mankind's existence --- and it leaves us a tad wired - to the point that after we shut off the computer device, it may tke extra time to get to sleep
Garbage in, garbage out--- most of us dont wake up from a midnight i-pad session full of enough knowledge to solve our health and financial woes -- We just spent an extra hour of valuable rest looking at selfies and reading humorous little photo captions like i sprinkle through this blog !
See this bear? Hilarious ! -- And far more wholesome than anything you will see on facebook --- so if you have to stay up late , just re-read my archives and tell your friends to do the same ---- Insomnia is never better
3) Another thing that is hard to BEAR is temperature -- too hot is not great -- if its too warm, your body cant cool properly and higher core temperatures lead to restlessness ----
Its been researched that 66 degrees or so is the optimum temp for sleep
4)
Another thing that is critical is stress level
--- When your full of anxiety , like these cranky bears, -- it interferes with the ability to relax ---- it also causes you to wake up too early, or wake up in the middle of the night unexpectedly --
Anybody ever wake up at 4 am the night before some big day , when you were supposed to wake up at 630? Thats what im talking about
If you are tossing and turning --- get out of bed and do something different for a little bit --- read a book (not TV, video games, or i-pads that only provides more soul crushing blue light stimulation )
See? When your cranky you take it out on other people , like the little bear above !
Researchers still cant pin point exactly how much sleep is "enough" - but many say at least 7 hours to 8 hours per night is associated with the best outcomes
On a personal level , i will second that, and i also encourage daily naps when possible. lots of high end trainers also recommend up to 10 hours sleep a day broken out between nightly sleep and a 1 to 2 hour nap at midday
-- I dont train at an elite level personally, - and not many do because of the extreme time committment --- so i am fine with a 20-45 minute nap when i can , but i dont freak if i miss a day or two
2 hours only seems to be needed when you are flirting with extreme exhaustion everyday , - but there are many among us who do just that
As for me , im a very poor example right now because im up typing this at 2AM, -- but rest assured I am on my way
Thanks once again for reading this everybody
Keep the comments flowin' --- While i obviously encourage everyone to eat well and train regularly -- these are the most words i have spent on the subject of sleep --
Try to get a little more in if you dont fit the 7-8 hour a day mold , plus an occasional 20-45 minute power nap during the week --
-- you might like it !
Goodnight
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---- Doug
_______________________________________________________________________________disclaimer: The information contained here is not intended to replace the medical advice of your physician and is not intended as medical advice. This newsletter/blog is a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of the staff of Fitclaimspro.com and professional colleagues unless otherwise noted
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