…Sleep Is Essential to Fitness – Don’t Lose Out…
A lot of people associate plenty of sleep with laziness. And if there’s one thing people don’t associate with fitness, it’s laziness! So this can lead to a bit of a problematic conclusion. If you want to ensure you get enough time to look after your health throughout the day, you should be willing to cut down on the hours of sleep you’re getting. That makes sense, right?
Unfortunately, this ignores how your body works. The fact is that you need to get a lot of sleep if you want to maximize your fitness. When you don’t get enough sleep, you deprive yourself of the energy you need to get the most out of your exercise. You’re also robbing yourself of precious recovery time, as well as disrupting the important muscle development processes that occur during sleep.
A big problem here is that a lot of people aren’t exactly choosing to drop sleep from their schedule. They may simply have trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep.
Do you have trouble sleeping? Well, you’re certainly not alone. It’s been estimated that around 40% of the population has sleep problems. When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, it’s not just about how much sleep you get but also about the quality. There are many causes of sleep problems, from too much screen time to drinking too much caffeine.
A common cause of a sleep problems amongst adults is a bedroom that’s not as comfortable as it could be. So, if you’re struggling to get to sleep, the best place to focus on could be your bedroom and the level of comfort it provides. So we’re going to put some focus on making your bedroom more conducive to a good night’s sleep, as well as some other tips you’ll need to consider.
The light
A big cause of restless sleep is light shining through the window. If you’re someone who lives near a busy road or next to a street lamp, the light creeping in could be causing your sleep problems. There are two ways to deal with this. You can get a sleep mask or get black-out curtains. Sleep masks can be great, but a lot of people find that the feeling of the mask around the face doesn’t really help them remain comfortable throughout the night.
Black-out curtains are probably the best choice. The great thing about black out curtains is that they’re not expensive to buy, you can pick them up at low prices from most home stores. Or, if you’re a good at sewing, you could easily make some yourself. If you’re not good at sewing, see if you can convince someone to make them for you!
The mattress
If you’re struggling to get to sleep, or you’re waking throughout the night, it could be due to your mattress. If your mattress isn’t as comfortable as it could be, this could be the cause of your sleep problems. You shouldn’t underestimate the importance of a good, comfortable, sturdy mattress. As mattresses get older, they lose some of the support within them, making them less comfortable to sleep on. Ideally, you should replace your mattress every six years or so. If it’s older than that, congratulations – you have another good excuse to get a new mattress!
A mattress isn’t just important for fitness because it helps you sleep and thus helps you regenerate. It’s also helpful because the wrong type of mattress may end up causing a lot of discomfort and pain in the long run. It can contribute to damage to your back and hips that will ultimately make it harder to keep up with an effective exercise regime.
Exercise
Yes, you may be reading this in order to sleep more so you can gain the appropriate energy for exercise! But this whole thing works in a cyclical manner; those who aren’t getting any exercise find it harder to get a good night’s sleep than those who do! So if you need to improve your sleep quality, then you should put some focus on your exercises. If you feel that sleep problems are making it difficult for you to get the power you need to do the exercises you want, then you probably need to look into less intense exercises.
A brief jog in the afternoon can do more good than you might think. Cycling is a really good way of getting exercise while being able to vary the amount of effort you need to exert; electric bikes, such as Bintelli Bicycles, can also give you the extra push you need. Exercising at a strategic time can also help tire you out appropriately in time for bed, but this may take a little experimentation. Some feel that some light exercise in the evening helps wear them out a little; others find that any evening exercise can result in them feeling a little too charged up!
Temperature
Temperature is a massive factor when it comes to allowing you to fall to sleep. It’s also important in determining the quality of your sleep. However, a lot of people don’t take the time to consider how important temperature is. They do have a tendency to notice it if the room is way too hot or too cold, but the temperature doesn’t really need to be at either extreme to affect your sleep.
While you may think that additional warmth will help you sleep, the chances are quite high that you actually need to make your room cooler. Like the vast majority of people, you may have noticed that it’s much more difficult to sleep during summer nights than winter nights. In winter, it’s much easier to warm up; cold doesn’t disturb your sleep quite so much, and if you get too warm, you’ll probably discard extra layers in your sleep without you even noticing! Summer is a different beast, however; it can be too warm even when you’re not using any layers, including clothing! Consider keeping a window open – but use earplugs if this results in a lot of noise.
