Yeah, yeah. We all know sleep is pretty important. But there’s a pretty big disconnect between our understanding that sleep is important and the actual practice of sleeping well.<\/p>\n
In fact, lack of sleep is an epidemic. The CDC estimates<\/a> that one-third of Americans \u2014 over 100 million people \u2014 don\u2019t get enough sleep. That\u2019s a problem; having adequate and quality sleep is paramount to overall health (and ability to function).<\/p>\n I mean think about it…<\/p>\n How many times this week have you yawned your way through a work meeting or class?<\/p>\n Or suffered your way through a workout, feeling groggy and low on energy?<\/p>\n We suck at sleep, and it’s affecting our health.<\/p>\n Sleeping fewer than seven hours a day is linked with a higher risk for developing heart disease and plenty of other health issues that plague our nation. Not to mention, sleep is critical for athletic recovery, proper metabolism, and overall mood.<\/p>\n Clearly we need to change something. But how?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, which are two of the primary authorities on the topic of sleep health, recommend adults get at least seven hours of sleep<\/a> each night according to the best available evidence.<\/p>\n But as you know, with busy schedules, workout routines, kids crying out for a snuggle, and much-needed personal time, locking in seven-plus hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep isn’t easy.<\/p>\n So what happens when we don\u2019t get that?<\/p>\n One major way lack of sleep affects our health is by disrupting our circadian rhythm.<\/p>\n Like most mammals, we have a cyclical sleep-wake cycle. Our bodies function differently depending on the time of the day. If we constantly disrupt our body\u2019s homeostasis by changing our natural pattern, problems arise.<\/p>\n During sleep is also when we physiologically \u201cclean house\u201d by killing off damaged cells, resetting our metabolism, and stimulating the immune system. Neglecting this can compromise our short- and long-term health.<\/p>\n So you can see, restful sleep at the end of a long day allows your body\u00a0to get ready for tomorrow. But \u2014 if your long day included a long run or tough workout, sleep plays an even bigger role.<\/p>\n High-quality sleep factors into athletic performance in a variety of ways:<\/p>\n Impaired sleep\u00a0leads to a vicious cycle in athletes: insufficient sleep undermines recovery and affects cognition and hormone production, which can lead to overtraining. Overtraining leads to low-quality sleep, and down and down…<\/p>\n and down we go.<\/p>\n So if sleep is so critical for our health and athletic performance, why we do suck at it?<\/p>\n There are two big issues that keep us from catching our 40 winks (and I bet you’re doing them both right now):<\/p>\n 1. The Endless Scroll (and Too Much Light)<\/b><\/p>\n Light exposure, such as sunlight or fluorescent light, inhibits the production of melatonin, a neurohormone that helps us fall asleep. For the vast majority of our evolution, we didn\u2019t have access to electricity or artificial lighting, so we had a much more natural sleep cycle.<\/p>\n Today, we live in a culture and world constantly exposed to light, which throws off our circadian rhythm. We know that light is a key modulator of inducing sleep, and spending our evening hours scrolling our Facebook<\/a> or Instagram<\/a> feeds is definitely not helping our brains switch into sleep mode.<\/p>\n 2. Too Much Sitting<\/b><\/p>\n Another main reason for our sleep epidemic is inactivity. Most of us spend our day sedentary at a desk, which has been shown to affect sleep quality and duration. Evolutionarily, we\u2019re animals designed to be moving all day, so inactivity (which is also associated with obesity) affects our sleep.<\/p>\n It\u2019s another example of a vicious cycle: Sitting all day<\/a> makes us sleepy and lethargic, which obstructs our ability to move.<\/p>\n But, on the flip side, we have to be careful to not overdo it. Too much<\/i> exercise increases the release of stress hormones<\/a>, which can actually reduce sleep quality.<\/p>\n How much is too much? There\u2019s no easy answer. Listen to your body, and make sure you\u2019re getting the high quality sleep you need to recover well.<\/p>\n Sleeping better may sound simple, but when you’re lying in bed at midnight wide awake, it feels impossible.<\/p>\n Fear not, I have a plan to help you get started…<\/p>\n I\u2019ve come up with five simple, practical, and effective strategies to incorporate into your day (and night) to help improve your sleep:<\/p>\n All this sleep talk might have you wondering: what about napping? The research is mixed<\/a>. Some swear by their afternoon naps for better productivity and better sleep, but a nap may also make it harder to fall asleep come nighttime. Experiment to see what works best for you!