It’s that dreaded time again – the start of the week, Monday funday and all that. Its quite rare people like Monday mornings, and for most its a complete drag. There is no motivation to do anything, you are tired after your exploits the previous week – Monday morning is just one big yawn! I’m like most of you, I am struggling with getting up on a Monday (well everyday at the moment). I know what the problem is as well…
Its consistency of sleep! I have no sleep routine at the moment, and oh boy you really feel it.
Sleep is where the magic happens!
When you are sleeping your body get a bit of R&R (rest and recovery). Your hormones reset and rebalance, your liver can detox itself, and you give your digestive system a bit of a break. Each of the above are all very important to your health and overall energy.
If your sleep quality is poor (i.e. you wake up in the night a lot), or you don’t get enough, your health suffers – definitely learnt that through experience!
At the end of the day, it is very rare that anybody functions well with minimal sleep!
How much sleep do you actually need?
The sleep you need varies from person to person — most adults need seven or more hours of sleep per night (I definitely function best around 8 hours a night, but this needs to be consistent).
Below are the daily hours of sleep people need at the different stages of their lives:
- Children: 10 to 11 hours of sleep
- Adults: 7 to 8 hours of sleep (adolescents need a bit more)
- Older adults: 7 to 9 hours of sleep
Sleeping continually for either less than six hours or more than nine hours in adults has been associated with poorer health.
But let me stress, the consistency element here. It’s no good getting 8 hours one night, then 5-6 the next. That is not going to help you out, it is not going to start making you feel better. Your body is still going to struggle, until you get closer to that 8 hour mark each night – it’s all about consistency.
Consistency, consistency, consistency – this is real important thing to take home here.
Many people struggle to fall to sleep when stress hormones are elevated. If something is playing on your mind, it will affect sleep. Write down your stressor and create a quick plan of action to deal with it!
A lack of sleep alters your appetite, leading to us either overeating or making poor food choices that contribute to being overweight and obese.
Cut sugars down to a minimum in the evening, including alcohol as this acts as a stimulant.
Don’t drink caffeine after lunch – this stays in your system for upwards of 6 hours, so will affect sleep. I can see some people going “how am I going to cope.” This is unfortunately a necessity.
One thing that I’ve found to be a help for sleep is to have a small meal of complex carbohydrates (porridge oats are a good shout) around 1.5/2 hours before going to bed. Eating carbohydrates makes your body release a hormone called serotonin – which is a relaxant! Have you ever had that sleepy feeling after eating a jacket potato (or something similar)? That’s the serotonin from the carbohydrate making you tired.
A little bit more informative this morning, but nevertheless, you now have something to aim for this week. The goal for you has to be sleep consistency. If you can nail this, you will find that you have more energy, focus and opportunities to live life a bit fuller.
Happy Monday,
Josh