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Are Sleep and Fitness Linked?
By Christina | August 27, 2008
Sleep deprivation is no fun! Are you tired halfway through your day? Do you wake up feeling unrested? Are you up by 330am? Sure, you get extra work done, a little extra house cleaning, maybe you mentally solve the problems of the world, but you may be doing you body some serious harm.
In the short term lack of sleep can cause you to feel irritable, impatient, anxious and depressed. In addition, sleep deprivation can affect memory, thinking, reaction time and productivity. In the long term, lack of sufficient sleep can have serious health consequences. In fact, more and more studies are showing that getting enough shut eye is as vital as diet and exercise if you want to live a long and healthy life.
The research shows approximately 70 million Americans experience a form of sleep deprivation or suffer with a sleep disorder (I am blogging at 4am). To function properly, we need an average of 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day to sustain maximal mental and physical function. Unfortunately, the average American sleeps approximately 7 hours per day. (I dream of a 7 hour sleep.)
The studies have concluded that not getting the sleep you need can affect you in many ways, specifically in terms of cognitive or mental functioning, weight management and athletic performance.
- Cognitive Functioning - In a study done by The Army Physical Fitness Research Institute, they found that soldiers who were sleep deprived faired poorly on cognitive performance on tasks requiring decision making, short-term memory and mathematical processing to the tune of about 25 percent for every 24 hours of wakefulness.
- Weight Management - There has been a link found between obesity and sleep deprivation. One hormone that appears important in this equation is human growth hormone (HGH), which controls the body’s proportions of fat and muscle. The majority of HGH secretion occurs shortly after sleep begins, especially during the deepest stages. If sleep is impaired, so is HGH secretion.
- Athletic Performance - The body functions as a chain and so all our systems work together, when one is out of balance, you can bet there are others that are in the same state. It appears that proper sleep during heavy training or competition is critical for optimal performance. In a sleep-deprived athlete, glycogen (energy) storage may be slowed. In an endurance event, this can mean the difference between finishing strong, barely getting through or not finishing at all.
Adequate sleep is essential for health and peak performance. Above all, remember that good sleep hygiene is as important a daily lifestyle habit as regular exercise or proper nutrition.
Topics: Fitness Tips |