How good would you say you sleep? Most people reply with “I sleep good”. The truth is most don’t. Did you know that roughly 70% of Americans suffer from a sleep disorder? Here is an 8-point questionnaire to see how you rank.
1. Do you have trouble falling asleep at night?
2. Do you wake up with energy or do you want to hit the snooze button in the morning?
3. Do you sleep less than 8 hours a night?
4. Do you wake up once or more during the night?
5. Do you sleep in a room with any light or noise?
6. Do you wake up feeling tired?
7. Do you wake up only to an alarm?
8. Do you use over the counter or prescription medications for sleep?
If you answered yes to 2 or more of these questions than you will need to address your sleep issues in order to maximize your energy, attitude, and results in the gym.
Sleep is the time that your body repairs and regenerates itself. Without quality sleep you will never achieve your full potential when it comes to a very low body fat percentage or becoming as strong as you could be. Research shows that even one night of little to no sleep can seriously impair your performance whether it is in the office, weight room, or in your sport. Having good sleep hygiene is essential for our overall health and well being. Here are two common problems that can affect your sleep negatively.
Oxidative Stress:
The oxygen that we breathe in helps our bodies convert food into energy. Unfortunately, this process also creates unstable oxygen molecules. These molecules cause damage to surrounding molecules and tissues and are called free radicals. Once these free radicals exceed our bodies’ antioxidant stores oxidative stress occurs. Some of the things that cause this are pollution, chemical exposure, poor food choices and stress. Since exercise is stress it is also included. Just taking any antioxidant is not the answer. This can actually cause more free radical damage. Knowing the right ones to take is the key.
Adrenal Fatigue/Burnout
The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and aid or influence nearly every physiological process in our body.
Here is a small list of just some of the functions that this gland plays:
Aids insulin for proper glucose metabolism
Regulates blood pressure
Immune function
Controls the anti-inflammatory hormones
Plays a major role in sex hormones and eventually becomes the main source with age
Fluid and electrolyte balance
One of the hormones the adrenal gland produces is cortisol. This hormone is supposed to have a descending curve, highest in the morning and lowest in the evening. Since it’s also secreted during times of stress it is also referred to as the “stress hormone”. The only time there should be high amounts present in the blood is while working out (since it is a product of how much energy you have) or during a “fight or flight” response because you’re in danger. In today’s society, our bodies’ levels of this hormone fluctuate out of rhythm though. This can be due to stress from work, your spouse or children, a cold and even your diet. Every little stressor if not managed properly reduces normal adrenal function.
Here is another list of some signs of adrenal fatigue:
Difficulty getting up in the morning
Craving sugar or needing stimulants such as coffee to get you through the day
Impaired cognitive performance
Increased abdominal fat
Light-headedness from standing too quickly
Decreased sex drive
Difficulty falling asleep at night
Finally, here are 10 suggestions on how to fix these problems.
1. Take magnesium in a true Albion mineral chelated form. Taking 500 mg with dinner will help lower cortisol and relax you. Take another 500 mg right before bed.
2. Eat vegetables at every meal. If you don’t like eating vegetables than drink them. Paleo Greens by Designs for Health is what we use at PowR Performance. This is the best greens product I have seen on the market but you must be a health practitioner to get it.
3. Take a quality multi vitamin that is a true Albion mineral chelate.
4. Take one tbsp of Celtic sea salt with an 8-ounce glass of water immediately upon waking up.
5. Eat breakfast as soon as you possibly can once you’ve woken up.
6. Stop eating within two hours before bed.
7. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. If you want to drink something else drink green tea
8. Don’t go more than three hours without eating.
9. Exercise earlier in the day.
10. Stay away from stimulants in pill or liquid form. If you’re a coffee drinker and you refuse to stop, limit it to one cup in the morning.
These issues discussed in this article can be quite complex. Although the suggestions made would help practically everyone if adopted, their still just suggestions. Depending on how long these problems have gone without being treated what stage you’re in. There are seven stages of adrenal fatigue and cannot be properly diagnosed without be tested. If you have any of these symptoms and can relate to this article you can contact us here.
