The Bedroom – Proper Sleep

2012/08/13

Here we go!!  So this is the first installment of my weekly blogs which will cover various topics from nutrition, therapy, and exercise.  Like I’ve mentioned last week, I’ve decided to dedicate Mondays to healthy home living.  I would like to mention that for this segment, I will lean heavily on a wonderful book entitled The Healthy Home, authored by Dr. Myron Wentz, Dave Wentz, and Donna K. Wallace.  I highly recommend this to anyone who wish to improve their overall health at home with small, but powerful, changes in habits.  And so, without further a due:

The Bedroom – Sleep

There is so much to learn about the topic, and I will do my best to simplify it week by week, and bring you essential knowledge.  The first thing I would like to talk about this week is about sleep.  I often find myself asking patients and clients about their sleeping habits while doing a consultation or treatment.  Its astonishing to find that so many people do not get, not only the right amount, but also, the right kind of sleep.   

First I believe its important to understand on a physiological level why sleep is so essential.  It is during sleep that our body repairs the damage done, and to that end, produces key hormones that triggers our cells to regenerate our body.  Human growth hormone (HGH), is produced during states of deep sleep.  HGH is responsible for cell growth, and controls the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.  It greatly influences the use of lipids (fats) has an energy source, and thus limits the amount of their future storage (Hint hint ladies!!  Means it can help with weight control!!). 

70% of HGH is produced during sleep, but also it peaks in its production and use in the early hours of the evening, shortly after the sun sets.  So 8 hours of sleep from 10 p.m. till 6 a.m. will yield much better results than 8 hours from midnight to 8 a.m.

So in short, deep sleep at the right hours will give you access to your natural HGH, improving cell repair and growth (looking at you fighters and people who weight train), and proper use and storage of fats in our body.  

Next week, I’ll talk about the role of light and melatonin on our sleep.  Till then, get some well deserved rest.