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Sleep Better to Feel Better

10/15/2019

The Importance of Sleep in Health and Cognition

“The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast.”
-Macbeth

In the passage above, Shakespeare’s Macbeth extols the virtues of sleep when he believes he has been cursed to never sleep again. He notes the restorative properties of sleep to both mind and body, and 600 years on, modern science supports this intuitive view of sleep as the “chief nourisher in life’s feast.”
While scientists haven’t quite landed on a single theory of why we sleep, the functions of sleep are clear and two-fold; to repair and restore the body, and to synthesize and store new learning and memories.
The vast physiologic repair that occurs during sleep spans immune function, appetite regulation, muscle repair, and the release of metabolic and reproductive hormones. In one experiment, rats who were totally sleep deprived for just over a month completely lost their immune function and died. The role of sleep in cognition has also been shown to have immense impact, particularly on cognitive performance, insight and creativity, mood and emotional stability, and even regulation of pain.
Most men require 7-8 hours of sleep each night, while most women should aim for 8-9 hours. This number generally shrinks in the second half of life. Without it, we are not only tired but sick, overweight, emotionally unstable, mentally cloudy, and we feel more pain.
Good sleep is a staple of health, with arguably greater influence than eating well and exercise. But it eludes many, with 1 in 3 Americans getting insufficient sleep and most of those clocking in at under 6 hours a night. With 70 million Americans reporting sleep deprivation in 2014, the CDC labeled it a public health epidemic.
Major contributors to sleep deprivation are time demands, like caring for children, working from home, or simply time-consuming habits like TV or social media at night. But disorders like anxiety or depression are also common perpetrators of insomnia in the average American. Here are a few, evidence-backed steps to take to help you get better sleep.

Whether it is an earlier bedtime or a later wake-up call, carving out 7-9 hours a night is the first step. I set a notification on my phone to remind me to start getting ready for bed.
Sleep hygiene is underrated and crucial to both falling and staying asleep. In the hour before bed, avoid all screens and electronics, including TV, computers, and cell phones. That means no scrolling social media and no bingeing the latest serial killer documentary right before bed! Constructive bedtime routine activities could include conversation, reading, journaling, stretching, meditation or prayer, etc. Ensure your bedroom is as dark as possible. In my experience, this is the most difficult change as it requires letting go of destructive habits and building better ones. Like all change, start small—say, just 15 minutes of electronic-free time before bed. It’s hard to create this space in your daily routine, but it is the single most evidence-based recommendation for treating insomnia.
Meditation, especially mindfulness-based meditation, has amassed impressive evidence for its utility in improving quality of life in a number of areas, including sleep. If falling asleep is difficult for you, try 5-10 minutes of mindful meditation before bed. I use the Calm app, but there are many other free or subscription-based resources that can guide you through forming this new skill.
No supplement or medication is a silver bullet, but both can be helpful in the quest for a good night’s rest. Start with melatonin—your body’s natural hormonal signal that it’s time to sleep. A good starting dose is 3-5mg taken 60-90 minutes before bed (it takes this long to start working in your system). Gradually build your dose if you don’t notice a difference at first (and make sure you are practicing good sleep hygiene). Another over-the-counter supplement worth trying is L-thianine, which has a longer half life than melatonin, and may help you stay asleep longer. Antihistamines can work in a pinch, but aren’t a long term solution. Consult your health care provider with questions about these or other supplements, and let them know about your insomnia as they may suggest non-habit forming prescription medication that can help when you’ve exhausted other options.
If the underlying perpetrator of your insomnia is anxiety or depression, as it is for many people, the steps above are still a great starting point. But there’s no substitute for getting effective treatment for your mental health. That includes counseling, social support, coping techniques, and sometimes, prescription medication. Psychology Today is a great place to find for a mental health professional that fits your needs and preferences.
If you find yourself still struggling with insomnia, poor quality sleep, or chronic fatigue, it’s time to visit your health care provider to rule out medical causes. Sleep apnea is a common culprit here, afflicting more than 30% of Americans.

I know from personal experience how destructive insomnia and sleep deprivation can be. Everything suggested here stems from a wide body of evidence and are practices I’ve adopted in my own life to great effect. Be encouraged that better sleep is possible! Good luck, and sweet dreams.

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Sleep Better to Feel Better: The Importance of Sleep in Health and Cognition

10/14/2019

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“The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast.”
-Macbeth

In the passage above, Shakespeare’s Macbeth extols the virtues of sleep when he believes he has been cursed to never sleep again. He notes the restorative properties of sleep to both mind and body, and 600 years on, modern science supports this intuitive view of sleep as the “chief nourisher in life’s feast.”

While scientists haven’t quite landed on a single theory of why we sleep, the functions of sleep are clear and two-fold; to repair and restore the body, and to synthesize and store new learning and memories.

The vast physiologic repair that occurs during sleep spans immune function, appetite regulation, muscle repair, and the release of metabolic and reproductive hormones. In one experiment, rats who were totally sleep deprived for just over a month completely lost their immune function and died. The role of sleep in cognition has also been shown to have immense impact, particularly on cognitive performance, insight and creativity, mood and emotional stability, and even regulation of pain.

Most men require 7-8 hours of sleep each night, while most women should aim for 8-9 hours. This number generally shrinks in the second half of life. Without it, we are not only tired but sick, overweight, emotionally unstable, mentally cloudy, and we feel more pain.
Good sleep is a staple of health, with arguably greater influence than eating well and exercise. But it eludes many, with 1 in 3 Americans getting insufficient sleep and most of those clocking in at under 6 hours a night. With 70 million Americans reporting sleep deprivation in 2014, the CDC labeled it a public health epidemic.

