Fitness basics pt2

Welcome back to part 2 of the basics of fitness and health.

In the previous article, we covered diet and training, and what to look out for when searching for a program to cover either or both of those things. This time, we're going to look at the importance of sleep in achieving the results we're searching for.

Sleep is probably one of the things that least comes to mind when discussing health and fitness. When it comes to sleep, the major benefit of decent sleep comes from the ability to rest, recover and repair. What does this mean though?

All activity throughout the day takes a toll one way or another on your body. The right rest is the best way to combat this so that you can recover and repair your muscles in order to get back into training or walking. I'm talking about the RIGHT kind of rest though, sleep. If you sit on the couch too much and do nothing but binge Netflix and eat food, this rest isn't going to help you feel rejuvenated and reinvigorated. Although this may be what you WANT, it certainly isn't what you NEED. After a long day of working and training and keeping your diet on track and keeping your mind stimulated, you need good quality sleep. Remember, recovery isn't just necessary for your physical body, it's also essential for your mental health as well. Exhausting yourself day to day with little or no good quality sleep will leave you burnt out, lethargic, will eventually wreak havoc with your hormones and chemical levels.

What do I mean by good quality sleep though? Is 8 hours enough? 9? Well, sleep involves something called sleep cycles. Each cycle serves a purpose, and lasts a different amount of time.

The following is from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/patient-caregiver-education/understanding-sleep).

"There are two basic types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep (which has three different stages). Each is linked to specific brain waves and neuronal activity. You cycle through all stages of non-REM and REM sleep several times during a typical night, with increasingly longer, deeper REM periods occurring toward morning.

Stage 1 non-REM sleep is the changeover from wakefulness to sleep. During this short period (lasting several minutes) of relatively light sleep, your heartbeat, breathing, and eye movements slow, and your muscles relax with occasional twitches. Your brain waves begin to slow from their daytime wakefulness patterns.

Stage 2 non-REM sleep is a period of light sleep before you enter deeper sleep. Your heartbeat and breathing slow, and muscles relax even further. Your body temperature drops and eye movements stop. Brain wave activity slows but is marked by brief bursts of electrical activity. You spend more of your repeated sleep cycles in stage 2 sleep than in other sleep stages.

Stage 3 non-REM sleep is the period of deep sleep that you need to feel refreshed in the morning. It occurs in longer periods during the first half of the night. Your heartbeat and breathing slow to their lowest levels during sleep. Your muscles are relaxed and it may be difficult to awaken you. Brain waves become even slower.

REM sleep first occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep. Your eyes move rapidly from side to side behind closed eyelids. Mixed frequency brain wave activity becomes closer to that seen in wakefulness. Your breathing becomes faster and irregular, and your heart rate and blood pressure increase to near waking levels. Most of your dreaming occurs during REM sleep, although some can also occur in non-REM sleep. Your arm and leg muscles become temporarily paralyzed, which prevents you from acting out your dreams. As you age, you sleep less of your time in REM sleep. Memory consolidation most likely requires both non-REM and REM sleep."

There are a few applications available for your smart phone that can assist with tracking sleep, and gaining a proper understanding for how you can achieve better quality sleep is one of the most important things you can do to benefit not only your training, but your overall health and well-being.

Look into it, I am positive we could all benefit from better sleep.

See you next time, D.