<\/p>\n While I don’t have any myself, part of what I know about teaching young kids to sleep is to get them into a regular bedtime routine. From the bath to the toothbrush, then into bed with books and lullabies, many of my friends have set bedtime routines they do with their kids every single night (sometimes even down to the exact books and songs).<\/p>\n That process is what gets the little rascals from full-on playtime mode to slumberland in no time.<\/p>\n So why is it that we, as adults, no longer follow a nighttime routine? (And I don’t mean one that involves a late-night snack, hours on the couch in front of the TV, and a nightcap… Not healthy sleep aids.)<\/p>\n Developing a consistent\u00a0\u2014 healthy\u00a0\u2014 nightly routine for yourself can be profound for syncing up the body clock and promoting restful sleep. Here’s one way to\u00a0incorporate some of the tips, but don\u2019t be afraid to modify it based on your circumstances (because, life and kids). The important part is getting the body used to winding down and waking up around the same time.<\/p>\n 4 hours before bed:<\/b> Finish last meal, rich in nutrient-dense plant foods<\/a> and higher in carbohydrates and protein.<\/p>\n 2 hours before bed:<\/b> Turn off digital devices\/limit artificial light.<\/p>\n 1 hour before bed:<\/b> Engage in 15 minutes of light stretching and meditation<\/a>. Focus on the breath and bringing the heart rate down.<\/p>\n 30 minutes before bed:<\/b> Wind down with a book<\/a> and cold-environment bedroom. (And maybe enjoy a natural sleep aid like Som\u00a0\u2014 see below for Matt Frazier’s note.)<\/p>\n Picture a world where the afternoon crash is a thing of the past.<\/p>\n Where each morning you wake up feeling rested, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle the day.<\/p>\n Sounds ideal, right? And maybe out of reach… if sleeping in every day is a thing of the past.<\/p>\n But thankfully, better sleep isn’t just about sleeping more<\/i>. It’s also about sleeping more intentionally<\/i> and effectively<\/i>.<\/p>\n Incorporating simple steps and habit changes can drastically improve your sleep in the short-term and your life in the long-term, and in turn improve not just the quality of your sleep, but your life and athletic performance.<\/p>\n And it could all start by simply flipping off this screen.<\/p>\n Note from Matt Frazier:<\/strong> To wrap up this post about sleep, I want to point you in the direction of a new sleep product I’ve experimented with, and that (much to my surprise) I actually really like.<\/em><\/p>\n My occasional sleep troubles are well-told on NMA Radio<\/a>, and I’ve found this product\u00a0(called Som) to be really helpful on nights when my mind is racing and I can’t fall asleep, or when I need to acclimate to a new time zone. It’s been particularly helpful before the two trips to Europe I’ve taken in the past few months. (And just so you know, I don’t have any financial or affiliate relationship with Som, but the company’s CEO John Shegerian is an acquaintance, he sent me a few cans to try out, and I want to help spread the word around their launch this week.)<\/em><\/p>\n Som is designed to be drunk a half hour before you get in bed, to help you fall asleep. I’m normally suspicious of any sort of sleep aid, but Som is drug-free; its active ingredients are naturally produced in your body or found in a healthy diet (magnesium, vitamin B6, l-theanine, GABA, and melatonin), and of course it’s vegan. And for what it’s worth, it tastes really good; I actually think of it as a treat on the occasional nights when I drink one before bed.<\/em><\/p>\n If you’re interested,\u00a0check out Som here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n About the Authors:<\/strong> Jackson Long is a physiology grad from CU Boulder and co-host of the Thought For Food Podcast<\/a>. He’s also part of the team at Lightdrop<\/a> and an avid plant-based cyclist. Matt Tullman<\/a> is determined to help the plant-based movement reach 30% of the population by 2030. To make that happen, he\u2019s currently focused on starting, advising, and investing in plant-based companies.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yeah, yeah. We all know sleep is pretty important. But there’s a pretty big disconnect between our understanding that sleep is important and the actual practice of sleeping well. In fact, lack of sleep is an epidemic. The CDC estimates that one-third of Americans \u2014 over 100 million people \u2014 don\u2019t get enough sleep. That\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":33777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-30062","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Sleep is so Important<\/h3>\n
How Sleep Affects Your Athletic Performance<\/h3>\n
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The Real Reasons You Can\u2019t Sleep<\/h3>\n
5 Steps to Solving Your Sleep Problem<\/h3>\n
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A Sample Nighttime Routine<\/h3>\n
When It Comes to Sleep, Simple Lifestyle Changes Go a Long Way<\/h3>\n
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