Sweet dreams: eight strategies to make you sleep like a log, grow like a weed—and wake up with energy to burn - Energy

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2002 by Tom Weede

Stat: According to the Centers for Disease Control, 61 percent of American adults are overweight. Stat: According to the National Sleep Foundation, 51 percent of U.S. adults have problems with sleep at least a few nights a week.

Now, while we can't tell you that these two figures are scientifically linked in a cause-and-effect relationship, they do provide intriguing food for thought. What we can say beyond a shadow of a doubt is that regular, adequate rest is an absolute must for the active guy who's looking to keep making gains in the gym. Without sufficient quality sleep, you'll bog down in an energy slump that will prevent you from getting the most out of your training. Take it from an expert.

"Perhaps the single most important biological process that affects energy is sleep, and that's because sleep is a major period of energy conservation for the brain," says Gregg D. Jacobs, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of Deep Sleep 101, a unique new book that combines a guide to better sleep with a CD of relaxing music designed to improve sleep. "Particularly when we're in deep sleep, there is a significant and massive reduction in brain-energy metabolism. During sleep, almost the entire brain, including the cerebral cortex and the more primitive parts of the brain, show a reduction in blood flow and glucose metabolism."

Not only your brain, but the muscles you spend so much time punishing in the gym are given a rejuvenating break by regular periods of shut-eye. "One of the measures that we use to determine whether or not somebody's falling asleep is a rapid falloff in their muscle tension and their muscle activity," says Jacobs, who has studied sleep for 15 years. "Even during dream sleep you'll see this as well--that muscle tension drops off completely. That corresponds with the slowing brain waves and this kind of deactivation of the brain."

Now that you realize the importance of a good night's sleep--especially if you're active--take some tips from Dr. J to avoid becoming a red-eyed statistic and to keep on track with your training.

DETERMINE YOUR SLEEP NEEDS

Although many people need at least eight hours a night, some need less and some more. Insomniacs, for example, don't seem to need as much sleep as those with normal sleep patterns, says Jacobs, who also authored Say Goodnight to Insomnia.

* If you're dozing off during meetings, you need an alarm clock to rouse you in the morning, or you habitually sleep late on weekends, that's a good sign that you're not getting enough sleep.

* An even better way to test how much slumber you need is to sleep as much as you possibly can. "You can experiment simply by extending your time in bed, by going to bed earlier or staying in bed a little bit later," says Jacobs. "Eventually, you're going to reach a point where you just don't get any more sleep. You end up lying awake for the extra time that you're in bed. That's probably a good indication that you're trying to get more sleep than your brain will actually give you."

* Be aware that if you sleep excessively or you are inordinately tired during the day, that can indicate a more serious sleep disorder like sleep apnea, or an underlying health or psychiatric problem such as depression.

REORGANIZE YOUR LIFESTYLE

With things like your job, commute, hobbies and the need to stay fit pulling you in every direction, sleep is often neglected.

* "Some of the causes of sleep deprivation are lifestyle issues," says Jacobs, "and lifestyle issues sometimes can be resolved by modifying lifestyle itself."

* Take a look at how you prioritize your day. "Examine your lifestyle and say, 'What can I cut that gives me more time for sleep,' "he adds.

* If you can't (or won't) change your lifestyle, then use some of the following stress-reducing techniques.

USE MUSIC TO BEAT INSOMNIA

Stress is a great sleep disrupter. When you experience stress, your stress hormones aren't just increased during the day; they also are spiked during sleep.

* One way to combat stress and its effects on sleep is to listen to music, even during the day, which can divert your attention from everyday concerns and provide a repetitive stimulus that decreases arousal and relaxes you.

* For some people, music can produce the same brain-wave results as meditation. (Some studies show that music can have as powerful an effect as taking a tranquilizer like Valium.) "Music induces the relaxation response, which is a state in which the brain actually produces slower brain-wave patterns, like those we see when people are just about ready to fall asleep," says Jacobs. "The relaxation response involves the muscles relaxing, respiration slowing down, blood pressure slowing down."

* Try listening to relaxing music an hour before bedtime to help you wind down or even fall asleep. (Aerosmith may not be your best bet.)

LEARN TO LET GO

Another way to elicit the relaxation response is through breathing and relaxation techniques (which Jacobs provides in greater detail in Deep Sleep 101).