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The Relationship Between Power Sleep And Peak Performance
by Dr Greg Frost

 

Sleep deprivation is the most common deficiency around the world. The increased pressures which have accompanied the technology age means that there is more work to do than hours in the day to do it, regardless of age. School age children can now be found staying up well into the night attempting to complete homework and starting the school day already exhausted. Adults bring work home from the office, extending their work day by four or five hours before getting an equal amount of sleep and starting the next already drooping with fatigue.

The consequences of sleep deprivation on the brain have been proven time and again. The body functions based on the neural transmissions of the brain. In the presence of an absence of sleep these transmissions are not able to function normally and the body cannot react as it normally would. Reflexes become slower, thought processes decrease and speech begins to slur. The cerebral cortex, the frontal portion of the brain that is responsible for language recognition, shows an extreme decrease in activity. This is the reason that staying up well into the night attempting to complete language related tasks such as reading or homework is not as successful a tactic as rising early and attempting to complete them; as the cerebral cortex decreases in function the brain is unable to properly process what it is seeing.

A decrease in the quantity of sleep received can also cause the brain to stop producing new brain cells due to an increase in stress hormones. This also causes the person to react in the same way as a person who is approaching a breakdown due to extreme stressfulness. They become irritable, reckless and impatient, a reaction that is only enhanced by their desire to return home to their beds. They are difficult to be around and, since they are probably not even aware they are not getting enough sleep, may not be able to properly identify the problem.

A long term sleep deprivation of an hour or two a night can have the same effect as going without sleep for a whole night. The human body requires between eight and a half and ten hours of sleep a night. As nights go by and the body is consistently only able to enjoy six or seven hours a night the effects of the stress hormone begin to build up. This is the reason that a person who is chronically sleep deprived will continue to feel tired and irritable even after having received a full night’s sleep; until it becomes a regular event they will not be able to reap the maximum benefits.

Sleep deprivation can be critical to peak performance; the body cannot function as it was designed to do when it does not have the ability to refresh itself. Taking steps to ensure that they receive the full benefits of a good night’s sleep is the first step on the road to a better life for people all around the world.

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Sleeping Better, Sleeping Smarter

 

You take your vitamins. You watch your diet. You don’t do recreational drugs and you exercise every day. You take every precaution possible with your health, but did you know that you may be overlooking the most important thing of all?

That’s right, your sleep habits. Most Americans sleep six to seven hours a night and consider that to be sufficient; however, the body and mind require eight and a half to ten hours a day to perform at peak efficiency. In the presence of an insufficient amount of sleep the brain cannot function properly, and its ability to analyze problems in a timely fashion and to allow the body’s reflexes to respond quickly is greatly decreased. A lack of sleep acts on the body in much the same way as a depressant does.

Since it is not always possible in today’s fast paced world to sleep eight to ten hours a night it is necessary for everyone to learn to do the best they can with the sleep that they have available to them. When the body is sleeping lightly it is able to recharge; however, without the ability to sleep deeply for periods of time and to choose when it has slept for a sufficient period of time it is difficult for the body to truly refresh itself. By learning to sleep smarter people can avoid the potential pitfalls associated with a lack of sleep.

First, it is important that the body have an opportunity to settle itself and the mind an opportunity to clear itself of the day’s clutters before you attempt to settle yourself to sleep. Allowing a half an hour or so to meditate or to listen to a soothing music track will serve this purpose. It is essential that you not allow your mind to dwell on the day’s events during this time; this will only serve to make you ponder these issues until well into the night.

Secondly, try to avoid excessive try to limit your caffeine intake throughout the day, particularly in the afternoon. Caffeine will make it difficult for you to get to sleep and will make your body restless throughout the course of your sleep time. A cup or two of coffee in the morning is okay; however, hopefully with an improvement in your sleep habits you will be able to break this dependency altogether.

Third, establish a bedtime for yourself and eliminate all disturbances after that time. That means no phone calls to the house and no late night visitors. Request that the rest of your family adhere to these rules as well, out of consideration to you and your need for sleep.

Fourth, try and participate in plenty of activity throughout the day. If your body is still keyed up and anxious to exercise at the time you go to bed you are not going to be able to get a good night’s sleep; your body would rather be anywhere else at the time! Try to take a walk or work out in the gym for at least a half an hour a day; however, do not exercise right before bed, no matter how convenient the timing is. This will only serve to stimulate your system further..