Imagine a freely-available drug that you could take every night. One that would boost your mood, memory, mental health, recovery, digestive health, cravings, focus, mental clarity, productivity, motivation and energy levels, without ANY side effects and wouldn’t cost you a penny.
Sounds incredible.
It’s called sleep. I do it, you do it, we all do it. If more people upgraded the quality of their sleep the world would be a much happier and healthier place.
Unfortunately we live in a world where we’re contactable 24/7. TV is on demand, we have the internet at our fingertips. We can be entertained all day and all night. We work longer hours, we do more socialising (lockdown aside!) and we have social media videos of people falling over to keep us awake.
Research is showing that sleep quality and duration is declining.
In this article I’m going to show you why high quality sleep is important and how you can go about enhancing your sleep quality, both with supplements and best practices that have been proven to work.
The Case for Sleep
By this point in time, the benefits of sleep are very well known. Even though sleep science is still largely in its infancy (research accelerated from the 1970’s), the speed and quality of the research is impressive. The sample sizes available are huge (we all sleep!), so a lot of good quality data can be accrued quickly.
What we know is that the benefits of sleep are noticed across almost all physiological functions. Previously misunderstood relationships between sleep and seemingly obscure physiological processes are being uncovered and the pathways are being linked. In this study in particular, the authors touch on some of the the (many) known links between sleep and physiology.
A quick list of the known benefits of sleep include…
Improved memory
Improved cognition
Accelerated recovery from exercise and injury
Enhanced mood and self esteem
Better digestive control
Hormonal regulation
Improved cardiovascular health
Reduced blood pressure
Protection from neurodegenerative diseases
Longer attention span
Better problem solving capabilities
Increased muscle mass
This list is tiny compared to what the research knows to be true about sleep, but the point is that sleep is something that with very little effort can have a dramatic impact on our quality of health and ultimately quality of life. By this point, we shouldn’t need any more convincing about the importance of high quality sleep.
Impacts of Poor Sleep on Training and Recovery
When it comes to physical performance, a lack of sleep has a large impact - it has been shown to reduce our endurance, reaction time, power generation and co-ordination. It also has links to increased injury risk, physical and mental stress and perceived exertion. This means if you train tired, you’re going to find it much harder, even when lifting weights you’d usually find relatively easy or running at a pace you can normally maintain without trouble.
There’s also really strong evidence showing that a lack of sleep directly impacts muscle strength, with the evidence suggesting that any less than 7 hours of sleep has a direct impact on muscle strength. Certainly something to bare in mind when it comes to those late nights and early mornings!
Improving Sleep
How do we go about improving sleep? There are both practical and supplemental ways to improve sleep quality that are easy to follow.
Bed Routine
A consistent bed time routine is helpful as it allows a re-set of circadian rhythms. Here’s a few points to adhere to when it comes to bed time routine…
Reduce your exposure to white light for an hour or so before bed. Ideally this includes phones, computers and TV.
Keep exercise intensity lower in the night - intense exercise right before bed will affect sleep.
Make sure the room is cool rather than hot.
Try to stay consistent with a regular bed time and waking time.
Nutritional Approach
There’s also a nutritional approach to take when it comes to improving sleep….
If you’re caffeine sensitive, avoid caffeinated drinks or foods such as chocolate for 2 hours before bed.
Don’t drink too much of any liquid before bed - a full bladder impacts sleep!
Supplemental ZMA (Zinc and Magnesium) has been shown to help regulate sleep.
CBD oil is proving to be an effective sleep aid too. It is also showing potential as a stress/anxiety reducing aid, which can also impact sleep.
Improving Sleep - Concluded
What we know to be true is that sleep is so much more than just a rest - it’s the primary resource in recovery. High quality sleep impacts a huge array of physiological and psychological processes and without it, our physical and cognitive performance suffers. We’re likely to suffer hormonal regulation difficulties, a reduction in strength, mood and control over our diet and cravings.
Research shows that around 7-8 hours of sleep per night is the magic figure, where rest and recovery is sufficient. We’ve also discussed ways and means to improve sleep both practically and nutritionally should you require help getting enough high quality shut-eye!
At AdMac Fitness we’re not about fads, fashions and short term fixes. We want you to succeed properly over the long term, so with our help and advice you can get your fitness back on track! If you’d like us to help you, contact us on 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!