Go to Bed!

By Jeffery Johnson, CSCS

We often talk about weight loss, fitness, and how to find time to squeeze exercise into our day. The truth is, even if you were to fit-in all of your workouts and eat all of the proper foods, your results could still be hindered by a lack of sleep.

Sleep deprivation varies from person to person, but generally occurs when you get less than five hours of sleep per night, over a given period of time. Currently, we are speaking of sleep deprivation and how it negatively affects weight loss, but the long-term consequences of too little sleep extends well beyond being fat and are quit serious.

Over the past 100 years, America has suffered a 20% decline in the number of sleep time hours. Since America's business development began, our days have slowly filled-up with more and more "stuff" to keep us productive and making plenty of money. I personally have clients and associates who stay up late to squeeze in extra work, set out to do grocery shopping in the middle of the night, or simply stay up to spend time alone. We do these crazy things because there is no time left in our days for these routine and simple activities. It is imperative at this point that our schedules be changed or things be removed because all too often it is sleep that takes a backseat.

Some people have great time management skills throughout the day and have plenty of time left over for sleep, but when the hour approaches that we need to actually fall asleep, there's just not a lot happening. The things we do during the day that affect sleep patterns contributes to our overall "sleep hygiene", and I'll give you some methods to improve upon it.

From Café Bustello to Starbucks, the coffee people have grown incredibly rich off of our caffeine fix over the past number of years and while it certainly helps to get the day going in the morning, the caffeine may keep you going into the night and preventing a restful night's sleep. Because caffeine may remain in your system for up to 12 hours, it is a good idea to cut yourself off after lunchtime.

As difficult as it is to stay away from, nicotine may also keep you lying awake at night. Most smokers feel that having a cigarette before bed allows them to relax, but the truth is, nicotine is a stimulant, and while it may not remain in the body as long as caffeine, you will still want to cut back on cigarettes four hours prior to bed and completely stop smoking 45 minutes before trying to fall asleep.

Next, we come to everyone's favorite, alcohol. It does hold true that alcohol is a depressant and may help you to fall asleep at night. It is also true that the more you drink, the faster you may fall asleep. However, the problem arises a few hours after you have begun snoring, due to the alcohol withdrawal your body goes through as it digests the alcohol. ...and you thought that only happened to alcoholics. My recommendation for this is, "drink it early and keep it light".

Back to what most people are concerned with, weight loss. Researchers are positive that sleep deprivation and weight gain are close cousins, but actually proving it has been a real challenge. There are many different studies out that all sing different songs but a new study suggests that lack of sleep has a negative effect on the "appetite control" hormone, leptin.

Some researchers will go as far as saying that the hormone leptin is the main culprit when it comes to obesity. The way in which this works is; our body's fat cells produce leptin, which then tells our brain when we need food. Sleep deprivation can really have a negative affect on this hormone by hindering its production. Not getting enough sleep doesn't just affect leptin levels but many others chemicals that play a role in body functions. One very important hormone that is suppressed by a lack of sleep is growth hormone. Men beware.

Over the years, I have had many clients complain of not being able to build muscle. Mostly guys of course. The first question that I ask in this situation is, "how much sleep do you get at night?" The typical reply is far fewer than six hours. When the body is deprived of sleep, it suppresses the production and secretion of growth hormone, which is responsible for the growth and repair of muscle tissue. For all of you guys out there who are working hard at building muscle, all of the protein and weight lifting in Cuba are no good without going to bed.

Sleep deprivation affects more than just how our bodies look, it also slows our cognitive abilities, reaction time, and decreases the neurotransmitters thus slowing the entire thought process.

Amidst all of the negativity surrounding sleep deprivation, there is a positive side. More often than not, you can control this. Remember to improve upon your "sleep hygiene" by limiting caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Most importantly, plan your day and make sleep a large part of it. When bed time comes around, stop what you are doing, turn everything off and go to sleep. If you are doing everything in your power and are still being deprived, speak with your healthcare physician. There are many affective, non-addictive sleep aids on the market. As a last resort, count sheep.