HEALTH ADVICE: SLEEP – DEAD TIRED?

Let me start by saying there is BIG difference between being ‘asleep’ and getting a ‘restorative sleep’. What do I mean by this? Let me explain.
Your body should regulate wake-sleep cycles naturally, however modern life creates a few challenges which do not allow the body to operate naturally meaning wake-sleep cycles get disrupted.
To get a restorative sleep where the body heals itself both physically and physchologically you need to have high levels of the right hormones whilst asleep. Two such hormones are Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and Melatonin, lets call them repair hormones which is essentially what they promote. If functioning correctly your body should regulate wake-sleep cycles naturally producing good levels of repair hormones for a good restorative sleep, Fig 1 illustrates a healthy hormonal profile when wake-sleep cycles are normal.

Fig 1.

Modern life however creates a few challenges that do not allow the body to operate naturally meaning wake-sleep cycles get disrupted and consequently so does the level of repair hormones, this means we will be ‘asleep’ but get a poor nights restorative sleep, waking up tired and low on energy. Had that feeling?
Many of us have adopted poor habits in response to the challenges of modern life which negatively effect our sleep, worse still is that most of us are blissfully unaware of what these challenges/poor habits are and how they are effecting our sleep!  So what are some of these challenges/poor habits? Well, below is a list of the most common major factors that prevent the body from operating natural wake-sleep cycles.

• Going to bed too late e.g., past 22.30hrs/a long time after sundown, in the winter you should ideally go to bed earlier and sleep more
• Inconsistent bed/rise times
• Having stimulants past lunchtime e.g., food and drink high in sugar, caffeine and alcohol
• Being exposed to bright lights after sunset e.g., bright house lights, TV, laptops etc
• Being mentally stressed due to life pressures

How is it these factors prevent me from getting a restorative nights sleep? Great question, so here is the answer.  The opposite to repair hormones are activity hormones, two such hormones are adrenaline and cortisol. We need these throughout the day as they promote energy and alertness. However, these hormones can be stimulated to be released in excess, the factors listed above stimulate these activity hormones and cause two main problems: 1. High levels of activity hormomes  ’block’ the release of repair hormones suppressing their levels. This is not good for a restorative night sleep. See fig 2. for an illustration of disturbed wake-sleep cycles, notice the reduced period of time the repair hormones are elevated for.

Fig 2.

2. The adrenal glands are responsible for producing activity hormones. Think of the adrenal glands as the bodies ‘credit card for energy’, you can borrow from them but like all credit cards they have a limit and will demand repayment!! This comes in the form of excessive fatigue. One good nights sleep simply won’t recover you! When I worked in London I would frequently have clients say…’this sleep thing is bull, I had a good nights sleep last night and I feel worse today’ . Very possible, thats because the debts big and your body is just becoming aware of the repayment!! Keep focused and you can pay it back. If we do not get consistent restorative sleep the other path that is frequently taken is the reliance on stimulants for energy, this does not take the underlying fatigue away, it just ‘masks’ it! This creates a downward spiral as ‘stimulants’ are relied upon more and more to get past fatigue! Get into this hole and serious fatigue will ensue, energy levels will be low, moods erractic at best, poor physical healing and frequent illness! Know anybody like this??
So what are top tips for getting a good nights restorative sleep? Funnily enough they are the opposite of the factors that cause a poor nigts sleep, here they are:

• Aim to consistently get to bed by 22.30
• Avoid stimualnts such as coffee and sugar after lunch, I know I know, that will be a challenge! One step at a time.
• Avoid bright lights prior to bed: try this free software on your computer which dims the screen at night: http://stereopsis.com/flux/
• Use a light clock such as the lumie. This can be set to simulate a sun down and  sun rise
• Sleep in a dark a room as possible that is ventilated
• Listen to some relaxing music before bed

Live healthy, keep fit and perform to your best, the HFPT Team