Sleep and Stress Management

Sleep is not the most exciting topic out there. Most people interested in health and fitness prefer to discuss more engaging subjects, such as diets, training plans, supplements, and more.

The problem is, not getting enough sleep can wreak havoc on our health, well-being, and fitness progress. Even worse, we are terrible at determining that we are sleep deprived, which keeps us glued to poor habits that prevent us from getting adequate rest each night.

We’ve put together this post to help you break the cycle and understand why you need to sleep. 

Here is how it works…

The Benefits of Getting Enough Sleep

Adequate sleep is essential for our hormones, cognition, cardiovascular health, well-being, and much more. 

For one, adequate sleep allows for optimal brain restoration. Each day, countless processes in the brain lead to the accumulation of metabolic waste that clears up while we sleep. As a result, we feel refreshed, sharp, and ready to tackle each new day. 

Good sleep is also essential for our memory, emotional health, concentration, and productivity. If you’ve ever had a poor night of sleep, you can appreciate how big of a difference rest can make. Sleep also makes us more resilient to stress and better able to tackle many of life’s challenges.

The third reason why we need to get enough sleep has to do with our fitness progress. Sleeping improves our motivation, well-being, and ability to  concentrate. As a result, we feel more rested and can have more productive workouts.

Getting adequate sleep also improves muscle protein synthesis and our ability to burn fat. A 2010 paper suggested that sleep deprivation impairs fat-burning and leads to more muscle loss while dieting.

How to Sleep Better Each Night

We can all agree that sleep is essential. The problem is, we are sleeping less than ever before, thanks to the never-ending entertainment options and tasks on the to-do list. What’s worse is that we often don’t realize we are sleep-deprived. We might feel terrible initially, but we get used to the lack of rest, accepting it as our new baseline. 

The most critical factor in good sleep is proper stress management. Chronic stress often puts us in a perpetual state of alertness and anxiety, preventing us from falling or staying asleep. Managing stress allows us to feel more relaxed and improves our sleep quality.

Good tactics include:

• Setting aside time for favorite activities

• Meditating

• Exercising

• Spending time in nature

• Limiting social media time

Other ways to improve your sleep include:

• Create a regular sleeping routine: go to bed and wake up at similar times each day. Doing so can make it easier for you to fall asleep in the evenings and wake up in the morning.

• Avoid alcohol in the evening. While the occasional nightcap might help you fall asleep more quickly, it can worsen rest quality, robbing you of the much-needed REM sleep.

• Don’t consume any caffeine within 6 to 8 hours of going to bed. Caffeine is a stimulant with a half-life of roughly 6 hours, and having it too late in the day can prevent you from falling asleep.

• Optimize your sleep environment. Keep your room dark, cool, and as quiet as possible. You should also invest some money in a quality mattress and pillow.