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I like most Americans suffer from a lack of sleep. We simply have way to much going on in the day, and simply not enough time to do it. When did life become so hectic? Without a doubt if you get a full night sleep every night you will feel much better day in and day out. A good night’s sleep with help you feel more alert, responsive, and overall a much happier person throughout the day. If you train for any kind of sport sleep is vital to your recovery time, your body needs to rest to rebuild all the damage you do in the gym.

How quickly we forget how hard it is to get an good night sleep. While you are try to shut down shop for the night, your body needs to keep up with nightly maintenance. Your cardiovascular system needs to pump blood; your brain does everything that the brain does to keep everything going. Your metabolic system turns that midnight snack into energy. While a good night sleep leaves you well rested and ready to conquer your daily tasks the next day there is way more to sleep then meets the eye.

Studies have shown people who sleep less than 5 hours a night are roughly 40% more likely to develop heart disease later in life rather the those who get a full 8 hours a night. If you neglect your nightly sleep ritual you’re more likely to have high blood pressure, which sucks on its own may also lead to varicose veins.

I am tired and fat; they all came on ant the same time. Think there may be a coincidence here? Would you be surprised if there was? People who are sleep deprived release excess levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress related hormone regulated by the adrenal gland. If you have excess amounts of it in your system you can feel even more stressed the you are(which may release more), and increase your hunger, and now your stuffing you feelings with cupcakes. If only you had sleep last night you could have avoided those extra 300 calories of shit.
Don’t sleep enough you are tired and groggy during the day. Sleep helps with the tired feeling as well. While you sleep your brain replenishes neurotransmitters, restores our immune system, and works on restoring us for the next day. If you can’t get enough sleep or like myself lay in bed for hours on end, people instinctively turn to the magic pills. On a side note, does anyone else get sick of all the fucking pill commercials on TV. Holy fuck, are people so un able to handle their own shit anymore they need a pill for every little fucking thing… pills are not problem solvers for everything wrong in your life people. Sleeping pills make it so the body’s natural ability to fall asleep is diminished, disrupt natural sleeping habits, so now you are paying for pills and are still tired.

So what does one have to do to sleep naturally at night, a simple few steps can keep you feeling great and living a longer healthier life. Cut down on your caffeine throughout the day. If your tired in the morning have a cup of coffee, I know I do…I am at work at 11 by 1 I have had over 70 oz’s of coffee. (Coffee is not a bad thing, Coffee to Good to be True) Most people don’t realize that caffeine can stay in your system for 6-12 hours after digesting it. So if you are going to bed at 10 PM at minimum your last caffeine item should be at 4 PM if not before. If you find yourself needing an extra kick, try natural energy boosters such as L-Carnitie, CoQ10, CLA, and Omega-3 are among some of the best out there for you. Not only do they provide energy, they help with metabolism.

Keep the naps to a minimum, yes everyone needs a 15 minute cat nap every once in a while, but it no longer counts as a cap nap if you wake up every 15 minutes just to move and fall back asleep. Long naps day after day will start to affect your body’s natural sleep rhythm. This may cause you to find it hard to fall asleep at night as your body is confused.

If you find yourself restless after a consistent good night’s sleep look at your diet. If McDonalds is your main diet or your food is fast the an Olympic track star you may want to look at what you are eating.(A Powerlifters Diet) There are several macro nutrients in food your body needs to feel up and ready to go every day. If you can’t find time to get them, you may want to try a multi vitamin.

If you consistently find yourself hungry before bed, do not have a huge meal. Big meals require a lot of metabolic activity which requires energy. Energy keeps you awake. You should always put a little food down there because your body needs the good food to rebuild your body. Instead of huge meals, suck down a protein shake or a small snack of good lower glycemic index carbs and high in protein.

Fail to plan, plan to fail. You need to get into a ritual of getting the proper amounts of sleep a night. You need to plan to get everything done you need to get done I would say roughly an 20-30 minutes or so before you go to bed. You need time to settle down before bed. One needs to minimize the amount of noise and lights they are exposed to during the hour or so before bed.

Start diming or during of lights before you go to bed. This will make your body realize it’s about that time and start releasing melatonin, which is the body’s natural alarm clock, it helps you fall asleep. Melatonin peeks during teenage years and starts to dwindle as we get older. There are some melatonin products available to supplement it. Try to avoid too much tv before you hit the sack. The natural stimulation caused by tv shows may leave you feeling anxious or excited and make it harder to doze off.
To achieve a good night’s sleep, it is important to know the steps of sleep.

• Stage one – this is the transition between being awake and going to sleep. This is the shortest period of about 2-5% of sleep. This is non-REM sleep

• Stage two – this is your baseline sleep, it consists of about 45-60% of your normal nights sleep. This is non-REM sleep.

• Stages three and four- accounting for 40% of sleep time, these stages are the deepest sleep and most restorative for the brain. This is non-REM sleep.

• REM – The most active stage of sleep REM accounts for 20-25% of a normal nights sleep. Breathing, heart rate and brain activity quicken during this stage.

Your body needs sleep, don’t deprive it. Make sure you follow the simple sleep steps outlined above to get yourself a better nights sleep so you can work and train harder during the day.

Sleep well and Train hard

Brandon Braner
www.ironbarfitness.com