Sleep/Wake Cycles

How many of you can earnestly say that you get to bed by 10:30 every night? In a world with late night TV and bright lights at the flick of a switch, we as humans are able to stay awake for periods of time much longer than our ancient ancestors. I'm sure by now you have all heard that you have to have 8 hours of sleep to reach optimal health, but perhaps you have not been explained to the reasons behind doing so. Further, did you know that when you go to sleep is vital to your health?

It's called the circadian cycle, and it is a natural physiological cycle of about 24 hours that persists even in the absence of external cues. World renowned holistic health practitioner Paul Chek dedicates an entire chapter of his book How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy! to Sleep/Wake cycles in an effort to help the reader understand the scientific and biological aspect of getting to bed on time.

Understand that the cycles of light and dark that result from the movement of the sun and planets affect nearly all living creatures. Even though humans had the ability to use fire thousands of years ago, our activity and sleep schedules were still very much in tune with the sun and our environment. Whenever light stimulates your eyes or skin, regardless of whether it is the sun, a lightbulb, TV or computer monitor, your brain and hormonal system think that it is morning. In response to the light, your hormonal system naturally releases cortisol which is the activating hormone that is released in response to stress (electromagnetic). This activates the body and prepares it for movement, work, combat or whatever may be necessary for survival. Chek says to remember that "our physiological systems were well developed long before we even began using fire, so as far as your body is concerned:

Light = Sunshine = Cortisol release = Daytime activities.

Our cortisol levels rise and peak between 6 and 9 am when the sun rises. In the afternoon, as the sun begins to drop, so do our cortisol levels. As cortisol decreases, our bodies begin to release melatonin and also increase the levels of growth and repair hormones. "If we follow our natural sleep/wake cycles, we start winding down as the sun sets and should fall asleep by about 10 pm. Physical repairs mostly take place when the body is asleep between 10 pm and 2 am. After 2 am, the immune and repair energies are more focused on psychogenic (mental) repair, which lasts until we awaken."

Disrupted Sleep/Wake Cycles

A brightly lit house, late night TV and working late into the evening will keep the levels of stress hormones high past sundown. This includes computer screens which flicker on and off between 60 and 120 cycles per second which your brain interprets as morning sunlight. Since cortisol can take hours to clear your bloodstream, this will prevent the release of melatonin, growth hormones and important immune factors, cutting into your immune system's valuable repair time.

Going to bed after midnight means you've already lost over two hours of your physical repair cycle. People that do shiftwork or parents getting up in the middle of the night to tend to their kids regularly have their psychogenic repair cycle disrupted. This can cause musculoskeletal injuries, an increased incident of headaches, sagging personality and even neuromuscular disorder.

A disrupted sleep/wake cycle can also result in adrenal fatigue, which occurs when more cortisol than normal is produced and can lead to chronic fatigue syndrome, viral infections,bacterial and fungal infections and headaches. In order to overcome this, it is very important to respect your natural circadian rhythm and allow your adrenals to rest.

Factors that Can Disrupt your Sleep/Wake Cycle

- Stimulants: Caffeine, sugar and tobacco are all stimulants, which excite your sympathetic nervous system. This triggers the release of cortisol! Note that coffee, and specifically the caffeine inside it has a half-life of about 6 hours. "If you have a coffee at 3 pm, you'll still have 150 mg of caffeine in your blood stream at 9 pm. Six hours later, well into the psychogenic repair cycle...you'll have 75 mg of caffeine stimulating your adrenal glands to produce cortisol. ideally, you should not drink anything containing caffeine after lunch or throughout the evening."

- Electromagnetic Pollution: Power lines, electric circuits in walls, ceilings and floors and electrical appliances such as electric blankets and TV's all emit electromagnetic energies.

- Entrainment: Physiologists and medical doctors have found that you can be entrained, or synchronized to a dysfunction schedule in as little as 7-21 days. This means that if you stay up until midnight for one to three weeks in a row, your internal body clock will become trained to wait until midnight to start reducing cortisol output and increasing melatonin production.

CHEK Points for Optimizing Your Sleep/Wake Cycle

- Get to sleep by 10:30 pm. If you need time to wind down your sleep, make the appropriate adjustments, Getting in bed at 10 pm and reading until 11 defeats the purpose.

- Minimize exposure to bright lights, particularly fluorescent lights, for at least 2 hours before going to bed.

- Sleep in a room that is completely dark.

- Avoid consumption of stimulants after lunch.

- Drink plenty of water. Our bodies have very little water reserve, and once dehydrated, the body responds as though it's experiencing stress.

- Exercise! Some type of exercise or physical activity during the day will generally help you sleep better at night. However, be aware of the time that you are training. You may find that sleep patterns are disrupted if you exercise after dinner, particularly if the exercise is intense. Intense exercise or cardiovascular activity, particularly when performed for longer than 30 minutes, can increase cortisol levels, making it hard to go to sleep.

- Try unplugging all electrical appliances in your bedroom, including clocks, tv's and lights. If your sleep quality improves, rearrange your bedroom so that all electrical devices are as far from your bed as possible.

Following Chek's advice personally in regards to getting to sleep by 10:30, sleeping in a completely dark room, avoiding coffee and sugar past noon, drinking plenty of water, exercising in the morning and avoiding bright light before bed time have not only improved my own sleep quality, but has also helped in the reduction of body fat and increase in energy levels. After applying the same principles with my clients, within as little as one week, they have more bounce in their step and more energy for their workout.

Working on your sleep/wake patterns is just another example of how the things you do outside the gym affect what you do inside the gym by a considerable amount. Sleeping properly, eating properly and exercising regularly are all components to living a healthy lifestyle. Apply Chek's tips for yourself for one week, and see how you feel.

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