Cirencester Scene Magazine - Establishing Local Connections
Sleep By Mike Edwards
If there’s one similarity across the range of my greatly differing clients I’d say that a lack of sleep is a shared affliction.
In an age when we are, on the whole, com- paratively affluent, are seldom forced to go hungry or thirsty, lead longer, less physically demanding lives than our great grandparents it seems like restful, refreshing sleep is the luxury of the age. Whether that’s due to long working hours in stressful jobs, stimulation from electronic screens late in the evening (causing the release of pick-you-up hormones) or that feeling that you haven’t quite squeezed enough enjoyment out of the day, it all adds up to serious regrets when the alarm goes off / child wakes up. It also adds up, as science confirms what we’ve all experienced, to poor decision making, slow reaction times and a degradation of both mental and physi- cal performance in general.
There’s a direct comparison between sleep and nutrition in that most people have a very good idea of how to do it properly but putting it into action is the hurdle. For weight loss clients there is a vicious cycle of low sleep leading to stress so cortisol production is raised so...you’re unable to sleep as well (and gain fat easier). In order to feel better and stay awake you eat high energy (meaning high calorie) food. Even if you don’t want the calo- ries poor reasoning via sleep deprivation saps your discipline.
Just in case you weren’t aware, you stand a better chance of sleeping well if the room is entirely dark - no LEDs, no external light visi- ble. Quiet is obviously a prerequisite. A tem- perature of around 18º is best. Getting an early night might also be useful - there’s a cliché within sleep research that if you re- move yourself from electricity the chances are your sleep will improve.
People who are pretty serious about their sports or exercise should be as diligent about their sleep (which research repeatedly high- lights as the most important aspect of recov- ery) as they are with their training. This is especially so as we age and recovery be- comes more difficult to achieve. I often think of the words of a teammate of Lance Arm- strong’s, saying his role was to do everything as well as possible - ride like a professional, eat like a professional, sleep like a profes- sional.
If you need to catch up during the day, a nap in the afternoon (20 minutes is optimal, more than 45 can disturb sleep patterns at night) is a great aid unless you happen to be in a busi- ness meeting at the time. An interesting tip here is to drink a cup of coffee immediately beforehand since the caffeine takes around 20 minutes to start to stimulate you, mean- ing it acts as your alarm, waking you from the nap in a good state to get going again.
Speaking of caffeine, with a 6 hour, gradually declining effect, not drinking caffeine (or eating dark chocolate) after 4pm can make getting to sleep easier.
Politics aside, I was always impressed with George W. Bush’s siesta habit. My own sleep would be a little easier knowing that the world’s leaders are making life and death decisions for us with a clear head.
Mike Edwards runs the Coach House Fitness in Tetbury (
www.coachhousefitness.co.uk) and has just set up Bibo Bike Coaching (
www.bibobikecoaching.co.uk) - get in touch if you want any advice about cycling.
The Coach House, The Keiser Building, Hampton Street Industrial Estate, Tetbury, GL8 8LD.
0788 425 4968 Twitter: @coachhousefit
26 Please tell the advertisers you saw them in the Cirencester Scene Magazine
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