Good morning
Have you ever had one of those times when you were excited you would have an opportunity to sleep in and you end up waking up nearly 2-hours before you had hoped? Oh well, the extra time allows me opportunity to do some things I would have put off for later. If you are not aware of the importance of sleep, you are not paying attention. Many studies now attribute wait gain and mental clarity to poor sleeping habits. For the most part I am disciplined about getting the appropriate amount of sleep, but I often break the other pre-sleep rules, such as being on my iPad or other blue light emitting devices. Here are 2 articles that discuss this subject. One is more of an article while the second is results from a study on eReaders.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/does-blue-light-ruin-sleep-we-ask-an-expert/
http://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/112/4/1232.full.pdf
If you are do not have the time to read them, I will tell you the research clearly indicates that tablets and smart phones should not be used 90-minutes prior to lights out. The blue light emitting devices clearly affect our sleep circadian, adversely impeding the quality of our sleep. Think about it, in many cases we do not give ourselves the opportunity to sleep the needed 6 to 7 hours of sleep, and we compound the problem by the usage of electronic devices.
This is the 21st century, how can we possibly avoid eReaders, laptops, and even entertainment devices (your TV)? In the article they offer some technology that has proven to reduce the blue light exposure. It would appear that a pair of specially designed sun glasses can be affective. I would say if possible, stay away from blue light emitting devices 90 minutes prior to lights out. Read a traditional book or magazine or find other activity not technology driven.
Why am I chatting about sleeping, blue light emitting technology and sleep circadian? While NFLR’s focus’s is on running and strength & stability, we consider other important aspects of overall health. Poor sleep has been found to be a major contributor to poor performance in athletes, reduced mental clarity and as I mentioned; weight gain. An important part of a healthy lifestyle is exercise and if you are reading this, you most likely are covering that area. However, if we are not sleeping appropriately, we are damaging not only our health, but we do not realize the mental affects. Multiple studies found the affects of poor sleep result in the same clarity as being legally intoxicated. Probably not helpful for our daily activities or even our relationships.
Most of us do not realize that poor sleep is affecting us, we just believe our thinking is our thinking and our struggles are just a part of daily living. Studies on marriage and relationships have shown that poor sleep is a game changer as is skews clarity and perceptions.
In the future NFLR will focus on quality of sleep for our runners, as it surely will benefit their training. Because we focus on personalized training, we want a healthy balance of running and life, so encouraging such things as healthy sleep is important. Sacrificing our bodies for better running or more toned arms, defeats the purpose of fitness and wellness.
I hope you gained some helpful insight into the importance of your sleep. We tend to be the last ones to know what poor sleep is doing to us!
Have a great Friday and get some quality sleep!
God Bless!
Mike
