I was chatting with a client today regarding recovery and energy levels. So today my blog is about the importance of sleep for your every day wellbeing, training and recovery.

Obviously we all know that it is not healthy to have broken sleep, you should be able to fall asleep within minutes of getting into bed and if you don’t for your health and well being let’s get this fixed 🙂
There is no one-size- fits- all for sleep, everybody is different and is hugely dependant on genetics (some may have genes that cause shorter sleep duration), if you work or train intensely you need more sleep to recover etc.
The national sleep foundation recommend:
18-64 years 7-9 hours sleep.
65 +years 7-8 hours sleep.
Most of us should be aiming for at least 7 hours per day/night and if we have greater stresses in our week then we should aim for higher.
Lack of sleep can be fatal! (at it’s most extreme obviously 😉 The brains ability to function deteriorates markedly with too little sleep. Speech may slur, cognition decreases and thought patterns become more rigid. Emotional disturbances occur more and physical performance drops in response to not enough sleep.
So just reading this paragraph shows how important sleep is. If your waking or feeling a little groggy in your day lack of sleep is most likely your cause.

1st step to fixing this…
* Ask yourself WHY am I having trouble sleeping? (How is this serving me?)
Is it work, relationship, alcohol before bed….

2nd Step
Start a wee ritual before bed….Sometimes we continue our work-day mind set even when we are home. Creating a bedtime ritual helps achieve this.

* Turn the TV off and don’t stay on the computer late! You probably know this and say yeah yeah…honestly guys this has to go. Your health is important so turn the technology off. Our daily rhythms are affected by light intensity and screens emit a high light intensity.

* Read Fiction

* Have a warm bath

* Meditate (this is highly important for those of you who find they wake in the night or can’t sleep as they can’t turn their mind off). It can be as simple as practicing taking 5-10 minutes each day just focusing on your breathing. See how long you can lie with your eyes closed and think only of your breath without your mind wandering…give it a go and let me know how long you can do this for? A great book to help with this is Time Rich Cash Optional and you can buy it on this link http://www.nutritionstore.online?afmc=27&utm_campaign=27&utm_source=leaddyno&utm_medium=affiliate 

* DO NOT TAKE YOUR WORK HOME! Easier said than done I know 🙂 If you do take it home try this tip. Go to bed early and get up an hour earlier to do the work you were going to do the night before. You need to start training your body to go to bed early (tired) and get up earlier so you can achieve this tiredness (if that makes sense)

Any questions don’t hesitate to ask! Email me at tracy@get2itfitness.co.nz. Have a super day! x