When I was younger, I could wake up at four or five am for uni or work no problem. But as I’ve got older, every single minute of sleep is precious. The majority of people need at least six hours sleep a night to properly function. I am not one of those people. I need at least eight hours, ten is ideal though.
Some people are of the belief that you can get by with minimal sleep during the weekdays and make up for lack of sleep by having a lie-in on weekends. However, this is not the case. Sleep deprivation not only affects the brain's ability to function, but also the body's ability to recover. Eating clean and training hard will only get you so far. Your body recovers from a hard workout during rest and this is also when the process of muscle repair and growth occurs.
If that doesn't persuade you to go to bed early, research shows that individuals who are sleep deprived eat more overall and consume more fat, notably saturated fat.
Therefore, you should aim to maintain a consistent sleep habit.
Charles Poliquin recently wrote an article titled Get more sleep and make it a habit for optimal body composition (link here)
From the article, I’ve listed five things you can do to ensure you get adequate sleep:
1. Go to bed at the same time every night.
2. Do things in the hour or half-hour before your set bedtime to help you relax.
3. Turn off all screens during the hour or half-hour before bedtime.
4. Have a very small snack with carbs about an hour before bedtime.
5. Ensure you are taking adequate magnesium.
To read Poliquin’s article in full, click here.
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