This cute dog has it figured out! Every animal (including humans) need sleep to recover from our day of work and living. While we sleep, the cells in our body regenerate allowing us to heal and stay healthy.
Missing out on sleep is a huge culprit in breaking down our immune system. Are you getting enough sleep?
How much sleep did you get last night? 8 hours? 6 hours? 4 hours? Too tired to remember?
We, coaches, have more conversations than you know with clients on the importance of sleep, how to get more of it at a higher quality to help with overall health, but also help with fat loss.
Most people are busier than they ever thought they'd be. Now you're taking the time to train for your health and eat for your health, but have you thought about sleeping for your health?
Fitness Coach Schedule
We know all about crazy schedules as coaches! Many days we have to wake up between 4:30 and 5 am, which means in order to get high-quality 7-8 hours we are in bed by 9 to 9:30.
Why? Because we value the importance of sleep and know how it can affect our performance.
What do we give up to get to bed so early?
- Late night TV;
- Nighttime snacking;
- Social media surfing;
- Local news.
We don't miss any of it. Nothing that happens after 9 pm is helping us be better, healthier or smarter, and we know that if we sacrifice sleep we are sacrificing our immune system and our whole objective is to strengthen our body and our immune system.
Tips for Better Sleep
Here are some tips from a fantastic article all about sleep:
- Avoid caffeine - If you’re having trouble falling asleep, eliminating caffeine from your diet is a quick win. If you can’t go without your morning cup of coffee, then stop drinking coffee after 12 pm as this gives caffeine enough time to wear off before bedtime.
- Stop smoking or chewing tobacco - Tobacco use has been linked to a long line of health issues and poor sleep is another one on the list. If you want more information, Allen Carr’s "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" book is the best resource on the topic.
- Use the bedroom for sleep and sex only - Is your bedroom designed to promote good sleep? The ideal sleeping environment is dark, cool and quiet. Don’t make your bedroom a multi-purpose room. Eliminate TVs, laptops, electronics, and clutter.
- Exercise - There are too many benefits to exercise to list them all here. When it comes to sleep, exercise will make it easier for your brain and body to power down at night. One caveat: avoid exercising two to three hours before bedtime, as the mental and physical stimulation can leave your nervous system feeling wired and make it difficult to calm down at night.
- Weight - Obesity can wreak havoc on your sleep patterns. The role of exercise only becomes more important with age. Fit middle-aged adults sleep significantly better than their overweight peers.
- Temperature - Most people sleep best in a cool room. The ideal range is usually between 65 - 70F (18 - 21C).
- Sound - A quiet space is key for good sleep. If peace and quiet is hard to come by, try controlling the bedroom noise by creating “white noise” with a fan, or use earplugs.
- Alcohol - This one is a slippery slope. It is true that having a "nightcap" before bed often does help people fall asleep. However, while it makes it easier to fall asleep, it actually reduces the quality of your sleep and delays the REM cycle. So, you fall asleep faster, but it’s possible that you’ll wake up without feeling rested. It’s probably best to improve your sleep through other methods before resorting to alcohol to do the job. Besides alcohol weakens the immune system. Verdict: Not worth it!
Take a few moments today to read the full article: Ways to Get Better Sleep from Elite Daily.