Sleep
Getting the proper amount of sleep is a commonly overlooked component of many peoples’ lives. The daily requirements of work, school, family and training often results in less than optimal sleep cycles. Prolonged, irregular sleep cycles not only have a debilitating effect on performance, but can lead to increased rate of injuries and serious health consequences. It is incredibly important that martial arts students ensure that they regularly get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
Our bodies require sleep for multiple reasons. Sleep allows our central nervous system to “reset” from the rigors of daily life and from intense physical activity. Without this “reset”, our ability to perform even the most simplest of task is negatively impacted. Additionally, our bodies use this down time to repair and rebuild our muscle tissue. If we are sleep deprived or not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, our muscle tissue will not fully recover from the physical activity of martial arts. In extreme cases, our muscle tissue will even begin to atrophy. Another critical and often overlooked reason for proper sleep is hormone balance. During any given day an individual’s various hormone levels change in response to external stimuli. Sleep is required to reduce the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Prolonged increased cortisol levels have been link to the development of insulin resistance, a risk factor for obesity and diabetes. Sleep loss is also linked to increased levels of leptin, which is a hormone released by the fat cells that signals satiety to the brain and thus suppresses appetite. Testosterone is another critical hormone (for both men and women) that is impacted by sleep. Research has shown that the highest levels of testosterone happen during REM sleep, the deep, restorative sleep that occurs mostly late in the nightly sleep cycle. Getting ample sleep allows our bodies to restore our testosterone levels which decrease during waking hours. Reduced testosterone levels have been link to chronic fatigue, depression, diabetes, obesity, reduced muscle mass & strength, increased abdominal fat, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and of course sexual disfunction.
Ensuring that you get regular, ample sleep requires a bit of planning, commitment and discipline. It’s easy to get caught up in your favorite TV show, the internet or even a good book and then stay up too late. First you need to determine what time you need to go to bed to ensure 7-8 hours of sleep and then set a reminder. I actually create a daily calendar event, with a 15 minute audible warning, on both my iPhone and iPad. When I hear this alarm, I know it’s time to shut off the TV, get off the internet or finish whatever I am working on at that moment. In this last 15 minutes, I prep my things for the morning, brush my teeth and then head to bed. Often a person may say “but I don’t feel sleepy yet” when they start attempting to get 7-8 hour of sleep per night. Don’t worry, in short order your body will adjust to this new sleep pattern. It’s what your body needs, so it will adjust quickly. You just have to be consistent and your body will thank you for it.
And on that note……bedtime for me.
Instructor William Green
ECCE·EGO·MITTE·ME
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Elite Training Center
1628 South Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 543-1600
www.elitetrainingcenter.net
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