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A good night of sleep...

SaiBoT

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Since many of us have trouble with sleep I did some search on the topic! I know it's along ass post and it doesn't have much to do with weighttraining but improving quality of sleep will do wonders on your mind and body, so here it goes.

By CHARLES POLIQUIN

Early to bed, early to rise... Part 1

...optimizes our potential to be healthy, wealthy and wise. This old adage has been increasingly ignored in the last half century and especially in the last couple of decades. Getting eight hours of sleep is not a luxury it is a requirement for optimal health and longevity. In our pursuit of the American Dream we are awake long hours either working or playing and a good night's sleep is often reserved only for the weekends, if that.
The health issues of shift workers has brought to light the consequences of being awake when its dark and sleeping when its light. Fatigue is the most obvious consequence and most of my patients have it, regardless of whether they are shift workers or not. There are many Americans who either don't get enough sleep or can't get enough sleep that their daily activities are affected by their sleepiness. In fact, there are more traffic accidents caused by sleepy drivers than by drunk drivers.

A psychiatrist gave a lecture on sleep here in Phoenix this week and he attributed the increase in chronic degenerative disease to the fact that people get 6 hours of sleep a night instead of 8 like we did 50 years ago. My personal opinion is that these diseases get exacerbated by the lack of sleep due to the decrease in repair time we have, but I feel we have many other lifestyle habits that contribute to the high rate of chronic degenerative diseases.

We need 7-9 hours of sleep each night in order to have normal metabolic activity during the day. If we don't get this much we will have some repercussions the following day but it may take 20 to 30 years to see the full extent of the damage. Depression is one condition that is twice as likely to occur when there are sleep difficulties even 30 years prior. One correlation that we probably have all experienced is that our immune systems don't function optimally when we haven't had enough sleep and we become more susceptible to the bacteria and viruses in our environment. Studies have shown that there is a reduction in the natural killer cells, which is responsible for the increased susceptibility to illness.

The body needs darkness to produce melatonin, a hormone released by the pineal gland, which promotes healthy sleep cycles among its many other functions. Melatonin has been found to be beneficial to prevent and treat cancer, especially breast cancer. In addition it helps regulate intracellular calcium (involved in muscle contraction) levels and prostaglandins (involved in inflammatory response). Melatonin is also useful to treat jet lag to restore a natural sleep rhythm after changing time zones.

Melatonin can only be produced in the dark so it is important to sleep at night and keep the room as dark as possible. If you get up to eat, drink or urinate keep the lights off, even a short exposure to light can affect your melatonin production and any one else's who may have been exposed to the light. It doesn't matter if the other person wakes up or opens their eyes or has their face exposed. Light to any part of the body will turn off the melatonin, which can subsequently cause fatigue, insomnia and depression.

A Good Night's Sleep. Part two

Last week we discussed the impact of a good night's sleep on overall health. Sleep affects many aspects of our health but of particular interest to most of us in our industry is the connection of a good night's sleep and body comp. When we don't get enough sleep our hormone levels are altered and our metabolism declines.
Research has shown that after just one week of insufficient sleep, the body can no longer metabolize carbs efficiently. Blood sugar takes 40% longer to decrease after a high carb meal and insulin sensitivity decreases by 30%.

In addition, nighttime cortisol values increase which will impair blood sugar regulation and may prevent a good night's sleep.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is the hormone that prompts the thyroid to produce thyroid hormone, which is the primary hormone responsible for metabolic rate. TSH levels decline when we don't get adequate sleep so we make less thyroid hormone and our metabolism slows down.

The combination of increased cortisol, decreased TSH and less sensitivity to insulin, makes us more prone to be in a catabolic state instead of anabolic i.e. instead of building lean body mass, we store fuel as fat, especially around the middle.

So here are some tips to ensure you get a good night's sleep.

1) Set a regular schedule - go to bed and wake up at the same time 7 days/week. The body appreciates consistency.

2) Sleep at least 7 hours per night.

3) Be asleep by 11 pm.

4) Avoid caffeine in any form in the afternoon and evening.

5) Exercise regularly - this has a profound impact on sleep habits. Limit late night exercise so that your cortisol can stay low before bed.

6) Keep the sleeping room dark to preserve melatonin production. In other words, no TV, no bright alarm clocks, and no one is allowed to turn on a light to go the bathroom or get a drink - this means you or any other family member.

7) Create a relaxing sleep area that is dark, quiet, and free of clutter.

8) Avoid sleeping in strong electromagnetic fields. For example, no TV, keep electronic alarm clocks at least 3 feet from your head, avoid electric blankets and waterbeds.

9) If possible, your head should be at the north end of the room.

10) Take a hot bath 1 hour before bed to help lower your core temperature so that your body prepares for sleep.

11) Avoid excessive alcohol consumption especially right before bed. "A good night's sleep" implies that all the stages of sleep are achieved including an hour of REM sleep. Alcohol and many other drugs prevent us from achieving these states which means we will not be rested by morning.

On top of the other hormonal changes, we do not make enough growth hormone when we don't get adequate sleep.
 
Research has shown that after just one week of insufficient sleep, the body can no longer metabolize carbs efficiently. Blood sugar takes 40% longer to decrease after a high carb meal and insulin sensitivity decreases by 30%.

Holy shit, I couldn't understand what's wrong with my slin levels for the last few weeks.
Now I got it. Right now, I have the most bullshit sllep pattern in my life. Hopefully it will end within a few days
 
How am i supposed to take a piss in the dark? LOL. I had no idea how much darkness effected melatonin production. Tonight i'm going to just get up, walk slowly, and feel for the toilet :)

Great Post
 
How am i supposed to take a piss in the dark? LOL. I had no idea how much darkness effected melatonin production. Tonight i'm going to just get up, walk slowly, and feel for the toilet :)

Great Post

dont worry man it is a second nature. You will realise that :biggrin:
In the place i live , the electrics goes off at stupid times . Trust your instincts, aim for the north then lower 45-50 degrees to the arsenal lolll :biggrin:
 
I've had sleep issues for years, never more than 1-2hrs a night. Created anxiety problems, stress...Doc had me on several drugs at one point, but now I just taking one tiny little sleeping pill...AMBIEN :qt: I have to tell you, for me it is a GOD SEND...there were nights I tossed and turned all night and never got even 1 minute of sleep...I sleep great now, it doesn't make me feel tired during the day...stress levels are down..I love it..it takes about 30-40 minutes for it to kick in for me....probelm is most nights I take it before I got to bed but typing away or reading on here...I'll get into a post and BAM..OMG I have to crawl to bed, or If i'm in bed with the laptop, the wife is turning off the laptop and peeling it out of my hands...LOL..
 
I recently found out that take the pill after a slow release protein shake isn't a good idea because the medicine will loose effectiviness as it will be slowly released too... WTF!
 
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