Health & Fitness Centre - News Sports Travel

Article by Marie

Why get fit and healthy?

Helping to bring balance to your life

Sleep Better
When was the last time you got a really good night?s sleep? Unless you are one of the lucky few who fall into a blissful, deep sleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, disturbed sleep is probably something you struggle with frequently. This can have a hugely negative impact upon your life and also upon your relationship.

Maybe you are a night-shift worker who sleeps during the day, but find you can only get three of four hours sleep at the most due to daytime noise and other disruptive factors. Or perhaps you are struggling with personal issues at home or at work which are keeping you awake at night. Mood disorders, such as depression can cause disturbed sleep also.

Whatever the cause(s) of your sleeping problems, the good news is that there are steps you can take to tackle and overcome them.

Through reading this article in Zone 1 of the Centre you will learn all about sleep. Why do you sleep? What happens to your body and mind as you sleep? How much sleep do you need in order to function well during wakeful hours? What can you do to sleep soundly, and how can health and fitness help you to do this?

This article will explain it all and help put your problems with disturbed sleep to bed for good!

In this article:

Why do we sleep?

What happens to us when we sleep?

How much sleep do we need?

Why do we sometimes suffer from disturbed sleep?

What would be a good starting point for sleeping better?

How can getting fit help?

How can weight-loss help?

How can others help?

As well as adopting a healthier lifestyle, what else can I do?

How can I help others?

Summary & Suggestions for further learning through this website

Why do we sleep?
The purpose of sleep is restoration ? so that the body can replenish itself in order to function well while awake.

What happens to us when we sleep?
Sleep gives us time to make good all the wear and tear of the day?s activities and restore the body to its full waking capacity, both physically and psychologically.

We expend energy in our wakeful hours, and re-group our resources during sleep, with the tissue growth of new cells in the skin taking place more quickly during sleep.

The brain growth and repair that occurs as we sleep is all linked to the production of hormones and also the conservation and replenishment of chemicals known as neurotransmitters which are important to our alertness and wakefulness.

Now that we know why we sleep and what happens as we do, let?s look at how much sleep we need in order for all these conservation and replenishment processes to take place successfully.

How much sleep do we need?
8 hours is usually best. This allows the brain to ?pass through? the various stages of sleep, culminating in a final period of sleep just prior to waking, where the body and the brain begin to prepare themselves for the challenges of a new day.

The reasons for people not being able to sleep for the recommended 8 hours each night are many and varied. Disturbed sleep can actually lead to fatal accidents in the workplace or at home during periods of wakefulness, due to the brain not being as alert as it should be (e.g., having slower reflexes when driving or operating machinery, etc.)

Now, let?s actually list a whole host of reasons at to why some people suffer from disturbed sleep.

Why do we sometimes suffer from disturbed sleep?
Some of the reasons why so many people suffer from disturbed sleep include:

Sleeping Disorders ? insomnia, sleep apnoea (breathing problems while asleep), narcolepsy (muscle problems while sleeping ? caused by the central nervous system)

Psychological stress

Worrying and fretting over problems

Trying too hard to sleep, and therefore antagonising body and brain systems that really need to be given time to conserve and replenish vital hormones and neurochemicals in order for you to function properly and well during wakeful hours

Smoking at bedtime

Eating just before you go to bed, or actually while you are in bed

Having caffeine (a stimulant) prior to going to sleep

Snoring by a partner

The good news is that with work and by acquiring the right knowledge all these triggers for disturbed sleep can be isolated and then removed ? allowing you to sleep much better and to have much more energy when you are awake.

Let?s look now at what would be the best first step to take when tackling sleeping problems.

What would be a good starting point for sleeping better?
Make the decision to do something about your sleeping problems. This is key.

Like so many other problems or issues in life, sometimes they can be simply too difficult to face and so we put off tackling them until tomorrow, next week, the New Year By recognising that you are suffering from disturbed sleep and deciding that you are not going to tolerate it any longer, you are taking a giant stride forward towards enjoying improved sleep both in the short and long term.

Now that you have made the crucial decision to tackle your problem, let?s start formulating an action-plan specifically tailored for you, with enjoying regular exercise being next on your ?to do? list!

How can getting fit help?
The benefits of getting fit are massive: lose weight, feel better physically and mentally, boost your self-confidence, increase your self-esteem, make new friends (with whom you can share strategies) and change your overall outlook not just now, but for the long run.

Through maintaining a regular exercise routine you will find that you sleep soundly and fret over things much less. By the time you go to bed, your body will be tired and keen to ?shut down? for a while so that it can activate its miraculous replenishment processes. You will then wake feeling well-rested, fresh and bright. And you will no longer be troubled with a feeling of sluggishness during the day. This will allow you to perform better at work and to get your everyday tasks at home done in half the time.

How can weight-loss help?
Losing weight can help you to sleep better as you:

Will breathe more naturally

Not toss and turn at night due to feelings of depression, anxiety and stress

Feel lighter due to your body being closer to your Body Mass Index (your correct weight). This means that overall your body systems will be functioning more naturally and not having to compensate in areas such a blood flow and respiratory functions to cope with the excess weight that your body simply does not like or want. (Also, it is important to note that poor sleep can drain your body and therefore make it harder to lose weight.)

Let?s look at how receiving encouragement and support from others can help you to maintain your health and fitness regime, and combat disturbed sleep in turn, when the going gets tough!

How can others help?
Explain to your family and friends that, in order for you to tackle issues in your life, such as disturbed sleep, obesity and/or poor mental health, you have decided to embark upon a new healthy and fitness regime, for which you will need to set aside time for yourself throughout the week.

Also, while it can help you to stay motivated by receiving the encouragement of others, some people find that ?announcing? (telling the world rather than just family members and/or close friends) that they are about to get fit and healthy can prove a mistake: the monitoring of your progress by others can be intensely irritating and can make you feel that they are in control of your health and fitness journey, and not you.

A solution is to explain about your new weekly routine, but not to tell others what your target weight is, or that you are aiming to run in the London Marathon the following year, for example. This can create added pressure which could even result in you giving up your new health and fitness

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Source: http://www.news-sports-travel.com/2012/03/22/health-fitness-centre/

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