HEALTH
Essential Sleep
Traditional approaches to optimising health include healthy eating , doing more exercise , reducing sedentary time , quitting smoking and reducing stress . Only recently have people begun to realise that sleep needs to be a part of this holistic approach . And what an important realisation ! – By Dr Dale Rae
Not only is sleep the time when our bodies repair and regenerate , but good quality sleep enables us to reap the benefits of sound nutrition , exercise and relaxation . Sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to health , as poor quality sleep increases our risk for obesity , heart disease , cancer and diabetes , and taking it to the extreme , without sleep we can ’ t survive .
Our immune system also relies on sleep to get its job done : Much of our resistance against pathogens is built up while we sleep , not to mention the housekeeping function of killing off mutated or damaged cells . That ’ s why I view good sleep today as a long-term insurance policy for good health in the years to come .
Sleep and Sports Performance
When it comes to physical performance , high-level athletes have known intuitively for years that sleep is key for recovery . Nolan Hoffman , previous winner of the Cape Town Cycle Tour , shared that he tries to sleep eight to 10 hours each night , since that is when his body recovers . Similarly , it is no coincidence that many high-profile international sports teams are implementing sleep coaching strategies for their athletes . Slowly but surely , the science is catching up . Recent studies show that complete sleep deprivation impairs recovery from a rugby match , and partial sleep deprivation reduces recovery from a high-intensity interval training session in cyclists .
In case you are curious as to why sleep is required for recovery , here ’ s the brief answer . If all is well with our sleep , we should spend about a fifth to a quarter of our night in deep ( i . e . slow wave ) sleep . We think that this is when the body goes into repair mode – fixing or replacing damaged cells , building the protein you need for your muscles to grow , tweaking your metabolism to adapt to your training demands , replenishing fuel supplies , and laying down the neural networks that allow you to successfully perform complex movement tasks . So , if you are looking to get ahead in your sport , you may wish to take a look at your sleep .
Find Your Sleep Sweet Spot
You ’ ve heard this a thousand times before , but we are all unique – even in our sleep needs . Although the National Sleep Foundation in the US recommends that adults sleep between seven and nine hours per night for optimal health , they also recognise that for some people , six hours is sufficient , while for others , 10 hours is necessary . However , this is not licence to go rogue and get away with as little sleep as possible .
2 How refreshed do you feel when you wake up ? Within 30 minutes of waking , you should feel that you are firing on all cylinders , not yearning for more sleep , or planning a post-lunch siesta . The point of sleep is to reduce fatigue and reverse the sleepiness that built up the day before . If you don ’ t feel refreshed , you are likely well under your sweet spot .
3 How alert are you during the day ? Can you make it throughout the day paying full attention to all tasks thrown your way ? Are you able to manage your work , especially mentally challenging tasks and those requiring good memory ? If so – perfect . If not – you know what I am thinking !
4 Do you do “ catch-up sleep ?” This is when our sleep on off-days is more than 1.5 hours longer than our sleep on work days . Ideally , our timing and sleep duration should be consistent from night to night , and for the most part , not too much should change on weekends . If you regularly need to sleep in for more than 1.5 hours on offdays , this indicates that your sleep during the week is insufficient .
Time to Sleep on It
A final thing to bear in mind is that your sleep needs change depending on what ’ s happening in your world at any given time . In a high training load period , your sleep need will increase , as it will when you are very stressed or having to put in long hours at work . You may notice that you can get away with less sleep in summer than winter , and that on holiday , once you have repaid some sleep debt , your sleep need may reduce . So , I challenge you to find your sleep sweet spot , and get the edge in everything you do , including running .
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Rather , to get that elusive edge in sport , work , family life and health , here are four tips to help you find your personal sleep sweet spot .
1 How long does it take you to fall asleep ? It should take between five and 20 minutes to fall asleep at night . If you fall asleep as your head hits the pillow , it is a sign that you have significant sleep debt and that your current sleep pattern is sub-optimal . As an aside , routinely taking longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep may indicate the presence of sleep-onset insomnia .
Dr Dale Rae is the Director of Sleep Science and a Senior Lecturer in the Division of Physiological Sciences , Department of Human Biology , Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town .
34 Run Your City Series