Tidbit Tuesday - Sleep & Recovery
Hello,
Welcome to our first Tidbit Tuesday! (name in the works .. open to all suggestions) Where we aim to teach you something new every week related to nutrition, health, and fitness. Please let us know what future topics you would like to learn about.
Our first topic is the importance of sleep & recovery.
We wanted to start with sleep because it is a crucial component of health, while often over-looked, it deserves dedicated time and attention.
Good quality sleep allows us to recover physically and mentally, improving our performance and body composition, keeping us happy and healthy with a long future in mind.
Just as important as nutrition and exercise, sleep plays a role in our hormone balance and regulation, plus, with adequate sleep on a regular basis you greatly reduce your risk factor for many health complications.
Those who carry high amounts of body fat tend to sleep less than those with a normal body fat. Studies suggest that people who sleep fewer than 6 hours per night, and those who sleep more than 9 hours per night, gain almost twice as much weight over a 6-year period as people who sleep 7 to 8 hours per night.
Some scientists speculate that sleep deprivation could disrupt the hormones that regulate appetite, which results in body fat accumulation. Check this out: Eleven healthy men in their 20’s were only allowed 4 hours of sleep for six straight nights. At the end of this, the young men had the insulin sensitivity of a 70-year-old pre-diabetic!
With life so abundantly full of distractions constantly fighting for our attention, we must learn to say “NO” and separate ourselves from these distractions to improve our overall health with a good night’s sleep. Finding a suitable sleeping strategy needs to be part of your healthy living and good nutrition routine.
Let us know if you would like some help building a good sleep routine!
If you want to dive a little deeper into the science behind sleep, here is a resource by Precision Nutrition; https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-sleep
Happy Sleeping!
Your friend in Health & Fitness,
Coach Sean
