Sleep: The Magic Pill
If there were a drug that you could take that could guarantee you an increase in athletic performance, muscle hypertrophy, cognitive function, longevity, and quality of life… how much would you pay for it?
Hopefully, nothing. That drug already exists in the form of deep, restful, sufficient sleep. Sleep gets a bad wrap in many circles because of an incorrect association between sleep and laziness. In American culture particularly, sleep is often viewed as an obstacle to high performance, hard work, and success, rather than a precursor to it. How often are we bombarded with phrases like:
“If you want to be successful, you have to be willing to give up sleep”
Or,
“I only need 3-4 hours per night. I’m just too busy”
Or the implication that because someone is sleeping fewer hours each night, they are working harder and will be more successful than their peers. Is there some truth to these statements? Maybe in the short term. In the long run, however, sleep will be your best friend and your secret weapon in business, athletic performance, and day to day life.
Don’t take my word for it, here are the facts:
Sleeping less than 6 hours per night can increase your risk for premature death by up to 12%. Interestingly, getting too much sleep is also detrimental for your longevity (more on this later)
Sleep deprivation can decrease testosterone, increase cortisol, and inhibit muscle growth and recovery from hard training.
Short sleep appears to be tied to increased bodyweight, particularly in younger age groups.
Sleep deprivation, both chronic and acute, can negatively impact memory, attention, and cognitive performance
The quality of your sleep is not something you can afford to ignore. You will spend one third of your lifetime asleep. Let that sink in for a moment: over the course of your life you will likely sleep for over 25 years.
So how can you get the most out of your sleep?
1) Duration is probably the most important takeaway in this discussion. Simply getting enough sleep is first obstacle most people face. Research seems to agree that most adults should seek to get 7-8 hours per night, but athletes who are training hard and regularly may need more. Interestingly, getting too much sleep is also not recommended. Adults who regularly get more than 9 hours per night have a 30% chance of dying prematurely, on average.
2) Quality is the next consideration after duration. Maximizing the amount of time you spend in deep sleep and REM sleep will have far more profound effects than 8 hours of light, frequently interrupted sleep. The rest of these tips will concern improving sleep quality.
3) Timing and Regularity of your sleep pattern are of massive importance. Your body works according to circadian rhythms –your “biological clock”—that control the release of certain hormones in your body throughout the day that regulate many of your daily functions. It is import to maintain a similar sleep schedule (going to sleep and waking up at around the same time each day) to support a normal circadian rhythm and a healthy hormone profile.
As an aside, there is some debate regarding what constitutes a “normal” circadian rhythm. Many experts advocate the idea that all humans should strive to sleep between about the hours of 10pm to 6am or 11pm to 7am, in accordance with the sun, while others propose the existence of “chronotypes”, wherein people tend to fall into a few common sleep patterns. Whatever theory you subscribe to, I propose that the duration, quality, and regularity of your sleep is more important than when you choose to do it (within reason – human beings are simply not nocturnal).
4) Relaxation before bed can help you get better quality sleep. Where possible, it pays to avoid things like stressful situations or violent video games in the hours before bed, as these can be very stimulating on your brain and keep you up at night.
Speaking of stimulants, these chemical substances should be avoided as well. Caffeine is the main offender here (having roughly a 5-hour half life, it should really be avoided after the early afternoon) but nicotine is another common stimulant. Although it doesn’t fall into this same category, it is worth noting that alcohol can also impair deep sleep and should be avoided before bed.
At this point I should mention that associating the bedroom with things other than sleep can be detrimental for the relaxation process, as simply being in the same room where you study, work, or watch television can stimulate the mind when you’re trying to go to bed. Do your best to leave these activities in other areas of the house or apartment, and let the bedroom be just for sleep.
5) Darkness is essential in the discussion of deep sleep. Exposure to light (especially blue light) stimulates wakefulness and inhibits the release of melatonin—a vital hormone for sleep quality. The room you sleep in should be pitch black, to the point where you cannot see your own hand in front of your face at night. Unplug that night light!
Some people go so far as to recommend blue-light blocking glasses in the evening hours. While this makes sense, the real culprit here is the constant exposure to screens that fills most people’s waking hours. Replacing TV and video games before bed with activities like reading can solve this problem better than any glasses. Try turning off your phone before you go to bed to avoid the temptation of staring at the bright screen all night and keeping yourself awake.
Also consider the flip side of this equation, which is getting exposure to sunlight upon waking. It is understandably difficult to wake up in a room that is still pitch black. Getting some light as soon as possible can help stimulate wakefulness when you need it most in the morning. If you live in a place where natural darkness is hard to come by, such as a city, blackout curtains will quickly become your best friend. In the morning, if you find waking up in this dark room to be difficult, I have had tremendous success with a sunrise-simulating alarm clock.
6) Temperature is another consideration when getting a good night’s sleep. Sleeping in a room that is too warm is a common culprit for disturbed sleep patterns. The ideal temperature is probably cooler than you think it is, at around 65 degrees Fahrenheit/18 degrees Celsius. Colder than this does not seem to affect sleep much, provided you have blankets to keep you warm, but the real harm comes the higher temperatures. Keep a special eye on this during the warm summer months.
7) Sound can wake you up from even a deep sleep if it is sudden and loud. While some people prefer a silent sleeping environment, this is not always possible for everyone in every location. The solution in some cases may be a white noise machine to provide a constant sound to dampen much of the outside world.
8) Snoring is a possible symptom of sleep apnea, a disorder in which you stop breathing during the night. In addition to preventing deep sleep, this can result in a cascade of other health problems including high blood pressure and heart disease. Snoring and sleep apnea can arise from several causes including being overweight (and carrying excess tissue in the neck and throat), resting tongue posture, and the CNS regulation of breathing muscles during sleep. The solutions can also vary from wearing a CPAP device to changing your sleep position, or even sleeping with your mouth taped shut. If you suspect you have sleep apnea, it is worth your time to consult with a physician.
9) Pressure is the final thing I will discuss in this list, and in this instance I refer specifically to the physical sensation of touch. Obviously, getting slapped violently is enough to instantly wake most people, but gentler changes in our perception of pressure can also wake us up or pull us out of deep sleep. The best solution to this issue is upgrading your mattress to a higher quality one that will ensure you a comfortable and undisturbed sleep. Cheap mattresses with aggressive or uneven springs could be actively contributing to your underwhelming night’s sleep. Think about it: there is a reason you sleep better on king bed than on a pullout couch. As I said before, you will spend roughly one third of your life on this mattress, so be sure to choose it carefully and invest wisely.
If you can take away one thing from this article, I hope it is to simply make getting proper sleep a top priority. Whatever you goal may be, whether in business, athletics, or simply health and longevity, sleep will be an invaluable tool in getting you there.
