Strategies To Win #LevelUp45: Sleep and Recovery
By: Leah Hantman (Prototype Nutrition Coach and Trainer)
As we approach the start of the #LevelUp45 challenge (which starts Monday, October 5th), the team and coaches at Prototype Training Systems want to help you as much as possible in your journey. The #LevelUp45 challenge was created as an opportunity for you and the community to come together to build better habits. And better habits lead to a higher probability of you being successful in whatever your health and fitness goals are.
As you may be aware, there are 5 categories that make up the #LevelUp45 challenge. Those categories are:
- Fitness
- Mindset
- Nutrition
- Recovery
- Personal Growth
Today, we are going to be discussing the proven strategies that will help you CRUSH the SLEEP AND RECOVERY category in the #LevelUp45 challenge.
Sleep and recovery are some of the most important aspects of wellness that is often overlooked. It’s where the magic happens and where our body resets from the day before. Without sound sleep hygiene and recovery practices, we set ourselves up for chronic sleep deprivation, decreased cognitive function, and decreased athletic performance. Mood and motivation are also greatly affected by a lack of recovery. It pretty much affects every aspect of our health.
With the #Levelup45 challenge: we have asked you to focus on one sleep and recovery habit that you may not be prioritizing. Sleep and recovery are a sneaky aspect of wellness in that it often requires you to do less and that can be harder than you think.
Recovery and sleep are all about regulating the nervous system. We put it through so much throughout the day and accumulate micro-stress. There are many ways to cope with micro-stressors but if not addressed they pile up and can cause macro-stress. This is a life-altering, mental health changing the level of stress that breaks us or wears us down. It decreases our motivation and our performance. Small changes to regain control of recovery can mitigate so much damaging stress.
The choices we have given you for this category are:
4A. Go to sleep at the same time each night:
Going to sleep each night is a foundation of sleep hygiene because it allows your body to align with our natural rhythms. We have a hormone called melatonin that is secreted as a way to start preparing the body for sleep. This chemical messenger sends signals to other organ systems so the reset, rest, and repair can start. It makes us feel sleepy and lethargic. When we go to sleep at the same time each day it promotes a regular cycle of this hormone-releasing. When we have crazy sleep variability it can start to throw off our natural circadian rhythm.
4B. Get 7-8 hours of sleep:
Getting less than 7-8 hours of sleep a night can lead to chronic sleep deprivation. The cumulative long-term consequences of this are drastic and can lead to increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and more. In the shorter term, it can increase our chance of injury and decrease our athletic performance. Lack of sleep also leads to decreased stress tolerance, which means your ability to cope with micro-stressors becomes less and less.
4C. No screen time 2 hours prior to sleep:
Studies find that any exposure to blue light a few hours prior to sleeping can prevent us from a restful night of deep zzz’s. In surveys and studies, the average person experienced increased alertness with the use of screens right before bed. This led to later bedtimes, altered sleep patterns, and decreased the amount of time spent in slow-wave deep sleep where restoration is occurring.
4D. 5 minute cold shower a day:
Studies have shown that cold showers increase immune system function in addition to creating a mental fortitude. Doing one uncomfortable thing a day gives people resiliency and focus. It can also contribute to feeling more alert and awake, like a cup of coffee. The adrenaline boost can also get people up and going! It can also contribute to feeling more alert and awake, like a cup of coffee. The adrenaline boost can also get people up and going!
4E. 20 minutes stretching or mobility a day:
Stretching and mobility are the kings in the fitness world but never get’s any of the credit. We prioritize getting in our workouts or lifting heavyweight, pushing outside the comfort zone. But if we don’t include mobility and recovery into the mix, we are doing ourselves a huge disservice. Mobility is a practice that increases joint range of motion, flexibility, form, and technique. It prevents injury and helps athletes move more fluidly, perfecting form, and enabling new levels of performance. Mobility and stretching also are calming and strengthens that mind-body connection. By doing so we naturally connect with our breath and increase an overall sense of calm and well-being.
If you aren’t doing any of these practices yet. Think about what will impact your life in the most positive way. Choose it. Even if it’s hard. If you ARE already doing some or all of these, choose the one that gets you most outside your comfort zone or that takes the back seat. I promise you won’t regret it.