You might wonder what a personal trainer can teach you about sleep.... You'd be suprised, and if you take the information in stride, you'll defonately feel more 'rested'!
Before alarm clocks, teddy bears and blankies there was the sun. The sun dictated when we woke up, how long we slept, and how much productivity that day allowed. This is described as a ' Circadian rhythm' and is present in almost every land-based animal.
Sleep helps us to reconstruct memories, make mental associations and learn but also plays a very large physical role by boosting the immune system, relaxing the nervous system and resting fatigued muscles.
We go through 4 stages of sleep . Each of these stages is associated with multiple different physical and mental functions. Sleep is one of the 'pillars' of health due to its enormous contribution to wellness on so many levels and the fact that it is also vital to life. Without it a creature quickly dies. The buzzword in sleep has always been REM sleep (or your dream state) , but it is only a small portion of the function of sleep!
If you've had a week of bad sleep, or even a couple of days with lack of sleep you know what I mean, not only by the bags under your eyes but by your mental sharpness, clumsiness and 'laziness' (inability to do things due to lack of willpower and energy).
Many believe that sleep is sleep is sleep, but its not. Naps for instance are no substitute for sleep, in fact long naps disrupt the phases of sleep for the next night. 'Passing out' is another form of sleep but does not lend itself to good rest. Over-fatiguing the body and mind to the point of exhaustion is a form of sleep that has nowhere near the positive affects of a good nights rest. Not sleeping through the night means you must reset your sleep phases each time and again leads to broken sleep cycles. See our 'Tips n' Tricks' Section for more details.
Sleep is a function of many things. Everything from the way you sleep (posture), to your mattress, pillow and allergens in your bedding as well as the amount of light entering the room, your ability to breathe and your level of warmth affect the quality of your sleep. Each of these pieces to the sleep puzzle must be analyzed and understood so that you can benefit most from a process that has to, and will, happen each and every day!
Getting to sleep for some is difficult. This is a problem that for most can easily be surmounted! Control of eating, hydration, breathing and exercise lends itself to better control of sleep and teaching you how is the function of our personal trainers at Pillars of Health.
Taking better care of yourself is important.
Sleeping is no exception. Finding out how to
build the foundation of your 'pillars' to ensure a better
nights rest is absolutely necessary
for health.
