Go Catch Some Zs

By: Nick Thomas

In today’s world of busy, on-the-go life and so much technology at our fingertips, we seem to let unimportant things distract us, keeping us awake when we should be sleeping. Then we complain about feeling sluggish and worn out, having a lack of focus and/or forgetfulness, and being overweight. Our bodies are made to function in routine, fully rested, fueled, and exercised daily. Lack of sleep directly slows our bodies in numerous ways. Sleep could be the overlooked element keeping you from attaining your goals.

Sleep is the key to many things. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, sleep must to be a priority. The correct amount of sleep not only benefits your mental state, it also directly helps your attention, energy level, weight, and more. Too much or too little sleep has even been shown to affect your lifespan.

It is amazing that no matter what your goals are in life, sleep is a huge factor in how well you perform. Sleep has been proven to aide in creativity. It reorganizes and restructures your thoughts which allows you to be more creatively productive. As an athlete seeking to step up your performance, sleep is one of the simplest things you can do to up your game because it improves stamina.

Moms and dads, you may have already noticed the amount of uninterrupted sleep your children get drastically affects their mood, attention span, and academic performance. Kids tend to get more hyperactive with sleep deprivation while adults have the opposite response. So, when they are driving you crazy in the evening and your inclination is to have them do something active in order to wear them out more, maybe an early bedtime is actually the best choice to help your sanity and their health as well. Finally, when you are tempted to stay awake to meet deadlines, remember that a good night’s rest will do more for your productivity than trying to pull extra-long hours.

Most of us do not mind finding easier ways to drop a few extra pounds, and sleep is one thing that anyone can do to help this process. Those who go to bed and get an average of 8 hours of sleep each night have been proven to lose more extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight. In turn, those who are sleep deprived tend to lose muscle mass and be hungrier.

Stress and sleep both affect your cardiovascular health. Sleep is proven to aid in the reduction of stress and blood pressure, which in turn lowers your chance of heart disease.

Sleep is honestly a cornerstone in having an overall good quality of life. A good night’s sleep even helps you keep depression and anxiety at bay. By keeping a good sleep routine, you can lower irritability and have more emotional stability each day. It is important to get a good night’s sleep every night because it is not something you can really “catch up on,” it should be maintained. You will find all areas of your life and your body itself will function better if you will go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each and every day…yes, even on the weekend.

For more information regarding a personalized general or sports nutrition plan contact me at Prime Performance 423-805-0870.
By: Nick Thomas
Owner of Prime Performance Training, and Certified Sports Nutritionist