Fresh90’s Weblog

This was another tough one.    DH was sick from something he ate, so it was me and the 3 kids.     It ended up just me and one of my sons at the end.   I thought that workout would never end!

Last night I must have had some kind of detox going on - I was incredibly weak and couldn’t make it to TKD.   Right now I feel good although sore & hopefully tonight I’ll be able to go to class.

 I really think sleep is so incredibly important and when we aren’t getting enough we aren’t able to recover.   I read that before the lightbulb was invented, people were averaging 10 hours of a sleep a night, now it is less than 7.   Could it be that lack of sleep has a connection with our health?    Professional athletes must sleep at least 10 hours a night, even more than that.  I know a trainer who won’t work with clients unless they get that minimally. 

 More on sleep:

Why sleep is good for you and skimping on it isn’t

Does it really matter if you get enough sleep? Absolutely! Not only does the quantity of your sleep matter, but the quality of your sleep is important as well. People whose sleep is interrupted a lot or is cut short might not get enough of certain stages of sleep. In other words, how well rested you are and how well you function the next day depend on your total sleep time an dhow much of the various stages of sleep you get each night.

Performance: We need sleep to think clearly, react quickly, and create memories. Inf act, the pathways in the brain that help us learn and remember are very active when we sleep. Studies show that people who are taught mentally challenging tasks do better after a good night’s sleep. Other research suggests that sleep is needed for creative problem solving.

Skimping on sleep has a price. Cutting back by even 1 hour can make it tough to focus the next day and can slow your response time. Studies also find that when you lack sleep, you are more likely to make bad decisions and take more risks. This can result in lower performance on the job or in school and a greater risk for a car crash.

Mood: Sleep also affects mood. Insufficient sleep can make you irritable and is linked to poor behavior and trouble with relationships, especially among children and teens. People who chronically lack sleep are also more likely to become depressed.

Health: Sleep is also important for good health. Studies show that not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep on a regular basis increases the risk of having high blood pressure, heart disease, and other medical conditions.

In addition, during sleep, your body produces valuable hormones. Deep sleep triggers more release of growth hormone, which fuels growth in children, and helps build muscle mass and repair cells and tissues in children and adults. Another type of hormone that increases during sleep works to fight various infections. This might explain why a good night’s sleep helps keep you from getting sick—and helps you recover when you do get sick.

Hormones released during sleep also affect how the body uses energy. Studies find that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese, to develop diabetes, and to prefer eating foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates.

From: http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep/page2.htm