Sleep
the most underrated form of performance
This will take 4-5 minutes of your time.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS!
Why discuss sleep?
Sleep is essential in supporting the lifestyle choices of exercise and nutrition. It is during sleep where you allow your body to use all its magical remedies, like your hormones, to support health and performance. Two examples of these hormones are sex steroids oestradiol and testosterone, which are extremely important for muscle and bone repair, which contributes to your metabolism.
Energy conservation is proposed to be the primary function of sleep, as one would naturally assume. When we feel tired that is the circadian influence on reduced energy expenditure, reduced thermoregulation and reduced muscle activity, but the metabolic rate reduces by only 15% during sleep.Interestingly, our basal metabolic rate (BMR – the amount of energy a person uses whilst resting) contributes to about 80% of energy expenditure, suggesting that sleep may not be so much about reduced energy expenditure but more about optimal allocation of energy expenditure to different brain/ body functions across different sleep/wake states. [1]
Sleep increases fitness.
If you have exercised during the period before sleep (during the day preferably, many hours prior to sleep) and made sure your nutrition allows for sufficient energy availability your body will have the necessary means to repair and adapt to the exercise you have performed, allowing for you to find the exercise to be easier (adaptation). An effective consideration to increase the adaptive process potential is taking protein before bed. Milk (or milk-based supplement) is ideal, which contains casein which has a slow digestive process to allow a gradual release of amino acids (building blocks of the hormone-driven processes of building muscle). Exercise during the day can help achieve a good night’s sleep. [2]
Good sleep has multiple health benefits, including direct benefits, on body composition and metabolism, and indirect effects, such as improved cognitive function and immunity. Sleep is the price we pay for our brain’s plasticity and ability to learn. [3]
Sleep is where you get stronger. Sleep is where you get fitter. Sleep is where you grow. Sleep is where you learn. Sleep is where you forget (which can be beneficial). Sleep is where the effort you put in day to day becomes more realistic to accomplish tomorrow.
Avoid exercise too close to bedtime.
Exercise can cause an accumulation of adenosine (a brain neuronal waste product) which causes a stimulating influence on the brain which keeps us awake. [4]
How much sleep is recommended to ensure healthy hormone networks and improved cognitive function?
A basic breakdown from my interpretation of the research is as follows:
- Adults: 8 hours (minimum 7 hours)
- >1 year: Minimum 12 hours
- 1-2 years: Minimum 11 hours
- 3-5 years: Minimum 10 hours
- 6-12 years: Minimum 9 hours
- 13-18 years: Minimum 8 hours sleep
[5]
Is there an optimal duration for personalised sleep?
Sleep is not measured only by duration but by quality as well. A definition of sleep and circadian health for optimal neurological function probably is multidimensional that still needs to be explained.
Strategies for better sleep
Good sleeping patters are essential for trying to optimise health, focussing on duration and quality of sleep.
- Try “winding down” by avoiding screen time. Avoid any screen time an hour before bed.
- Avoid any external light sources or flashes which might distract you. Try having blacked out blinds in your bedroom.
- Try meditating before bed.
- Try an eye mask which prevents light getting through.
- Try avoid any sort of stress before bed (reading emails, news papers, conversations which might trigger you, shopping, any sort strenuous exercise) as cortisol (stress hormone) will keep you up at night. You need cortisol to be elevated in the morning to get out of bed. If cortisol is too low, you will hate the idea of getting up.
Thank you for your time,
Rich
How I can help you?
Personal Training and Online Coaching for all levels of fitness with accurate calorie targets and nutritional advice which will be realistic around your goals, evidence based and health prioritised.
Performance Nutrition for working professionals that incorporates nutrition around your life style, aiding in better sleep, reduced stress, increased concentration and, of course, increased performance.
Performance Nutrition for the athlete who is trying to increase their performance physically, cognitively, prepare for competition, fuel for competition or simply to make weight.
I use evidenced based practice. There are no guesses.
References:
Schmidt MH. The energy allocation function of sleep: a unifying theory of sleep, torpor, and continuous wakefulness. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014;47:122–153.doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.08.001.
Exploring the Role of Dairy Products In Sleep Quality: From Population Studies toMechanistic Evaluations. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Faris M. Zuraikat, and Mackenzie Neilson.
Tononi G,Cirelli C. Sleep and the price of plasticity: from synaptic and cellular homeostasis to memory consolidation and integration. Neuron 2014;81(1):12–34.doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2013.12.025.
Sleep and the Price of Plasticity: From Synaptic and Cellular Homeostasis to Memory Consolidation and Integratio Giulio Tononi and Chiara Cirelli.
Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, et al.National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodologyand results summary. Sleep Health 2015;1(1):40–43.doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010.