Jawbone – Home of the Art and Science of Calisthenics https://www.calisthenicsmag.com Home of the Art and Science of Calisthenics Mon, 27 Jun 2016 17:48:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 To Sleep Or Not To Sleep? That Is The Real Question https://www.calisthenicsmag.com/sleep-sleep-real-question/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sleep-sleep-real-question Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:21:12 +0000 http://www.calisthenicsmag.com/?p=770 Is it me, or is life getting a lot more chaotic?

It seems wherever you turn people are on the go, quickly moving on to the next task at hand.  The pace of life is more frenetic and crazy than when I was a kid.

Obviously with all the modern-day technological advancements that were supposedly designed to give us more time and make life easier, it might be just the opposite.

Recently I have used a  FREE mobile application called Sleepmeter to measure and track my sleeping patterns.

sleepmeter

I started doing this because last year I was having trouble sleeping due to incredible amounts self-inflicted mental stress.

I have since, recovered my normal sleeping patterns, but what I found with my daily tracking was quite startling. I sleep an average of 7 hours per day. Quite different from the 8-9 hours I used to think that I slept.

Whether I am actually sleeping 7 hours or 8-9 hours, one thing is for sure, I was not alone during my brief stint of sleepless nights.

Here are some interesting statistics from Jawbone regarding sleep:

  • Least Sleep: Tokyo, Japan – 5hr 44 min
  • Most Sleep: Melbourne, Australia – 6hr 58 min
  • Earliest to Bed: Brisbane, Australia – 10:57pm
  • Latest to Bed: Moscow, Russia – 12:46am
  • Earliest to Rise: Brisbane, Australia – 6:29am
  • Latest to Rise: Moscow, Russia – 8:08am

jawbone_sleep_stats

According to the National Sleep Foundation in a poll comparing sleep times, attitudes, habits and bedtime routines of those in the United States, Canada,  Mexico, the United Kingdom,Germany and Japan between the ages of 25 and 55 years old.they conducted on six countries in 2013 the found the following:

Japan and the United States report the least amount of sleep. 


Japanese and Americans report sleeping about 30 to 40 minutes less on workdays than those in the other countries surveyed, averaging 6 hours and 22 minutes and 6 hours and 31 minutes of sleep, respectively. Two-thirds of Japanese (66%) say they sleep less than 7 hours on work nights, compared to 53% of Americans, 39% in the United Kingdom, 36% of Germans, 30% of Canadians and 29% of Mexicans. One in five from the United States(21%), Japan (19%) and the United Kingdom (18%) report sleeping less than six hours a night during the work week, about twice the rate of the other countries (11%  Mexico, 10% Germany, 7% Canada,).

nhs_poll_sleep1

nhs_poll_sleep2

How much sleep do we really need?

Sleep Requirements by Age

Newborns (0-2 months old) 12-18 hours
Infants (3-11 months old) 14-15 Hours
Toddlers (1-3 years old)l 12-14 Hours
Pre-schoolers (3-5 years old) 11-13 Hours
School-aged Children (5-10 years old) 10-11 Hours
Teens (11-17 years old) 8-9 Hours
Adults 7-9 Hours

What is the Circadian Rhythm?

Every animal and plant on this planet has its own biological clock, that helps to regulate the biological processes to a homeostasis. The circadian rhythms are the  processes that include the physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment.

Each of us has our own master clock which governs and controls our circadian rhythms.

According to Wikipedia, the classic phase markers for measuring the timing of a mammal’s circadian rhythm are:

Why does all this matter?

It matters because, this is what helps you sleep better and pretty much dictates when you are sleepy. It’s like a car that has its own dashboard with instruments displaying various car and engine conditions.

Only this is not so readily seen as it is in a car.

It’s a little bit more subtle than that.

Body awareness and preconception are great ways to know whether you are on course or if you have veered of the beaten path.

When is the Best Time to Sleep?

That’s a tough one to answer as everyone is different.

I would suggest to experiment.

I have heard and seen studies saying that from 10 PM-2 AM is when our body begins its repair and restore process.

Will we ever know the truth?

Probably not.

For me I try to go to bed between 10 PM to 12 AM just as a matter of practice because I am an early riser.

Even when I used to party and stay out late until 3-4 AM I would still wake up at 8-9 am.

I am not sure if that is my circadian rhythm or 20 years in the school system. But either way, I feel refreshed and alive.

In experimenting with my own sleep cycles, I have personally found that I feel off and a bit groggy when I go to bed after 12 AM. Not sure what double-blind study this would  fall under? it’s just one guy’s experiment.

I suggest you test and do what feels best for you.

And if you are too lazy, then check out this website that will calculate when you should go to bed based on when you want to wake up.

sleepti.me

 

Here is a nice graph on the supposed cycles of the body that backs up my claim about sleeping before 12 AM, but this could just be my own confirmation bias:

 

800px-Biological_clock_human.svg_

What are the Benefits of Sleep?

  1. Improve memory.
  2. Live longer.
  3. Curb inflammation.
  4. You are more creative.
  5. Improve your performance.
  6. Helps to repair your body.
  7. Keep your heart healthy.
  8. Reduces stress.
  9. Control body weight issues.
  10. Reduces your chances of diabetes.
  11. Reduces occurrences of mood disorders.
  12. People who get more sleep have healthier skin.
  13. You’ll be less likely to make risky financial decisions.
  14. You’ll spend less time and money at the doctor.
  15. Adolescents who sleep enough are less likely to abuse alcohol.
  16. Getting enough sleep helps prevent migraines and other headaches.
  17. You’ll be more productive at work and more focused at home.

Getting Quality Sleep

  • Go to bed the same time each night and get up the same time each morning.
  • Sleep in a dark, quiet, comfortable environment.
  • Exercise daily (but not right before bedtime).
  • Limit the use of electronics before bed.
  • Relax before bedtime. A warm bath or reading might help.
  • Avoid alcohol and stimulants such as caffeine late in the day.
  • Avoid nicotine.
  • Use your bedroom only for sleep and remove work materials, computers, and TVs from your bedroom.
  • Don’t let bedtime worries and problems interrupt your sleep; resolve to set them aside to deal with after a good night’s sleep.
  • If you can’t sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired.
  • If you are experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, or stop breathing briefly in your sleep, contact a healthcare professional for a sleep apnea screening.

Sleep is fundamental to any athlete. Especially those training in Calisthenics.

We need to sleep a minimum of 7-8 hours of good quality sleep. How can you tell if you had a good night’s sleep? One of the ways I can tell is if I had a dream or two or three or more. When we dream we are in REM sleep. This cycle usually lasts 90-120 minutes and we typically have 4-5 of these types of REM cycles each night.

If you had a dream while sleeping then chances are you were in a REM sleep cycle and had what experts deem a good cycle of sleep.

Sleep is one of those things that falls under the class of, we know what to do we just don’t do what we know.

Sleep is vitally important and not sacrificed for any reason.

I am a stickler when it comes to sleep. Because without my 7-8 hours I am like grumpy from Cinderella and the seven dwarfs.

I think in this article, of course, with the help of many cited expert sources, you will agree the sleep is critical to life itself.

So go on and get some much-needed sleep and you will surely see the benefits in just about every aspect of your life.

 

 

 

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