Why sleep matters

BLOG by Lisa Sherman, Nutritionist

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Website: wholelifenutrition.net.au

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Why sleep matters

In today’s world, many of us feel we don’t get enough sleep. We wake feeling unrefreshed, unable to wake up without an alarm, or feel we need a caffeine hit to get going in the morning. Whilst recognising we are all individual and may need different amounts of sleep, many of us do not regularly achieve the recommended average of eight hours per night for an adult1. Many of us routinely sleep less than six or seven hours a night, and this can be detrimental to not only our health long term but also to our training and running performance.

Sleep is essential for both our physical and mental health. When we sleep, it refreshes our mind and repairs our bodies. It is vital for optimal immune function, metabolism (using your food for energy, growth, repair and development), memory, learning and overall wellbeing. Regularly getting a good nights’ sleep supports our mind and body to recover from our training sessions, and to have the energy to focus on and achieve our running goals.

Conversely, a lack of sleep can cause fatigue, poor concentration and memory, impaired judgement and reaction time, poor physical coordination, and mood disturbances. Inadequate sleep also encourages us to eat more and crave foods that promote weight gain (such as sugary, refined carbohydrate and salty snacks), as it disrupts the normal balance of hormones that help regulate our appetite. It’s also associated with high blood pressure, increased heart rate, a contributing factor to insulin resistance and increased risk of chronic health conditions over time.

Our need for sleep is based on two things – our internal body clock (circadian rhythm), and how long we have been awake for. Our internal body clock is largely dependent on the amount of light around us, releasing hormones that promote sleep (such as melatonin), towards the end of the day as the amount of natural light diminishes, and then with exposure to daylight, releasing other hormones (such as cortisol), to promote wakefulness.

Many factors in today’s world may contribute to disrupting our internal body clock and how well we sleep. Increased technology use at night and right before bed, increased stress and hectic lifestyles, our environment and also our diet, just to name a few.

There are however some simple things you can do to get a better nights’ sleep and have a more productive and alert day:

o Go to bed and wake up around the same time every day as this will help reset your body clock.

o Once awake, get exposure to natural light as soon as possible – another benefit to exercising early in the morning and getting outdoors!

o Make sure your bedroom promotes a good sleep environment, comfortable pillows and mattresses, a cool temperature (no hotter than 20-23oC), and dark to help promote falling asleep.

o Reserve your bedroom for intimacy and sleep.

o Limit use of technology at night, and try to avoid using mobile devices and watching TV in the hour or more before bed.

o If you read on a tablet before bed, use a blue light filter app on your device to reduce light exposure.

o Remove any mobile devices or other items that emit light and/or noise and may disrupt sleep.

o Maintain regular exercise.

o Eat a nutrient dense and well-balance diet every day with lots of colourful vegetables. Also consider increasing intake of foods high in melatonin – tart cherries, asparagus, corn, tomatoes, barley, oats, grapes, pistachios and strawberries.

o Avoid a heavy or large meal before bed and limit or avoid alcohol and caffeine at least 4-6 hours before bed, as these all disrupt sleep and quality of sleep.

Reference

1 Better Health Channel, Sleep Explained, 2019 https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/sleep