PAIN SENSITIVITY
One surprising consequence
of even minor sleep deprivation
is it makes you more sensitive
to pain, which means you’re
more likely to end those sets
of squats earlier after an
incomplete night of sleep than
when you get a full eight hours.
ATTRACTIVENESS
If we still haven’t convinced you
of the importance of slumber,
consider that a study had
people look, randomly, at photos
of male and female subjects
who had slept five hours per
night as well as photos of the
same subjects after getting
eight hours of z’s. The same
faces after less sleep were
rated less healthy and
significantly less attractive
than when the subjects got their
eight hours. We really do need
our beauty sleep.
THE SLEEP PROGRAM
These 12 suggestions will enhance your ability
to recover and grow from sleep.
1 GET EIGHT
CONTINUOUS HOURS. 3 EAT AND DRINK
LIGHTLY BEFORE SLEEP.
Eight is the magic number.
Nine is fine after a particularly
exhausting day, but more than
nine can be counterproductive
for healthy adults. Crucially,
under eight constitutes a sleep
deficit for almost everyone.
(Some people have a gene that
lets them thrive on six hours
nightly, but don’t assume you
have that gene. It’s very rare.)
Strive to make the eight hours
continuous so you cycle through
all the sleep stages, each of
which is crucial to recuperation.
For example, the REM stage is
when we dream, but it’s also the
only time our voluntary muscles
go completely slack, which is
crucial for their recovery. If your
sleep is so fitful that you never
go into REM, you’ll never receive
its benefits. A regular-size meal can cause
indigestion, which diminishes
quality sleep and, with your low
expenditure of energy while
in bed, makes calories more
likely to be stored as body fat.
Also, more than a glass of
water in the hour before bed
can wake you prematurely to
urinate. A casein protein shake
and a few almonds make for
an ideal meal before bed.
alcohol
2 Avoid
late in the day.
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