Get Your ZZZ's

This is a topic that many people overlook, sleep, and its importance. Many of the world's greatest athletes eat, sleep, and breathe for their sports. Remember, pushing your body to limits in order to make improvements requires a lot recovery. Your body goes through phases and missing a few hours of sleep may cause you to have low performance. The quality and amount of sleep athletes get is often the key to winning. The level of REM sleep, Rapid Eye Movement if very important because it provides energy to both the brain and body. Missing this sleep means that your body doesn't have time to repair memory, consolidate memory, and release hormones. A study in the journal Sleep confirms how sleep works with performance. The results show a decline in split second decision making following poor sleep. An increase in accuracy was found in well rested subjects. Some research found that sleep deprivation increases levels of stress hormone, cortisol. Sleep deprivation has also caused a decreased production of glycogen and carbohydrates. This works against you especially since you are exercising. While you sleep your body replenishes nutrients, and rebuilds muscles. This is a huge part of your recovery. Think about how you feel with less sleep. Skipping the hours leads to low energy, fatigue, and poor focus. Sleep will help you with good fitness, good eating, and good health. The recommended amount is approximately 7-8 hours. Since everyone is different, make sure you find the proper hour for you. Here are the results of a study by the National Sleep Foundation. The researchers found that the appropriate sleep duration: for newborns is between 14 and 17 hours for infants between 12 and 15 hours for toddlers between 11 and 14 hours for preschoolers between 10 and 13 hours for school aged children between 9 and 11 hours for teenagers between 8 and 10 hours for young adults / adults between 7 and 9 hours for older adults between 7 to 8 hours. It is important to remember that sleep duration vary across our lifespan, from person to person. These recommendation represent guidelines for healthy individuals and those not suffering from a sleep disorder. Take a look at your lifestyle to see if you fit into the recommendations or need to make a few adjustments. You do not want to compromise your health and well- being so make sure you get your ZZZ's! Have a fantastic Thursday!

References: Sleep, Athletic Performance, and Recovery, National Sleep Foundation How Much Sleep Do We Really Need, National Sleep Foundation