Major contributors to sleep deprivation are time demands, like caring for children, working from home, or simply time-consuming habits like TV or social media at night. But disorders like anxiety or depression are also common perpetrators of insomnia in the average American. Here are a few, evidence-backed steps to take to help you get better sleep.

Whether it is an earlier bedtime or a later wake-up call, carving out 7-9 hours a night is the first step. I set a notification on my phone to remind me to start getting ready for bed.
Sleep hygiene is underrated and crucial to both falling and staying asleep. In the hour before bed, avoid all screens and electronics, including TV, computers, and cell phones. That means no scrolling social media and no bingeing the latest serial killer documentary right before bed! Constructive bedtime routine activities could include conversation, reading, journaling, stretching, meditation or prayer, etc. Ensure your bedroom is as dark as possible. In my experience, this is the most difficult change as it requires letting go of destructive habits and building better ones. Like all change, start small—say, just 15 minutes of electronic-free time before bed. It’s hard to create this space in your daily routine, but it is the single most evidence-based recommendation for treating insomnia.
Meditation, especially mindfulness-based meditation, has amassed impressive evidence for its utility in improving quality of life in a number of areas, including sleep. If falling asleep is difficult for you, try 5-10 minutes of mindful meditation before bed. I use the Calm app, but there are many other free or subscription-based resources that can guide you through forming this new skill.
No supplement or medication is a silver bullet, but both can be helpful in the quest for a good night’s rest. Start with melatonin—your body’s natural hormonal signal that it’s time to sleep. A good starting dose is 3-5mg taken 60-90 minutes before bed (it takes this long to start working in your system). Gradually build your dose if you don’t notice a difference at first (and make sure you are practicing good sleep hygiene). Another over-the-counter supplement worth trying is L-thianine, which has a longer half life than melatonin, and may help you stay asleep longer. Antihistamines can work in a pinch, but aren’t a long term solution. Consult your health care provider with questions about these or other supplements, and let them know about your insomnia as they may suggest non-habit forming prescription medication that can help when you’ve exhausted other options.
If the underlying perpetrator of your insomnia is anxiety or depression, as it is for many people, the steps above are still a great starting point. But there’s no substitute for getting effective treatment for your mental health. That includes counseling, social support, coping techniques, and sometimes, prescription medication. Psychology Today is a great place to find for a mental health professional that fits your needs and preferences.
If you find yourself still struggling with insomnia, poor quality sleep, or chronic fatigue, it’s time to visit your health care provider to rule out medical causes. Sleep apnea is a common culprit here, afflicting more than 30% of Americans.

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The Open is for YOU

10/8/2019

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The CrossFit Open comes around once a year and it only lasts for five weeks. From the outside it sounds like just five random workouts spread out way too far apart and only 20 people plus national champions will qualify from the open straight to the CrossFit Games. The chances of making it to the CrossFit Games are similar to a young basketball player making it to the NBA. But the Open has dozens of reasons to signup and compete and they aren’t about winning hundreds of thousands of dollars in Madison, Wisconsin. Here are my favorite five reasons to signup!

Competing is for everyone. One of the key beauties of CrossFit is the infinite scaling options. The fittest in the world can and will compete just like the 56 year old that has osteoporosis and hadn’t worked out in 25 years until starting CrossFit a few months before the open started. One of the best things about the open is when people go from saying “no way I can do that. That’s for people like you” to saying “I did that!” Competing is for anyone and every one and every one includes you!

Competing causes intensity. Any competition brings another level out of an individual. You hear professionals say it all the time. There’s something about the bright lights that bring the best out of them. I have done the open every year it has been around (2011). Every year I am pushed in a way that is unimaginable and greater than the previous year, or I have short term memory issues. Knowing not only am I going through this uncomfortable workout but so is everybody at D5 and people throughout the world. That push from everybody around me helps me to be the best possible athlete I can be in that moment. The bright lights and people around cause my intensity to rise and my mental and physical fitness to increase!

Competing brings unity. Group fitness has the incredible ability to bring groups of people closer together. It’s why businesses, teams and the likes will go do ropes courses together or do trust falls. Doing/accomplishing difficult tasks alongside somebody else creates a bond with who you just “suffered” next to. Not many things physically challenge you like the open does and nobody in the world will try as hard at a workout as CrossFitters. Being an affiliate owner/coach I have seen friendships formed and other groups get closer together when going through the open. It’s beautiful. Competing with people makes you friends with those very same people!

Competing leads to motivation. After the open is over there is an unquestionable motivation to get better and to beat yourself next year. Athletes of all levels after a tough loss or a glorious win want to be better. They want to never feel that loss again or feel that win forever. Competition will always open your eyes to what you need to work on. Then the motivation lasts longer than most motivation streaks where they come for a couple days and leave. This one comes and stays for months. The Open is a great opportunity to find motivation to work on new skills, get stronger or just increase your fitness as a whole throughout an entire year. Compete to get motivated!

Competing is fun. At D5 we host an event called Friday Night Lights every Friday during the open. We have a theme of the week, something like cowboy night or superhero. Sometimes we it’s bigger than that and we dedicate it to a friend in the gym going through something. These nights are flat out fun. We do the workout, cheer each other on, blast music and often times go out after. As adults we forget the fun and silly sometimes and these nights give us the opportunity to put underwear on outside our pants or pulling out our nerdy Harry Potter costume. Competing with the friendships you’ve formed in the gym is just flat out fun!

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Sleep Better to Feel Better

Sleep Better to Feel Better: The Importance of Sleep in Health and Cognition

The Open is for YOU

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