We all have busy and occasionally hectic lives. When you’re training, your body is using huge amounts of extra energy to help you get fit. Add on top of this a full working day and your personal life, your body needs and deserves good sleep.
Sleep is far too often underrated for the benefits it has on your health, especially when you are training hard in the gym. Sleep deprivation can have profound consequences on your physical health.
According to the NHS, 1 in 3 people in the UK suffers from poor sleep, with stress, computers and taking work home often to blame. Regular poor sleep can increase the chance of obesity, heart disease and diabetes – not to mention a shorter life expectancy.
BENEFITS OF CATCHING MORE Z’s
- Sleep boosts immunity
- Sleep can slim you
- Sleep boosts mental wellbeing
- Sleep prevents diabetes
- Sleep wards off heart disease
Does any more need to be said. Good sleep is vital. So how is yours?
The NHS offers a free online sleep assessment so you can evaluate how good your sleep actually is. You can achieve the highest sleep score of 32 but low scores may indicate a problem.
The online assessment can be found here: LINK
GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE
‘Good sleep hygiene’ refers to steps you can take to ensure that you are optimising the amount of sleep you get each night. So here are some tips on what to do to get your full 40 winks.
- avoid heavy meals late at night.
- try taking a warm bath an hour before you go to bed.
- try listening to calming music or reading a book.
- avoid watching TV or using mobile devices in the bedroom before going to sleep.
- Avoid Caffeine after 1pm; – Avoid altogether if you’re a poor sleeper due to a racing mind, or you’re an anxious person, as it raises cortisol (stress hormone), which can be detrimental to sleep.
- Pick a regular bedtime and try to follow it, even at the weekend.
- Use cool temperatures to help you sleep: – Being warm at night and cool during the day inhibits your circadian rhythm (body clock.) Switch things around and enjoy a better night’s sleep.
- Sleep in darkness: – Too much light in your bedroom can prevent a good nights sleep. Blackout curtains can help or try using an eye mask.
If you catch a good night’s sleep you’ll come into the gym feeling energised and ready to push hard to achieve the results you desire.
To find our more information about our personal training services, please click here.
ABS Gyms:
ABS has three gyms across the North West. For more information on each, click below.
