What about sleep!?!
Whether it was the all nighters you pulled in college cramming for exams or working the graveyard shift for extra hours or newborn babies waking you at all hours of the night, we’ve all experienced the brain fog, mood swings, food cravings and lack of motivation sleep deprivation causes. And its not pretty or fun…especially when its our young children! We can mentally and physically recover after a night or two of interrupted or short sleep but it’s the culmination of many nights that really take a toll on our health.
you know an estimated 50-70 million Americans suffer from some form of chronic sleep deprivation? Why is this number so big and why is good, quality sleep a big deal anyway?
The do it more, do it better, do it faster mentality in America is a major player. Our lifestyle is one big stressor with affects our hormones and our guts which both affect sleep. According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents cirrhosis of the liver and suicide. A recent study discovered that less than 5 hours of sleep doubled the risk of cardiovascular disease. We know sleep deprivation increases our risk of and is linked to heart disease, kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, obesity, depression and injury. So lack of sleep causes stress and stress causes lack of sleep. Its just one big wheel and for optimal health and longevity it’s imperative we find a way to slow down the wheel.
Studies show a good night sleep improves learning, pain threshold, energy, attention and focus, creativity, recovery from workouts, and ability to make decisions. It is essential to protect our mental and physical health. While you sleep your cells clean up cellular garbage (metabolic byproducts from daily processes) and your brain recognizes neural networks and integrates pieces of information from the day with all the other information you’ve learned over the years. Without this integration, your mind becomes a warehouse for cellular garbage and you run out of room for new memories and growth. As a result, nearly every function your central nervous system controls is affected in some capacity – poor heat regulation, decline in immune function, dysregulation of neurotransmitters (things that make us feel energized, calm, focused, happy, etc.), increased levels of cortisol (stress hormone and excess causes belly fat) & other stress/inflammatory hormones, imbalance in appetite and blood sugar regulating hormones.
This is why sleep deprivation makes it so dang hard to finish or even get started with a workout let alone get through a mentally demanding day at work or with the kids!! Your body is flooded with inflammation, hormone imbalance and blood sugar dysregulation making you feel and operate well below your peak! Now you can see why GOOD SLEEP is SO IMPORTANT!!
Time to get you back to your peak ….after all that is what we do best here at Elevation Fitness!!
1. Follow a sleep schedule and be consistent!!! This means going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
a. If you stay up late, its best to go bed to early the next night versus sleeping in.
2. Avoid blue light 2-3 hours before bed, wear blue light blocking glasses when watching tv or on phone at night, turn phone on airplane mode
3. Avoid eating and alcohol 2-3 hours before bed
4. Avoid caffeine after 2-3pm
5. Journal before bed, make list for the next day and plan so mind is at ease before falling asleep
6. We sleep better in cold than hot. Make sure room is cool, sheets are breathable, and not dressed too warm.
7. Supplements to manage cortisol, anxiety, tired but wired, worried, blood sugar
a. Depends on you specifically for which ones I recommend and will work for you
b. Some I recommend:
i. Phytisone
ii. Ashwaganda
iii. L-Theanine
iv. 5-htp
v. Neurocalm
vi. Gaba
vii. Melatonin
Katie Nelson, Elevation Fitness Instructor
Brought to you by:
