When I was a child, my parents told me kids need at least eight hours of sleep daily. This meant I was expected to spend one-third of my childhood sleeping !! What a waste of good playing time, I would complain.
Students nowadays find themselves always short of time. Instead of learning how to study and memorise more efficiently, the popular and widespread practice is to scavenge extra time from their sleep. From an early age, therefore, they start the process of upsetting our body rhythms, without realising the consequences.
For working professionals and parents, the demands on “sleep time” become progressively more. This is amplified for those working shifts. With kids to look after, sleep actually becomes the least of our worries, while the body craves it everyday.
In this way, we psychologically establish sleep deprivation as an acceptable coping mechanism and make it part of our lifestyle and culture. This happens largely due to many myths about sleep and exercise which prevail. Three of the most prevalent are discussed in this article.
Myth 1 : I need sleep only when tired. My body and mind are at rest when I sleep.
Myth 1 : I need sleep only when tired. My body and mind are at rest when I sleep.
Contrary to popular belief, the body and brain are not always at rest when we sleep. In fact in an eight hour sleep, the brain may be at complete rest only for a little more than an hour !
Measuring the electrical activity in the brain, scientists and doctors can now see that the brain uses minimum energy when it is in stage 4 sleep ( Figure 1). Stages 3 and 4 are classified as deep sleep. However, the tissue repair in the body is at its optimum in this stage because muscle tone decreases slightly and heart rate is at its lowest, allowing enough time for nutrient transfer and removal of the by-products of metabolism. So the body is very much at work.
Figure 1. What happens to us when we are asleep [1]Similarly, REM or “Rapid eye-movement” state is related to memory development and learning [2]. Again the time spent in REM is limited. The REM duration also increases progressively so it is enough only when we sleep 6 hours or more at a stretch.
To do all this rebuilding, the body needs energy !! Tiredness or exhaustion everyday prior to sleep is, therefore, unhealthy and results in poor sleep quality.
Myth 2. For fitness, bodybuilding or losing weight, exercise is more important than sleep.
Myth 2. For fitness, bodybuilding or losing weight, exercise is more important than sleep.
No matter how much you exercise, you only wear out tissue. You do not make it grow. The body repairs its tissues and cells only in sleep. All increases in muscle volume, strength and bone density occur in sleep. Sleep deprivation dramatically raises the chances of injury and muscle loss.
There is also enough evidence to show that inadequate and disturbed sleep is one of the major
factors in the onset and progress of obesity. According to a study across age groups, those who slept 6 hours a day or less gained more weight than those who slept seven hours and more a day [3].
The patterns and rhythms of sleep and other natural cycles (Figure 2)control body temperature, blood pressure and hormone secretions. Sleep keeps the heart and blood vessels healthy. It also regulates weight, appetite and blood glucose levels. Because of the close interconnection of sleep and day-to-day functioning, lack of sleep or irregular sleep upsets these patterns. Poor quality sleep causes memory problems, reduces critical thinking ability and lowers the body’s immunity.
There is also enough evidence to show that inadequate and disturbed sleep is one of the major
factors in the onset and progress of obesity. According to a study across age groups, those who slept 6 hours a day or less gained more weight than those who slept seven hours and more a day [3].
The patterns and rhythms of sleep and other natural cycles (Figure 2)control body temperature, blood pressure and hormone secretions. Sleep keeps the heart and blood vessels healthy. It also regulates weight, appetite and blood glucose levels. Because of the close interconnection of sleep and day-to-day functioning, lack of sleep or irregular sleep upsets these patterns. Poor quality sleep causes memory problems, reduces critical thinking ability and lowers the body’s immunity.
Figure 2. The natural rhythms of body functions over a 24 hour cycle.Different people require different hours and times of sleep. Some feel fresh and energetic with a few hours of sleep and some cannot function for long without their 8 hours of snooze. Then we have the “early birds” who go to bed early and the “late owls” who have lunch for breakfast ![4]
The graph in Figure 2 can help with deciding when to exercise for optimum effect. For example, write down your own times of sleep and hunger on the horizontal “Time” axis. Once you have your personal graph, choose times as below :
1. Calming and Focus exercises just after you wake up when the heart rate is low. Duration may be as low as 3 minutes.
2. Vigourous physical exercise when the sleep cycle is at its minimum or at least below the dotted horizontal line. This is the time your energies are at their peak. Duration may be as low as 20 minutes.
3. Relaxation exercise when your energy is low anytime during the day or close to sleep time. Duration may be as low as 5 minutes.
How long you exercise and which exercise you do each time depends on your needs and lifestyle.
The timing is important because frequent disturbance in the body rhythms is known to be one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stress disorders[5].
Myth 3. I can compensate for sleep over the weekend. If I have sleep related issues, I must “medicate” or “meditate”.
The timing is important because frequent disturbance in the body rhythms is known to be one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stress disorders[5].
Myth 3. I can compensate for sleep over the weekend. If I have sleep related issues, I must “medicate” or “meditate”.
Compensation over the weekend does not work because you again upset your natural body rhythms. If you often find yourself with insufficient sleep, before you require medication, you can turn to exercising you body and your mind, so that you build the capability to have a better quality of sleep in whatever time is available to you.
Most of us may have experienced that vigourous exercise improves sleep quality. Regular cardio-vascular or resistance training, done at the appropriate time of day, helps us sleep better [6]. A diet with adequate carbohydrates also enables better sleep.
Most of us may have experienced that vigourous exercise improves sleep quality. Regular cardio-vascular or resistance training, done at the appropriate time of day, helps us sleep better [6]. A diet with adequate carbohydrates also enables better sleep.
An important and often neglected aspect is to include “focussed relaxation” into your exercise regimen. It is said that 30 minutes of focussed relaxation is equivalent to 2 hours of sleep. This activity requires two skills :
1. How to focus ( a mind exercise ) and
2. How to let go ( an emotion exercise )
Exercises which increase focus are usually those which promote balance eg. standing on one leg. There are several exercises in yoga, called “Dhyan asanas” or “Focus positions”. These will give you not only core muscles and a lower body to die for, but also calm focus.
Exercises which enable you to relax and let go of physical and emotional tensions are classified in yoga as “Vairagya asanas” or “Letting Go positions”. These consist of largely forward bending exercises. Combined with deep exhalation, they enable emotional release. These exercises also give you great flexibility, a supple spine, healthy internal organs and robust hormonal systems.
The practice of focus and relaxation culminate in shavasana ( dead body posture ) where one tries to relax specific areas of the body lying down, while staying fully alert. Brain scans of people in similar “wakeful relaxation” states reveal that they can achieve a sleep state of 3 or 4 ( as shown in Figure 1 above) very quickly and for as long as they wish[7].
“Focussed relaxation” can be used anywhere at any time of the day if you wish to rest eg. while travelling or waiting for someone at a restaurant. Imagine the liberation of being able to take deep relaxation breaks of 5-15 minutes and completely re-energising yourself in the middle of the day.
You will then feel refreshed with lesser sleeping hours, in spite of a huge workload and hectic social calendar.
The 3 Cornerstones of Good Health – Nutrition, Exercise and Sleep
The foundations of long life and good health will never be solid until one has worked out the balance between these 3 cornerstones. Neglecting one and trying to compensate with the others has not shown positive long term results in any race or population.
Paradoxically, we may eat less and need less exercise, if we sleep enough.
References
1. http://www.mydr.com.au/
2. Doidge, Norman, MD., The Brain that Changes Itself, Penguin Books, 2007
3. Chaput, JP., et al., Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin levels and increased adiposity, Obesity 2007;15(1);pp. 253-261
4. Smolensky, Michael, PhD., and Lamberg, Lynne, The Body Clock to Better Health, New York: An Owl Book, 2001
5. Meerlo P., et al., Restricted and disrupted sleep: Effects on autonomic function, neuroendocrine stress systems and stress responsivity, Sleep Medicine Reviews 2008; 12(3); pp 197-210.
6. Brassington GS., Hicks RA., Aerobic exercise and self-reported sleep quality in elderly individuals, Journal of Ageing and Physical Activity;1995;3;120-134.
7. Elson BD., et al., Physiological changes in yoga meditation, Psychophysiology, 1977; 14(1); pp.52-57.
References
1. http://www.mydr.com.au/
2. Doidge, Norman, MD., The Brain that Changes Itself, Penguin Books, 2007
3. Chaput, JP., et al., Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin levels and increased adiposity, Obesity 2007;15(1);pp. 253-261
4. Smolensky, Michael, PhD., and Lamberg, Lynne, The Body Clock to Better Health, New York: An Owl Book, 2001
5. Meerlo P., et al., Restricted and disrupted sleep: Effects on autonomic function, neuroendocrine stress systems and stress responsivity, Sleep Medicine Reviews 2008; 12(3); pp 197-210.
6. Brassington GS., Hicks RA., Aerobic exercise and self-reported sleep quality in elderly individuals, Journal of Ageing and Physical Activity;1995;3;120-134.
7. Elson BD., et al., Physiological changes in yoga meditation, Psychophysiology, 1977; 14(1); pp.52-57.
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