While the seven dwarfs in
Snow White are cute, the one that gets a lot of grief is Sleepy! The poor
little guy goes through life tired all the time and misses out on a lot of fun.
Sound familiar? I dare say you are not
getting enough sleep and you are not alone.
Many people operate on too little sleep and are so used to it they feel
being tired is normal.
Functioning on too little
sleep is the subject in a new documentary from National Geographic, called
"Sleepless in America". It
found 40 percent of Americans are sleep deprived, and it's affecting our waking
lives, from memory lapses to irritability and depression.
According to Dawn Dugle, the
digital age has increased the pace at which we live and the volume of
information we are bombarded with and processing every waking moment. Many of us forgo sleep in order to “get it
all done!” Pushing aside sleep does more harm than good. You might think you're
getting more done or fitting in a workout, but when our bodies don't get the
required seven to eight hours of sleep at night, we're putting more stress on
our bodies.
My coach is adamant that I
get 7.5 to 8 hours of good sleep every night and when I don’t, not only does he
give me a stern scolding; I see my workouts and other daily functions suffer.
"Your body is designed
to release 'good hormones' (repair and build muscle) at night, while you
sleep," said Dr. Andrea Lewis, assistant professor of otolaryngology and
communicative sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
"When you don't get enough sleep, your body actually releases 'bad
hormones. Those "bad" hormones can lead to cardiovascular issues,
hormonal changes in your body, obesity and diabetes.”
Unfortunately when we are
tired, our bodies crave sugar and carbs as these are simple fuels that provide
an immediate burst of energy. They are
fine when working out, but only add to health issues when use to stay awake.
Some indicators that you are
sleep deprived include:
1. Memory lapses, such as
forgetting part of your drive to work or zoning out during a meeting or lecture
2. Having to work harder to
control your emotions
3. Lack of energy
4. Not feeling like doing
things you normally love to do
5. Difficulty losing weight
6. Not enjoying your life
If that is not bad enough, a
chronic lack of sleep can lead to reduced memory and concentration, depression,
cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes.
All is not lost. In many cases, it's an easy fix that is
entirely in our control. Dr. Lewis said the majority of sleep deprivation cases
are related to people's lifestyles such as trying to do too much in a day,
electronics, and watching TV right before bedtime.
"Once you start watching
television, it stimulates your brain and keeps you awake longer," Dr.
Lewis said. And she urges you to get the television out of the bedroom
altogether, making it strictly a place for sleeping. That means no electronics
or computers in the bedroom either.
While poor little Sleepy goes
through life missing a lot, I now understand how Sleeping Beauty got her name.
Not only is beauty sleep real, it’s a necessity for your health!
HERE’S TO
BEING FIT FOR LIFE! Chris is a Certified
Personal Trainer, USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, exercise
and endurance enthusiast. He competes
yearly in numerous running races, marathons, ultra marathons, triathlons and
other endurance events.