If you’re like most modern humans, you woke up to an alarm this morning.
Did you rise out of bed feeling energized or lethargic? Motivated or directionless? Sharp or foggy?
“Sleep-related problems affect 50 to 70 million Americans of all ages and socioeconomic classes. 70% of adults experience insufficient sleep at least one night each month. 11% report insufficient sleep every single night.” (SleepHealth.Org)
Is your lack of sleep wrecking your health?
Sleep accounts for roughly ⅓ of your life. If you live to be 100 years old, you’ll spend over 33 years asleep. To neglect your sleep is to neglect up to 33 years of your life.
Poor sleep doesn’t just mean that you lack the appropriate amount of sleep. It might also mean that you’re not getting the right type of sleep. Poor sleep is a problem of both quantity and quality.
Poor sleep often results in cognitive issues like learning disabilities, decreased reaction time, impaired alertness, mood disorders, on-job injuries, and more.
Yet, a poor sleep doesn’t just affect your mental health. It also affects your physical health.
Long story short: your progress in dieting and exercising will be severely limited if you are not sleeping enough.
When you lack sleep, here’s what you can expect in your physical performance:
- Decreased alertness (say “goodbye” to your athleticism)
- Decreased maximum force output (say “goodbye” to your 1-rep max)
- Slower glucose metabolism (say “goodbye” to your body’s ability to use food as fuel)
- Decreased endurance (say “hello” to more fatigue during cardio)
When you lack sleep, here’s what you can expect from your hormones:
- Decreased testosterone (say “goodbye” to feeling strong)
- Decreased growth hormone (say “goodbye” to getting strong)
- Increased cortisol (say “hello” to constant stress)
- Imbalanced ghrelin and leptin (say “hello” to intense cravings and insatiable hunger)
Insufficient sleep will inevitably result in less progress in your training over time. That means less weight loss, less strength gains, and less motivation. It also means more fat gain, more muscle loss, and more headaches.
So what can you do about it?
5 Rules for Better Sleep (and Faster Weight Loss or Strength Gains)
- Develop a sleep routine. Everybody wants to optimize their morning routine. But a great morning starts with a great night of sleep. Humans are creatures of habit. If your sleep routine is chaotic, then so is your sleep quality. Aim to do the same calming things before bed every night.
- When the sun goes down, the lights go down. Your circadian rhythm is regulated in-part by how much bright, blue-light you are exposed to. When the sun is high, the sky emits blue light. Your body wants to sync your sleep patterns with the rising and setting of the sun. This means that in the evenings, you should avoid bright blue lights. Instead, seek warm, dim, low lights. Think: campfire. If you want to go the extra mile, try experimenting with computer applications like f.lux or Night Owl, or try wearing blue-light blocking glasses like me!
- Limit screen time before bed. Not only do your devices expose you to bright blue lights, they also expose you to endless unresolved problems. Nothing wrecks a night full of sleep like a head full of worry. Your inbox and text messages can wait until tomorrow. It is not selfish to turn off your cell phone. You’ll be able to respond with calmness and clarity when you’re not chronically underslept.
- Keep the bedroom cool. Humans have evolved to experience optimal sleep quantity and quality in an environment that is cool and dark. As for temperature, 65° Fahrenheit (18° Celsius) is best, so crank up that A/C or turn down that space heater. As for darkness, pitch-black is best, so turn off those random lights and black out those curtains.
- Keep the bedroom sacred. Don’t bring your stressful work life into the bedroom. Your office is for working. Your kitchen is for cooking. Your living room is for entertainment. Your bedroom is for 2 things that start with the letter “S” – and that’s that.
*This is not an exhaustive list of rules for optimizing your sleep and recovery. There are actually many more habits and behaviours that you can take into consideration to improve the quality and quantity of sleep you experience.
Yet, I don’t want to overwhelm you with information. Especially if you’re new to this. Just like your fitness journey, you have to take your sleep journey one step at a time.
Once you nail down these 5 rules for better sleep, you can watch my quick video for a few more tips and tricks.
And if you’re still hungry for more, then check out my free 1-hour podcast deep-dive on sleeping for fitness. Simply click the link to your preferred podcasting platform below. (Episode aired on Friday August 20th.)
iTunes
Google Play
RSS
Spotify
Stitcher
And if you want to go deeper on topics like “Fitness and Sleep” with normal people who just want to be healthy while enjoying life, then consider joining my private Facebook group and saying hello.